How to Pray a Decade
Pray a decade of the rosary. Perhaps you have ever heard a Catholic use this expression or read it at the end of a prayer? Perhaps you have already wondered what this person was doing by tracing his dizainier bracelet or his rosary? Find out how to pray a decade and all the good reasons to do it too.
What is a “decade”?
The Catholic Rosary consists of 50 small beads, divided into 5 groups. Each small set of 10 beads is called a decade.
A decade of the rosary is made up of:
- an Our Father
- and 10 Hail Marys (which gives this decade name.)
A decade can be prayed alone, but is actually part of a longer prayer. Indeed, the chaplet, which also designates the prayer aid itself (like the dizainier for the decade), is also the name for the traditional Catholic prayer, often associated with the prayer of the Rosary.
A decade is usually prayed in 5 to 10 minutes.
How to pray a decade in the prayer of the Rosary?
As part of the rosary, the decade is closed by the prayer of Glory Be to the Father and can also be followed by the prayer of Fatima.
Meditate on a mystery
Each decade can be the subject of a prayer intention or a request for grace often in connection with one of the mysteries of the Rosary.
The decade is part of a rosary, which is prayed multiple times throughout the day, or through a living rosary, and we pray the mystery corresponding to the current series (joyful mysteries, luminous mysteries, sorrowful mysteries or glorious mysteries). Otherwise, we can choose to meditate on a particular mystery, related to what we are experiencing and a grace we wish to ask of God.
We can then meditate on a mystery of the traditional rosary but also, why not a mystery of the rosary of Saint Joseph or the rosary of the Holy Spirit.
The decade at the heart of the Living Rosary principle
Created by Pauline Jaricot, the principle of the Living Rosary is simple and allows everyone to pray the rosary daily. A group of 5 praying individuals is formed, and each one commits to meditate on one of the mysteries of the rosary while reciting a daily decade, in communion with the rest of the group.
(Discover the Rosario application, created by Hozana, which allows you to pray according to this principle of the Living Rosary)
Other ways to pray and meditate around a decade of the rosary
Reciting a decade can also structure and organize our prayer in many ways. We can pray for our loved ones, associating each bead (and thus a Hail Mary) with a particular person. We can give thanks and express gratitude to God for His blessings by linking each bead to a small or great joy, to comfort, to a moment of sharing experienced in our day. On each bead, we can then say, "Thank you, Lord, for ..." ... and create our own prayer or personal praise through this medium!
Pray the rosary (by decade or the whole thing!) with Hozana
Hozana encourages you in the practice and recitation of the rosary. Discover some concrete proposals to help you make it your daily prayer!
- with this novena to discover all the riches of this prayer
- with this online retreat to help you pray the Rosary and its mysteries
- with this weekly meeting to encourage and nourish you in your practice.
What is a “decade”?
The Catholic Rosary consists of 50 small beads, divided into 5 groups. Each small set of 10 beads is called a decade.
A decade of the rosary is made up of:
- an Our Father
- and 10 Hail Marys (which gives this decade name.)
A decade can be prayed alone, but is actually part of a longer prayer. Indeed, the chaplet, which also designates the prayer aid itself (like the dizainier for the decade), is also the name for the traditional Catholic prayer, often associated with the prayer of the Rosary.
A decade is usually prayed in 5 to 10 minutes.
How to pray a decade in the prayer of the Rosary?
As part of the rosary, the decade is closed by the prayer of Glory Be to the Father and can also be followed by the prayer of Fatima.
Meditate on a mystery
Each decade can be the subject of a prayer intention or a request for grace often in connection with one of the mysteries of the Rosary.
The decade is part of a rosary, which is prayed multiple times throughout the day, or through a living rosary, and we pray the mystery corresponding to the current series (joyful mysteries, luminous mysteries, sorrowful mysteries or glorious mysteries). Otherwise, we can choose to meditate on a particular mystery, related to what we are experiencing and a grace we wish to ask of God.
We can then meditate on a mystery of the traditional rosary but also, why not a mystery of the rosary of Saint Joseph or the rosary of the Holy Spirit.
The decade at the heart of the Living Rosary principle
Created by Pauline Jaricot, the principle of the Living Rosary is simple and allows everyone to pray the rosary daily. A group of 5 praying individuals is formed, and each one commits to meditate on one of the mysteries of the rosary while reciting a daily decade, in communion with the rest of the group.
(Discover the Rosario application, created by Hozana, which allows you to pray according to this principle of the Living Rosary)
Other ways to pray and meditate around a decade of the rosary
Reciting a decade can also structure and organize our prayer in many ways. We can pray for our loved ones, associating each bead (and thus a Hail Mary) with a particular person. We can give thanks and express gratitude to God for His blessings by linking each bead to a small or great joy, to comfort, to a moment of sharing experienced in our day. On each bead, we can then say, "Thank you, Lord, for ..." ... and create our own prayer or personal praise through this medium!
Pray the rosary (by decade or the whole thing!) with Hozana
Hozana encourages you in the practice and recitation of the rosary. Discover some concrete proposals to help you make it your daily prayer!
- with this novena to discover all the riches of this prayer
- with this online retreat to help you pray the Rosary and its mysteries
- with this weekly meeting to encourage and nourish you in your practice.
