The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary…

The Angelus Prayer is a devotion traditionally associated with St Dominic, honouring the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It recounts the message from the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady; her yes, or fiat, bringing God’s salvation into the world. In the Cathedral the Angelus is marked by the ringing of Big Edward, the main bell, at 9am, 12 noon and 6pm, and the prayer is recited publicly at midday.

OPEN ANGELUS PRAYER

The Angelus

℣. The Angel of the LORD declared unto Mary,
℟. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

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.

℣. Behold the handmaid of the LORD.
℟. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

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.

℣. And the Word was made flesh.
℟. And dwelt among us.

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.

℣. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
℟. That we might be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O LORD, thy grace into our hearts; that, we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.

The Rosary

‘To pray the Rosary is to take a spiritual journey, along with Mary, in contemplation of the face of Christ.’ St John Paul II

Many who come to pray in the Cathedral can be found using the Rosary, one of the Church’s most loved and ancient forms of prayer. Tradition says that the Rosary was given to St Dominic in an apparition of Our Lady in the 13^th Century, but we know that the Rosary was in use as early as the ninth century, and probably earlier. The Rosary is a recitation of prayers focused on a Mystery of Faith; you keep track of the prayers with rosary beads.

From the 16^th to the 20^th century the Rosary was largely unchanged with 15 mysteries. In 2002 St John Paul II added a further five Luminous Mysteries. He regarded the Rosary as amongst the ‘finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation’. The Rosary is a source of great comfort.

On weekday evenings, the Rosary is prayed in community in the Lady Chapel after the 5.30pm Solemn Mass and also on Saturday mornings after the 10.30am Solemn Mass.

OPEN HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

How to pray the Rosary

1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostles Creed.
2. Say the Our Father.
3. Say three Hail Marys.
4. Say the Glory be.
5. Announce the First Mystery; then say the Our Father.
6. Say ten Hail Marys, while meditating on the Mystery.
7. Say the Glory be. After each decade say the Fatima Prayer.
8. Announce the Second Mystery; then say the Our Father. Repeat steps 6 and 7 and continue with the Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same way.
9. Say the Hail, Holy Queen on the medal after the five decades are completed.
10. Finish with the Prayer after the Rosary.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

On the 5 decades (sets of 10 beads) of a rosary, we pray and meditate on the corresponding set of 5 Mysteries:

The Glorious Mysteries (Sunday & Wednesday)
The Joyful Mysteries (Monday & Saturday)
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday & Friday)
The Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)

The Glorious Mysteries

1st The Resurrection
2nd The Ascension
3rd The Descent of the Holy Spirit
4th The Assumption of Mary
5th The Crowning of Mary

The Joyful Mysteries

1st The Annunciation
2nd The Visitation
3rd The Nativity
4th The Presentation
5th The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Sorrowful Mysteries

1st The Agony in the Garden
2nd The Scourging at the Pillar
3rd The Crowning with Thorns
4th The Carrying of the Cross
5th The Crucifixion

The Luminous Mysteries

1st The Baptism of Jesus
2nd The Wedding at Cana
3rd The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4th The Transfiguration
5th The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

Rosary Prayers

The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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. On the third day He arose again; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen

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 temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among 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

The Glory be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Fatima prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

The 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 merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

Prayer after the Rosary
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, by meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord Amen.

Daily Prayer

There is a wealth of information and guidance for Catholics who have access to the internet.  We recommend:

Universalis Publishing – an invaluable resource for sharing in the Church’s prayer. It provides all the texts for the Divine Office and Mass, as well as other background information for each day. These are accessible through the Universalis website and available as an App for smartphones.

Magnificat Publishing – produces a monthly magazine designed for daily use to encourage both liturgical and personal prayer. It can be used both to follow daily Mass and to be read at home or wherever you find yourself for personal or family prayer. Magnificat is also available as an App.

Stations of the Cross

Also known as The Way of the Cross, this is a devotion to the Sacred Passion in which we accompany, in spirit, our Blessed Lord in his sorrowful journey from the house of Pilate to Calvary, and recall, with sorrow and love, all that took place from the time when he was condemned to death to his being laid in the tomb. We meditate devoutly on the Passion and Death of our Lord as we move around the Stations in the Church.

The Cathedral’s stations are mounted on the great columns surrounding the nave. The first station is at the front of the nave to the left of the Sanctuary.