Mission Rosary

The World Mission Rosary was created in 1951 by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who was the National Director of Missio (Pontifical Mission Societies) in the United States.

Archbishop Fulton saw the need to pray for the whole world, especially for those living in poverty. Each decade of the Rosary is colour-coded to represent a continent where the Church continues her mission:

  • Africa is represented by the green decade for its forests and grasslands
  • The Americas are red to show the  continent’s fire of faith 
  • Europe is white because it is the home of the Holy Father, who wears white 
  • Oceania is shown in blue for the oceans surrounding the islands there
  • Asia is portrayed in yellow as a symbol of the sun rising in
    the east

Download our free, printable guide to praying the Mission Rosary>>

The prayers of the Mission Rosary

This one-minute film  includes the five prayers which begin the Mission Rosary decades.

Mission Rosary for children

Praying the Mission Rosary with children is a beautiful way to help them engage with our global family.

Find our specially created Mission Rosary resources for schools and children on the Mission Together website>>

Mission RosaryJoin our weekly prayer group

Each Monday, Missio creates five prayer focuses – one for each of the continents – taken from current events and headlines. These special intentions are designed to add an extra dimension of connection to the world through the Mission Rosary.

Click on the links below to see our weekly Mission Rosary prayer points film, or follow the hashtag #MissionRosary on Facebook and Instagram, or Twitter/X for weekly prayer points based on current events and headlines in each of the five continents. 

Praying the Mission Rosary