✢Rosary Devotion

The Glory Be in the Rosary

How the ancient Christian doxology anchors, seals, and elevates every decade of the Holy Rosary to the eternal glory of the Blessed Trinity — with the full 20 mysteries, scriptural references, and historical context.

How Many Times is the Glory Be Prayed in the Rosary?

In a standard five-decade Rosary, the Glory Be is prayed a total of 6 times:

1 time in the opening introductory prayers (after the three Hail Marys for Faith, Hope, and Charity).
5 times at the conclusion of each of the five decades.

If one prays all 20 mysteries (the full Rosary as proposed by Pope John Paul II in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 2002), the Glory Be is prayed a total of 21 times.

Why We Pray the Glory Be at the End of Each Decade

The Holy Rosary is fundamentally a Christ-centered meditation. As Pope Saint John Paul II wrote in Rosarium Virginis Mariae (n. 13), the Rosary is about "contemplating the face of Christ with Mary." Each mystery invites us into a specific event of Christ's life — His Nativity, His agony, His Resurrection — and we hold that mystery in our hearts while praying ten Hail Marys.

After ten Hail Marys of Marian contemplation, the Glory Be directs all of that contemplative fruit back to the origin and goal of all salvation: the Holy Trinity. It reminds the soul that every grace received through Jesus and Mary comes from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. The doxology is the decade's Trinitarian capstone.

"The doxology, the Gloria Patri, which concludes each decade of the Rosary, gives it a distinctly Trinitarian character and a quality of contemplative unity."

— Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, n. 34 (October 16, 2002)

When Was the Glory Be Added to the Rosary?

The Rosary took its definitive form through the work of Blessed Alan de la Roche, OP (c. 1428–1475) and the Dominican Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. Pope Saint Pius V formally codified the Rosary — including the Glory Be at the close of each decade — in his papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices (September 17, 1569), after the great Christian naval victory at the Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571), which he attributed to Our Lady's intercession through the Rosary.

October 7 was thereafter designated the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary — now a universal feast of the Latin Church.

Visual Rosary Sequence — One Decade

Step 1: Introduction (one time only)

Crucifix & Opening Prayers

Sign of the Cross → Apostles' Creed → 1 Our Father → 3 Hail Marys (for Faith, Hope, Love) → Glory Be (1st recitation) → announce First Mystery.

Step 2: Decade 1

Mystery 1

Announce Mystery → 1 Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be (2nd recitation) → Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…).

Step 3: Decade 2

Mystery 2

Announce Mystery → 1 Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be (3rd recitation) → Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…).

Step 4: Decade 3

Mystery 3

Announce Mystery → 1 Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be (4th recitation) → Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…).

Step 5: Decade 4

Mystery 4

Announce Mystery → 1 Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be (5th recitation) → Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…).

Step 6: Decade 5

Mystery 5

Announce Mystery → 1 Our Father → 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be (6th recitation) → Fatima Prayer (O my Jesus…).

Step 7: Conclusion

Closing Prayers

Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina) → Concluding Rosary Prayer → Sign of the Cross.

The Fatima Prayer — Prayed Immediately After the Glory Be

At the apparition of Our Lady at Fátima, Portugal (July 13, 1917), the children Lúcia, Jacinta, and Francisco reported that Our Lady requested the following prayer be added to the Rosary after each Glory Be:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."

— Fatima Prayer, reported by Sister Lúcia dos Santos; incorporated into the Roman Rite Rosary with episcopal approval

The sequence at the end of each decade is therefore: 10 Hail Marys → Glory Be → Fatima Prayer → announce next Mystery.

The 20 Mysteries of the Rosary

Each mystery is prayed as one decade — concluding with the Glory Be. Scripture references are from the RSV Catholic Edition.

Joyful Mysteries

Monday & Saturday

IThe AnnunciationLuke 1:28–38

IIThe VisitationLuke 1:39–56

IIIThe NativityLuke 2:1–20

IVThe PresentationLuke 2:22–38

VThe Finding in the TempleLuke 2:41–52

Luminous Mysteries

Thursday · Added by Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (2002)

IThe Baptism in the JordanMatthew 3:13–17

IIThe Wedding at CanaJohn 2:1–12

IIIThe Proclamation of the KingdomMark 1:14–15

IVThe TransfigurationMatthew 17:1–8

VThe Institution of the EucharistLuke 22:14–20

Sorrowful Mysteries

Tuesday & Friday

IThe Agony in the GardenLuke 22:39–46

IIThe Scourging at the PillarJohn 19:1

IIIThe Crowning with ThornsMatthew 27:28–31

IVThe Carrying of the CrossJohn 19:17

VThe CrucifixionJohn 19:18–30

Glorious Mysteries

Sunday & Wednesday

IThe ResurrectionMatthew 28:1–10

IIThe AscensionActs 1:9–11

IIIThe Descent of the Holy SpiritActs 2:1–13

IVThe Assumption of MaryRevelation 12:1

VThe Coronation of MaryRevelation 12:1–6

Source:Pope John Paul II — Apostolic Letter — Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 16, 2002), nn. 13, 33–34

The apostolic letter that introduced the Luminous Mysteries and provided the deepest modern magisterial reflection on the Rosary as "a compendium of the Gospel." References the Glory Be as completing each decade's contemplative cycle with Trinitarian praise.

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