On Friday the Rosary prays the Sorrowful Mysteries, the mysteries of Christ’s Passion and death: the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. Friday is the day the Lord died, kept with penance throughout the Church, and it is the day these mysteries are most at home.
Why are the Sorrowful Mysteries prayed on Friday?
Of all the days, Friday’s set needs the least explaining. Christ died on a Friday, and from the earliest centuries the Church has kept every Friday as a memorial of the Cross, a day of penance and abstinence in union with his suffering. The Sorrowful Mysteries follow him from the garden where he sweated blood to the hill where he was crucified, and to pray them on Friday is to keep watch on the day it happened. Many join the day’s Rosary to the Stations of the Cross, or to the Friday abstinence the Church asks, so the whole day leans toward Calvary. It is a heavy set for a heavy day, and that is the point: the Cross is where love went furthest, and Friday is when we go there with it.
The Sorrowful Mysteries prayed on Friday
Friday’s Rosary meditates on the five Sorrowful Mysteries:
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion
Each carries its own Scripture, meditation, and spiritual fruit. For the full text and meditation on every decade, see the Sorrowful Mysteries.
Does the Friday Rosary change with the season?
Unlike Sunday, the weekday sets do not change with the season. This set is prayed on this day all year round. Sunday is the only day whose mysteries shift with the liturgical calendar. To see the whole week in one place, with today’s set already worked out, see which Rosary is prayed today.
◆ The same mysteries, a different day
The Sorrowful Mysteries are also prayed on Tuesday, as a quieter midweek meditation on the Passion. See the Tuesday Rosary.
Praying the Friday Rosary
Friday is the day to let everything lean toward the Cross. Joining the Rosary to a small penance, or to the Stations of the Cross, deepens what the day already holds. Orabimus opens to Friday’s set for you, with a voice to follow. For the beads and the order, see how to pray the Rosary.
You do not have to watch a video to pray along. On Orabimus you pray Friday’s rosary yourself, at your own pace and in your own language, or live and in sync with others, as a virtual rosary.
Pray Friday’s Rosary now.
Open Orabimus and Friday’s mysteries are already set for you, with a voice to pray alongside in nine languages. Free, no account needed.
Pray Friday’s RosaryFriday’s set chosen for you · Audio in nine languages · Works offline
Sources: John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae §38 (2002) · USCCB, How to Pray the Rosary · The Mysteries of the Rosary (The Holy See)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which mysteries are prayed on Friday?
On Friday the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed: the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion. They follow Christ through his Passion and death.
Why are the Sorrowful Mysteries prayed on Friday?
Because Christ died on a Friday. The Church has kept every Friday as a memorial of the Cross since the earliest centuries, with penance and abstinence, so the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed on the day they remember.
What is the difference between the Friday and Tuesday Rosary?
Both pray the Sorrowful Mysteries. Friday keeps the memory of the actual day of the Crucifixion, observed across the Church with penance. Tuesday is a quieter second weekly meditation on the Passion. See the Tuesday Rosary for the midweek Sorrowful day.
Why is Friday a day of penance?
Friday is the day of the Lord’s death, and the Church asks the faithful to mark it with penance, traditionally abstaining from meat or offering another sacrifice. Praying the Sorrowful Mysteries on Friday joins the Rosary to that observance.
Can I pray a different set of mysteries on Friday?
Yes. The schedule is a helpful custom rather than a binding rule. It exists so the whole Church prays together and a week covers the whole life of Christ. You are free to pray whichever mysteries you are drawn to on a given Friday.