A contemplative prayer meditation that originated in the ancient monk's Psalter, the Rosary of the Virgin Mary represents an offering of a prayer crown of mystical roses to the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ. The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning "rose garden") or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. 

Prayer beads are used to count the series of prayers that make up the Rosary. The entire Rosary includes four major sets of Mysteries. Each major Mystery contains five sub-Mysteries, which recall the prominent events in the life of Jesus Christ and His mother, Mary. 

Three of the major Mysteries, the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries were well established by the sixteenth century. Blessed Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries in 2002. As a result, the Rosary sequence now features the complete cycle of the life of Jesus Christ: His miraculous birth, ministry, death, and Resurrection, in addition to the traditional reverence shown for the Holy Spirit and His mother Mary, in the concluding Glorious Mysteries. 

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