The Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Full prayers, the 46 Rosaries devotion & a 9-day novena, PDF

On a cold December morning in 1531, on a barren hill outside Mexico City, a poor indigenous man named Juan Diego encountered a young woman who spoke to him in his own Nahuatl language, called herself the ever-present Virgin Mary, and left behind an image that has since become one of the most venerated pieces of religious art anywhere in the world. Nearly five centuries later, millions of Catholics across the Americas still turn to her under this title, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and one of the most common ways they do so is by praying the Rosary in her honor.

This guide brings together everything you need to understand and pray the Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe: the true history of her 1531 apparitions, an honest clarification of what this devotion actually consists of, the complete text of every prayer in the Rosary, the historic 46 Rosaries devotion tied to the stars on her mantle, a nine-day novena, practical information about Guadalupe rosary beads and devotional items, and a prayer to the Virgen de Guadalupe in both English and Spanish.

Who Is Our Lady of Guadalupe? The Apparitions of 1531

Between December 9 and 12, 1531, the Virgin Mary is reported to have appeared four times to Juan Diego, a recently baptized indigenous man, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City, and a fifth time to his uncle, Juan Bernardino. Speaking to him in Nahuatl, she identified herself and asked that a church be built on the site in her honor. When the local bishop asked for a sign to confirm the apparition was genuine, Mary directed Juan Diego to gather Castilian roses, out of season and unknown in that region, blooming on the hillside, and to carry them to the bishop in his tilma, a simple cloak made of cactus fiber.

When Juan Diego opened his cloak before the bishop, the roses fell to the floor, and imprinted on the fabric itself was the image now known throughout the world as Our Lady of Guadalupe: a pregnant young woman with downcast eyes, hands clasped in prayer, wearing a rose-colored tunic beneath a blue-green mantle covered in eight-pointed stars, standing on a crescent moon and eclipsing the rays of the sun behind her. That same tilma, still remarkably preserved after nearly five hundred years, hangs today at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world.

Is There a Special "Guadalupe Rosary"? Clarifying the Devotion

This is worth addressing honestly and directly. The Rosary prayed in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe is not a separate set of prayers or mysteries distinct from the standard Holy Rosary; it is the exact same five-decade devotion prayed by Catholics everywhere, the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and, since 2002, Luminous Mysteries, simply offered with the intention of honoring Mary under this particular title and asking her intercession as she appeared at Tepeyac. When people search for a "Guadalupe rosary prayer" or a "rosary of Guadalupe," what they are almost always looking for is either this same standard Rosary prayed with that dedication, or the historic devotion described below, the 46 Rosaries.

How to Pray the Standard Rosary in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Which Mysteries to Pray on Which Day

The Rosary rotates through four sets of Mysteries, five decades each, following a fixed weekly schedule.

The 46 Rosaries to Our Lady of Guadalupe: A Historic Devotion

Beyond the standard Rosary offered simply in her honor, one specific and well-documented devotion has grown directly out of the image on Juan Diego's tilma itself: the 46 Rosaries to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This devotion dates back to the nineteenth century and takes its structure from a striking detail of her image, the mantle she wears is covered with exactly forty-six eight-pointed stars.

The practice consists of praying one complete five-decade Rosary each day for forty-six consecutive days, from October 28 through December 12, her feast day. This is not an approximate window; counted exactly, October 28 to December 12 inclusive is precisely forty-six days, meaning the devotion's structure was clearly designed so that the forty-sixth Rosary, honoring the forty-sixth and final star, falls exactly on her feast.

A Nine-Day Rosary Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe

For those who prefer a shorter, more concentrated devotion, this nine-day novena pairs the standard Rosary with a daily meditation drawn from her 1531 apparitions, traditionally prayed from December 3 through December 11, concluding the evening before her feast.

Guadalupe Rosary Beads, Centers, and Devotional Items

Rosaries made specifically in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe are widely available and typically feature her image on the center medallion, the small piece that joins the crucifix to the loop of beads and marks the point where all five decades meet. This center piece, often simply called the rosary center, is where her image is most commonly placed, since it sits at the heart of the entire devotion and is the part most visible when the rosary is held or displayed. Beads themselves are commonly crafted in warm rose or turquoise tones echoing her tunic and mantle, and wooden rosary beads remain especially popular given her association with humble, indigenous origins.

Beyond the traditional five-decade rosary, Guadalupe devotional items also commonly include rosary bracelets, a wearable version using the same decade structure on the wrist, and rosary holders or cases specifically designed with her image, meant to keep the beads protected and easily accessible for daily prayer. None of these variations change the prayers themselves; they simply offer different ways of carrying this devotion into daily life.

A Prayer to the Virgin of Guadalupe (English and Spanish)

Her Feast Day: December 12

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe (FAQ)

Below, we answer common questions about this devotion, its history, and how to pray it correctly.

1. Is there a special set of mysteries for the Guadalupe Rosary?

No. The Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe uses the exact same Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries prayed in any standard Rosary; the devotion simply refers to praying that same Rosary with the intention of honoring Mary under this specific title.

2. What are the 46 Rosaries to Our Lady of Guadalupe?

This is a documented nineteenth-century devotion consisting of praying one complete Rosary daily for forty-six consecutive days, a number chosen to honor the forty-six eight-pointed stars on her mantle in the original tilma image, traditionally prayed from October 28 through December 12.

3. When did Our Lady of Guadalupe appear to Juan Diego?

The apparitions took place between December 9 and 12, 1531, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City, with a fifth apparition to Juan Diego's uncle, Juan Bernardino, confirming the same message.

4. When is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Her feast is celebrated on December 12 each year, one of the most widely observed Marian feasts throughout Mexico and Latin America, and formally recognized for the universal Church calendar in many regions.

5. What is Our Lady of Guadalupe the patroness of?

She is the patroness of Mexico and, since a formal declaration in 2000, of all the Americas as well as of unborn children, a patronage closely tied to her image, which depicts her as pregnant.

6. What do the stars on her mantle represent?

Her mantle is covered with forty-six eight-pointed stars, a detail that directly inspired the historic 46 Rosaries devotion. Some scholars have also noted that the star positions may correspond to the winter sky over Mexico City on the date of the apparition.

7. Where is the original tilma image kept today?

The original tilma, bearing the image that appeared when Juan Diego opened his cloak before the bishop, is preserved and displayed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world.

8. Can I pray a novena using the Rosary before her feast day?

Yes. A nine-day Rosary novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, praying one complete Rosary daily alongside a specific meditation, is commonly prayed from December 3 through December 11, concluding the evening before her December 12 feast.

9. What language did Mary speak to Juan Diego?

According to tradition, Mary spoke to Juan Diego in Nahuatl, his own native language, a detail widely understood as central to why her appearance resonated so deeply with the indigenous population of the region.

10. Is "Virgen de Guadalupe" the same figure as "Our Lady of Guadalupe"?

Yes. Virgen de Guadalupe is simply the Spanish name for the same Marian apparition venerated in English as Our Lady of Guadalupe, honored with the same feast day, image, and devotional practices across Spanish-speaking Catholic communities worldwide.

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