Parish of St Osmund
Churches of St Gregory & St Osmund

Rosary for Life with Archbishop John Wilson

Why should we pray the Rosary for Life? 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” – Jeremiah 1:5

Every human life is sacred, wanted, and loved by God

The Month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church. This May, Archbishop John Wilson is calling on all you to join him in praying the Rosary for Life – offering our prayers for those facing the gravest threats to life in our society today.

The Rosary for Life is prayed through the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous and Glorious Mysteries, each one offered for the most vulnerable in our society: unborn children at risk of abortion, victims of war and persecution, people with disabilities, and the elderly and vulnerable.

This prayer campaign comes at a critical moment, as proposals in Parliament to permit abortion up to birth and the consistent attempts to legalise assisted suicide pose a grave threat to human life. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to be a voice for the voiceless and a beacon of his love and peace.

“Unborn children have been called by God and named by God. Their names, like yours and mine, are already carved on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” – Archbishop John Wilson

The Four Mysteries of the rosary

Each set of mysteries is accompanied by a reflection from Archbishop John, Scripture readings, and prayer intentions for every decade. The prayer intentions can be used within the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass. 

Joyful Mysteries (1 May – 9 May) 
Pray for unborn children and an end to abortion
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31)
“May all children who have died from abortion, and children who are lost, deemed unwanted or abandoned, be embraced by the Sacred Heart of Jesus and know his protection, love and peace.”
Sorrowful Mysteries (10 May – 16 May)
Pray for peace and for the victims of war
“For to us a child born, to us a son is given; and his name shall be called Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)
“For all living in the fear and shadow of war, may they be comforted by the Lord Jesus, who in his own agony placed all things trustingly in the Father’s hands.”
Luminous Mysteries (17 May – 23 May)
Pray for people with disabilities
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17)
“For all people living with a disability, may they know they are beloved children of God, chosen and called by name.”
Glorious Mysteries (24 May – 30 May)
Pray for the elderly and vulnerable
“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen” (Mark 16:5)
“For all elderly people facing the end of their lives, may they be strengthened by the risen Lord Jesus, and take comfort that death is not the end but the start of a glorious and eternal life.”