On Sunday the Rosary is prayed with the Glorious Mysteries. Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, so the Glorious Mysteries are prayed, though a traditional custom changes them in Advent, Christmas and Lent. Below is the whole Sunday Rosary, step by step: the opening prayers, the five Glorious Mysteries with their Scripture passages and a short meditation for Sunday, the closing prayers, and Sunday’s traditional devotion to the Resurrection. It takes about 20 minutes. The same mysteries are prayed on Wednesday.
| Decade | Glorious Mystery | Scripture | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Resurrection | Matthew 28:1–10; John 20:1–18 | Faith |
| 2 | The Ascension | Acts 1:6–11 | Hope |
| 3 | The Descent of the Holy Spirit | Acts 2:1–13 | Love of God |
| 4 | The Assumption of Mary | Revelation 12:1; Psalm 45:10–15 | Grace of a holy death |
| 5 | The Coronation of Mary | Revelation 12:1 | Trust in Mary’s intercession |
Rosary for each day: Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday · Sunday
Offering for the Sunday Rosary
Before you begin, offer the Rosary for an intention. A Sunday offering, written for this page:
Risen Lord Jesus, on this Lord’s day I offer you this Rosary in thanksgiving for your Resurrection and for the Mass, and I place the coming week in your hands. Amen.
Opening prayers
1. On the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
2. Still holding the crucifix, pray the Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified;
died, and was buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
3. On the first large bead, pray the Our Father:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
4. On the next three beads, pray three Hail Marys, traditionally for an increase of faith, hope and charity:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
5. Pray the Glory Be:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
The five Glorious Mysteries
For each decade: announce the mystery, read or recall the Scripture, pause on the meditation, then pray one Our Father on the large bead, ten Hail Marys on the small beads, the Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer:
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
The meditations below were written for Sunday. For a longer reflection on each mystery, see our page on the Glorious Mysteries.
First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection
Scripture: Matthew 28:1–10; John 20:1–18 · Fruit of the mystery: Faith
Every Sunday is a little Easter. Rejoice: he is risen, as he said.
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer.
Second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension
Scripture: Acts 1:6–11 · Fruit of the mystery: Hope
Jesus ascended to the Father; at today’s Mass heaven and earth meet again.
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer.
Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Scripture: Acts 2:1–13 · Fruit of the mystery: Love of God
The Holy Spirit gathered the first Church in prayer with Mary; today he gathers us at Mass.
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer.
Fourth Glorious Mystery: The Assumption of Mary
Scripture: Revelation 12:1; Psalm 45:10–15 · Fruit of the mystery: Grace of a holy death
Mary was taken body and soul into heaven: our bodies too are made for glory.
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer.
Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of Mary
Scripture: Revelation 12:1 · Fruit of the mystery: Trust in Mary’s intercession
Crowned Queen, Mary reigns by serving. Ask her to make the coming week holy.
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, Glory Be, and the Fatima Prayer.
Closing prayers
Hail, Holy Queen:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy! Hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us.
And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Versicle and response:
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Closing prayer:
O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant we beseech thee, that meditating upon those mysteries, in the most holy Rosary of the most blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
End with the Sign of the Cross. Many people add a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be).
Sunday, the Lord’s day, and the seasons
The Glorious Mysteries are the usual Sunday mysteries. An older custom, still followed by many, adapts Sunday to the liturgical season: the Joyful Mysteries on the Sundays of Advent and Christmastide (in 2026, from November 29) and the Sorrowful Mysteries on the Sundays of Lent. Both are allowed: St. John Paul II’s weekly plan is a recommendation, not a rule. See also today’s Rosary mysteries.
Frequently asked questions
What mysteries of the Rosary are prayed on Sunday?
The Glorious Mysteries: Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption of Mary and Coronation of Mary.
Who decided which mysteries are prayed on each day?
The plan comes from St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (2002, no. 38): Joyful on Monday and Saturday, Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday, Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday, Luminous on Thursday. It is a recommendation, so you may pray any set on any day.
Which mysteries are prayed on Sundays in Advent and Lent?
By a traditional custom, the Joyful Mysteries on the Sundays of Advent and the Christmas season, and the Sorrowful Mysteries on the Sundays of Lent. Otherwise the Glorious Mysteries are prayed on Sunday.
How long does the Sunday Rosary take?
About 15 to 20 minutes when prayed at a calm pace, a little longer with the meditations read aloud.
More Rosary pages
- Rosary prayers: every prayer in order
- Pray the Rosary online (interactive Rosary)
- Today’s Rosary mysteries
- The Glorious Mysteries: meditations
- All the mysteries of the Rosary
Texts and sources
- Prayers of the Rosary: public-domain texts, as on our Rosary prayers page (Baltimore Catechism, 1891, and other sources listed there); Fatima Prayer as taught on July 13, 1917.
- St. John Paul II, apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 16, 2002), nos. 19–21 and 38.
- Scripture references use modern chapter and verse numbering; quotations are from the Douay-Rheims Bible.
- Offerings and meditations written for biddingprayers.com by Seminarian Giuseppe.