The Rosary derives from the Latin word "rosarium", in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses".

usually in the form of the Dominican rosary, is a form of prayer used especially in the Catholic Church named for the string of prayer beads used to count the component prayers.

When used of the form of prayer, the word is usually capitalized "the Rosary" is customary for other names of prayers, such as "the lord's prayer", "the Hail Mary", "the Magnificat".

The prayers that essentially compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten beads. The beads represent the events of the lives of Jesus and Mary.

For over four centuries, the rosary has been promoted by several popes as part of the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholicism.

The rosary also represents the Roman Catholic emphasis on "participation in the life of Mary, whose focus was Christ".

The rosary is part of Catholic veneration of Mary, which has been promoted by numerous popes.

On 3 May 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated that the Rosary was experiencing a new springtime: "It is one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generation nourish for Jesus and his Mother. To Benedict XVI, the rosary is a meditation on all important moments of salvation history.

The Congregation for Divine Worship's directory of popular piety and the liturgy emphasizes the Christian meditation/meditative aspects of the rosary, and states that the Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquility of rhythm or even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life."^[9] The Congregation for Divine Worship also emphasizes the importance of the rosary as a formative component of spiritual life.