Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary

The Confraternity of the Holy Rosary is an association whose members say the 15 mysteries of the Rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious) once every week. The Confraternity was founded by St. Dominic early in the 13th century after Our Lady herself gave him the Rosary and inspired him to found the Confraternity in her honor. It was revived by Blessed Alan de la Roche in the 15th century. The first and foremost of many associations officially approved by the Church, the Rosary Confraternity has traditionally been the most widespread and richly endowed with indulgences and privileges.

All can, of course, pray the Rosary and will not fail to find it most excellent in itself and most fruitful in its blessings, but by entering the Confraternity which bears its name, they can reap these additional advantages:

1. It obtains the special protection of the Blessed Virgin, since it was erected by her inspiration and in her honor.
    
2. Its members, in immense numbers around the world, share in the benefits of another's prayers and good works.
    
3. The members also share in the prayers and merits of the members of the Order of Preachers, the Order of St. Dominic, with which they are affiliated.
    
4. Numerous plenary and partial indulgences have been granted to the Confraternity. We will publish them separately.
    
5. The traditional Mass is offered in Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel every First Saturday of the month for members of the Confraternity.

For hundreds of years until the Second Vatican Council, the Rosary Confraternity literally embraced the world. But today, unknown to the average Catholic, it needs to be revived yet again, particularly since in the last century Our Lady of Fatima called upon all to pray the Rosary "always". Without this sword of the spirit, the world is perishing in its sins. The Rosary Confraternity must today become a Rosary Army!
 

INDULGENCES AND THE ROSARY

An indulgence (forgiveness) is a remission by the Church herself of the temporal (not everlasting) punishment due to sins committed after Baptism whose guilt has been itself forgiven, whether inside or outside the confessional.

Indulgences are either plenary or partial. A plenary indulgence remits all the temporal punishment; a partial indulgence remits only part of one's debt. Should one die immediately after gaining a plenary indulgence, the soul would go directly to heaven. So it can easily be seen why indulgences should eagerly be gained by the faithful whenever possible.

Of all the devotions in the Church, the one upon which the Church has showered her greatest blessings is the Rosary. One Pope after another has opened the treasury of the superabundant merits of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints to grant indulgences generously to those who say the Rosary and are members of the Confraternity.

See the encyclical on the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary by Pope Leo XIII.
 

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ROSARY CONFRATERNITY

1. Submit your full name (without title) to be officially registered in the rolls of the Confraternity (see below).
    
2. Have your beads blessed by a priest using the blessing for rosaries formerly reserved to Dominican priests.
    
3. Say, with meditation on the mysteries, your 15 decades of the Rosary each week. It is not necessary to say all at one time, or in one day; you can say 5 decades, or even one at a time. No sin is committed if you neglect your 15 decades or part of them during the week, though you lose your share for that week in the benefits of the rosaries recited by the other Rosarians around the world.

** After enrolling, you may also wish to take advantage of our Rosary Confraternity articles named Sword of Truth, published from 1996 through 2004. These publications are available in the Articles and References section of this website.
 

ROSARY CONFRATERNITY ENROLLMENT

Please click the image below and email us your:

Full Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip code
Country
Your email address

We will then submit your name to the central Rosary Confraternity registry and you will be mailed a confirmation.

NOTE: Please give your full name to be registered, as John Smith, not as Mr. Smith, nor J. Smith; Ellen Smith, not Miss Smith, nor Mrs. E. Smith.

All entries must be submitted willfully by each person themselves (please do not enroll others).