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Which Optional Prayers Are Recognized By The Church?

by Greg B

I've seen several optional prayers that people include with the Rosary - the Fatima Prayer, the Miraculous Medal prayer, the Fatima Ave refrain, the Eucharistic prayer, the Prayer to Saint Michael, and the Litany of Loreto.

Is there an answer as to which of these prayers are recognized by the Church, and should or should not be used with the Rosary? Are there other recommended prayers I misssed here?

A definative answer by someone with more authority and knowledge than me would be greatly helpful. Thanks in advance. :)

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There Is A "Normal" Method For Praying The Rosary
by: The Rosary Team

The Rosary is a private devotion and as such there is no correct or incorrect way of praying it.

The Church has entrusted the Dominican order to safegaurd the Rosary so it will be authentically preserved for future generations. The interesting fact, however is that the Dominican Rosary differs from the method most Catholics pray.
At rosary-center.org , it is stated, "The Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary (An Archconfraternity) is a World-Wide Movement of Prayer Entrusted to the Dominican Order by the Holy See more than 500 years ago."

On their site, they instruct people to pray the Rosary the way we do on this site, with the exception of the St. Michael prayer, which they omit, and during the introductory prayers, they do not say the words, "We offer these three Hail Marys for an increase in the virtues of faith, hope, and charity."

The introductory prayers are the same, the Fatima prayer is prayed after each decade (as it should be since it was revealed at Fatima that that prayer be prayed after each decade), and the Rosary is concluded with the Hail Holy Queen followed with the Prayer from the Breviary.

The authors of this website chose to teach the Rosary the way they are accustomed to praying it.

Click here to see our Rosary Guide...

The prayers you mentioned themselves are prayers that are recognized by the Church but are not necessary included in the Rosary.

I personally like to include at the end some of my favorite devotional prayers, such as the Miraculous Medal prayer, an invocation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Petitions. My kids also like to list their patron saints, asking for their intercession. I have also heard people pray a prayer to the Holy Spirit between each decade as well as a prayer for the unborn.

When praying as a group in public, I would suggest sticking to the norms outlined on this site or on rosary-center.org.

To summarize, as the the Rosary is a private devotion, there is no proper way to pray it that is "recognized by the Church", but the method outlined on rosary-center.org is the normal way of praying the Rosary and the method taught by the Dominican Order.

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