It is not just a colorful variation of the traditional rosary. Each decade has a special meaning—and it is a beautiful invitation to pray for the Church throughout the world.
The colorful World Mission Rosary was designed in February 1951 by Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who will be declared Blessed on September 24.
At the time, Archbishop Sheen served as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, now known in the United States as the Pontifical Mission Societies. He unveiled the rosary during an episode of his radio program, The Catholic Hour.
“We must pray, and not for ourselves, but for the world,” Sheen said. “To this end, I have designed the World Mission Rosary.”
A Decade for Every Continent
While most rosaries have five decades of the same color, the World Mission Rosary uses five different colors to represent the places where the Church continues to proclaim the Gospel.
Here is what each color means:
Green represents Africa and its forests and grasslands.Blue represents Oceania and the waters surrounding the Pacific islands.White represents Europe, the home of the Holy Father.Red represents the Americas and the fire of faith
