October is the month of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Catholics around the world are marking it by praying the mysteries of the Rosary that were revered by many popes, including Pope St. John Paul II.

“Let us #PrayTogether with the children of every continent who today are reciting the Rosary for peace in the world,” Pope Francis tweeted. “Let us entrust to Our Lady’s intercession the suffering people of Ukraine and other people who are suffering due to war, violence and misery. #1millionchildrenpraying” 

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester tweeted out another quote from Pope St. John Paul II on the feast of the rosary. ”With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love.” 

The rosary is a series of prayers that is recited with the help of a string of beads, Britannica says. The rosary consists of five decades, or sets of 10, that represent 50 Hail Mary prayers. The decades are separated by larger beads, which represent Our Father prayers. Christians can choose to meditate upon a particular set of mysteries from the life of Jesus Christ while praying. 

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains that the rosary is based on scriptural events and begins with the Apostles’ Creed. The Our Father begins every mystery and comes straight from the Gospel. The Hail Mary comes from the Archangel Gabriel’s words to Mary at the Annunciation. The mysteries of the rosary surround Christ’s journey on earth. There are four sets of mysteries: Glorious, Joyful, Sorrowful, and Luminous, added by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. 

The Glorious Mysteries, said on Sundays and Wednesdays, are the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption and the Coronation of Mary. The Joyful Mysteries, said on Mondays and Saturdays, are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation in the Temple and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. The Sorrowful Mysteries, said on Tuesdays and Fridays, are the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning of Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion and Death of the Lord. The Luminous Mysteries, said on Thursdays, are the Baptism in the Jordan, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration and the Institution of the Eucharist. 

Catholic News Agency (CNA) explains that October was chosen as the month of the Rosary because of the feast of the Most Holy Rosary on Oct. 7. Also celebrated as Our Lady of Victory, Pope Pius V dedicated Oct. 7 to the Rosary after the victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Pope Pius V implored all Christians to pray for victory at the Battle of Lepanto and the Christian forces miraculously won. 

Pope Pius V also officially added the second part of the Hail Mary and the Glory Be prayers. 

CNA says Pope Leo XIII increased the popularity of the rosary from his personal devotion as well as the 11 encyclicals he wrote about it. 

CNA says Pope St. John Paul II said, "in which we meditate with Mary upon the mysteries which she as a Mother meditated on in her heart (Lk. 2:19.).”