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Goretti Publications

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Blog

Every so often, we have a piece of prose that is too big for a short update on our Mastodon or X account, but too small for a book. This little blog will provide space for such writings.

Why Not the Luminous Mysteries?

Donald P. Goodman III

20 Jan 1209

Image of Rosary, configured in shape of shield

We are sometimes asked why our devotional materials regarding the Holy Rosary—namely, our brief guide to the Holy Rosary and our Rosary devotional—do not include the “luminous mysteries” proposed by Pope John Paul II in 2002. This little post attempts to explain why. It goes into the origins of the Holy Rosary—including its likely origin with St. Dominic himself, along with what we can know about its origins historically apart from that—and its structure. Focusing on the nature of the Rosary as “Our Lady's Psalter”, we conclude that the luminous mysteries were not a good addition to the Holy Rosary, and should for that reason be rejected. (As a part of the Rosary; as a separate devotion, they are perfectly salutary.) At the close of the post, we go over the common supports for the luminous mysteries as proposed to those faithful to the traditional Rosary, and why those supports do not work. Read more