Irish Dominican
Rosary Apostolate

ROSARY CONFRATERNITY

What is the Rosary Confraternity?

The Rosary Confraternity of the Catholic Church is a spiritual association, the members of which strive to pray the entire Rosary during the course of each week. They form a union of countless hundreds of thousands of the faithful throughout the world who, along with their own intentions, include the intentions and needs of all worldwide members of the Rosary Confraternity both living and deceased.

Since Pope St. John Paul II added the five luminous mysteries, it would seem that members of the Confraternity should strive to include that extra weekly Rosary. However, we have received no official statement regarding this matter. Those who recite only the fifteen traditional mysteries will continue to share in the benefits of the Confraternity until an official source declares the position of the Church.

As Pope Leo XIII said in his apostolic constitution on the Confraternity, “whenever a person ; fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members, and they in turn render him the same service many times over.” (Ubi Primum, 1898 n1).  Each member includes deceased fellow members as well; and thus he knows that in turn he will be included in the prayers of hundreds of thousands both now and hereafter. This led the Cure of Ars to say: “If anyone has the happiness of being in the Confraternity of the Rosary, he has in all corners of the world brothers and sisters who pray for him.”

For obvious reasons, the deceased cannot be enrolled in the Confraternity.

To Join The Dominican Rosary Confraternity (Free of Charge), Click here.

Obligations

Each member strives to pray fifteen mysteries of the Rosary each week (this does not bind under sin), and must have his/her name inscribed in the register of the Confraternity.

Benefits

  1. The special protection of the mother of God.
  2. A share in the prayer of countless thousands of members the world over, and this even after death.
  3. A share in the prayers, Masses and apostolic works of the entire Dominican Order.
  4. The intercession of the entire heavenly court.
  5. Various plenary and partial indulgences.
  6. We may send communications from time to time members. Its purpose is to provide sound doctrine and spiritual guidance for readers everywhere.

Indulgences in general

  1. An indulgence is the cancellation of temporal punishment due for sin, when the sin’s guilt has already been pardoned.
  2. An indulgence is partial if it frees the Christian partially from the temporal punishment due for his sins, plenary if it frees him wholly.
  3. Both partial and plenary indulgences can always be applied to the dead, but only by way of suffrage.
  4. Since the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI on Indulgences, a partial indulgence is no longer expressed in reference to time, i.e. days or years.
  5. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day, except by those on the threshold of death.
  6. To gain a plenary indulgence the person must perform the indulgenced act, and satisfy these conditions: Sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intention, and freedom from all attachment to sin, even venial sin. If this detachment is not present, or if any of the above conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence is partial.

Rosary Indulgences

  1. For members of the Rosary Confraternity, a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, is granted on the following feast days: Christmas, Easter, Annunciation, Purification, Assumption, Our Lady of the Rosary, and  Immaculate Conception.
  2. For those who pray the Rosary, a plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions, when the Rosary is prayed in Church, or in a Public Oratory, in a family (family Rosary), Religious Community, or Pious Association. Otherwise a partial indulgence is granted

Membership

Membership in the Rosary Confraternity is open to all the Catholic lay faithful as well as to priests and religious. Members promise to recite the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary over the course of each week and to include the other members and their intentions in their prayers. This obligation does not bind under pain of sin.
Although many people desire to enroll others, we ask that you submit an enrollment request only on your own behalf, with the understanding that you are making a lifelong promise to pray 15 decades of the Rosary each week. One must be old enough to choose this freely and should normally have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Children under the age of reason (typically seven) are not able to make this commitment and therefore cannot be enrolled.

Membership in the Rosary Confraternity is entirely free, and there are no enrollment fees associated with joining the Confraternity.

Simplified summary

The Rosary Confraternity is a group of Catholics who promise to pray the full Rosary (15 decades) each week.

Members pray for each other, both living and deceased. It’s free to join, and open to all Catholics who are old enough to make the promise for themselves.

What You Do:

  • Pray the full Rosary every week.
  • Include all other members in your prayers.
  • Add your name to the official register.

What You Get:

Special help from Mary, the Mother of God.

  • Prayers from thousands of other members.
  • Support from the Dominican Order.
  • Possible spiritual rewards called indulgences, especially on special feast days.

Key Points: You don’t have to pray all at once—just finish each week.

You won’t be sinning if you miss sometimes. Children under 7 can’t join. Deceased people can’t be enrolled. Click the link above to join the Rosary Confraternity – it’s free