Pope to Add New Mysteries to the Rosary

VATICAN, Oct 16, 02 http://CWNews.com/ — Pope John Paul II will release an apostolic letter on devotion to the Virgin Mary on October 16– the anniversary of his election to the pontificate– according to informed Vatican sources.

Leaks from the Vatican, in anticipation of the document’s release, suggest that the Pope will introduce five new mysteries to the Rosary. The five new mysteries, the “luminous mysteries,” will focus on the public life of Jesus Christ, Vatican sources say. They will be: the Baptism in the Jordan, the temptation in the desert, the proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfigurations, and the entry into Jerusalem.

The Rosary is a traditional Marian devotion, popularized at first by St. Bernard, later by the Dominican order, and still later by St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort. The Rosary is composed of five joyful mysteries (which are recited on Mondays and Thursdays), five sorrowful mysteries (recited on Tuesdays and Saturdays), and five glorious mysteries (Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.) The five new mysteries would reportedly be used on Saturdays.