The Rosary
"The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second millennium under the guidance of the Spirit of God, is a prayer loved by countless Saints and encouraged by the Magisterium. Simple yet profound, it still remains, at the dawn of this third millennium, a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness. It blends easily into the spiritual beginnings and feels drawn by the Spirit of God to "set out into the deep" (duc in altum!) in order once more to proclaim, and even cry out, before the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour, "the way, and the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6), "the goal of human history and the point on which the desires of history and civilization turn"."
Pope John Paul II has proposed the addition of five new Mysteries to the Rosary -- the Mysteries of Light, also known as the Luminous Mysteries. These are the mysteries of Christ's public ministry between his Baptism and his Passion. "The addition of these new mysteries, without prejudice to any essential aspect of the prayer's traditional format, is meant to give it fresh life and to enkindle renewed interest in the Rosary's place within Christian spirituality as a true doorway to the depths of the Heart of Christ, ocean of joy and of light, of suffering and of glory." These are in addition to the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries.
The purpose of the Rosary is to help keep in memory certain principal events or mysteries in the history of our salvation, and to thank and praise God for them. There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five JOYFUL MYSTERIES, the five LUMINOUS MYSTERIES, the five SORROWFUL MYSTERIES, and the five GLORIOUS MYSTERIES.
| The Joyful Mysteries (Said on Mondays and Saturdays) |
| The Luminous Mysteries (Said on Thursdays) |
| The Sorrowful Mysteries (Said on Tuesdays and Fridays) |
| The Glorious Mysteries (Said on Wednesdays and Sundays) |
Reference: ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE - Pope John Paul II ( http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2ROSAR.HTM)