The Holy Rosary is one of the important devotions in the Catholic Church, second to the Holy Mass. The Holy Rosary was given and taught by the Blessed Virgin Mary when she appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman who was fighting the Albigensian Heresy that time. The Holy Rosary was only prayed by the Dominicans before Pope St. Pius V instituted the official devotion to the Holy Rosary on 1569.
The Holy Rosary has 15 Mysteries – the Joyful, the Sorrowful and the Glorious Mysteries – and contains five prayers – the Apostles Creed, Our Father (Lord’s Prayer), Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer. These 15 Mysteries contains the Life of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Yes, it is. Because every mystery contains the stories from the New Testament such as the birth of our Lord, His Passion and His Resurrection. And the queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the book of Revelation.
During the Vatican II, many changes occurred inside the church including the Holy Mass. During the reign of Pope John Paul II on 2002, he made a change on the Holy Rosary by adding a new set of mystery, the “Luminous Mystery”. This mystery is only optional which means you have no obligation to use it. But as time passed, the optional has slowly became official.
Some Catholics including the Traditional ones does not want to use the “Luminous Mystery” because the Blessed Virgin Mary did not include or teach the Luminous Mystery to St. Dominic. Except for the Fatima Prayer where she teaches it to the three children in Fatima.
Some Catholic Scholars and Theologians give proof or reason why 15 Mysteries is the only number of mysteries that a catholic must use:
