First Joyful Mystery - the Annunciation

The spiritual FRUIT of praying the First Joyful Mystery is TRUE HUMILITY.

    An audio-video presentation of the Annunciation
    appears at the end of this page.

    A Scriptural Rosary version for this
    decade is available here.
                       (Page can take a moment to load, and
                       text may appear further down page!)


The Annunciation in Scripture - Luke chapter 1, from verse 26:
"The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favoured one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the Child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her."

In the First Joyful Mystery, “The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates the ‘fullness of time’ (referred to in Galatians 4:4), the time of the fulfilment of God’s promises and preparations.”
(Article 484 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Contemplate the Annunciation during a short period of silence, then recite the following prayers:

While holding the single bead next to the metal centerpiece of your rosary beads, pray the 'Lord's Prayer' :

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.

On the next bead (first in the group of 10), pray 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.
Repeat the 'Hail Mary' 9 more times, for each remaining bead in the group of 10 (the 'decade').

Next, pray 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.

Next, pray 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, Amen.

See rosaries with added 'Glory Be' & 'Fatima' beads!

This concludes the First Joyful Mystery. Now you may proceed to the:

Second Joyful Mystery                    a different Joyful Mystery

closing prayers (if you are praying only the First Joyful Mystery)

start of this online rosary (all Mysteries are accessible by day of the week)

Optional Video

   The video below pairs classical art
   images, with an audio track from "The
   Rosary" CD/tape by Dana and Father
   Kevin Scallon (pictured left). A prayerful
   recitation of the first part of the Rosary
   precedes a brief meditation on the First
   Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, then
   the recited decade of prayers. It is
   accompanied by beautiful music and song!
   To play the video below, click on it
    twice.

First Joyful Mystery
First Joyful Mystery