# Do Eastern Orthodox Pray the Rosary? > The Orthodox Church in America says the Roman Catholic rosary is not part of Orthodox tradition. Orthodox Christians pray the Jesus Prayer on a rope. The Catholic catechism names the rosary. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/do-eastern-orthodox-pray-the-rosary - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic - Beliefs: none - Tags: eastern-orthodox, catholic, prayer, mary - Updated: 2026-10-12 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) The Orthodox Church in America says the Roman Catholic rosary, in its present form, is not part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition. Orthodox Christians use a prayer rope and the Jesus Prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church names the rosary as Marian prayer. The pages below are quoted as each church published them. They do not pick a practice. ## Key Points - The OCA question-and-answer says the rosary “is not a part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition,” and it dates that devotion in its present form from about the 15th century. The page is a clergy answer, not a synod. [(1)](#ref-1) - The same answer says Orthodox Christians pray “O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner” on beads, generally 100, and that this usage is unrelated in origin, form, and content to the rosary. [(1)](#ref-1) - The OCA catechism chapter on the Jesus Prayer says the words most usually said are “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” That chapter is catechesis, not a synod. [(2)](#ref-2) - Catechism of the Catholic Church 971 says liturgical feasts of the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express devotion to the Virgin Mary. [(3)](#ref-3) - The Holy See’s page on the mysteries says each decade is announced, then an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and the Glory be. [(4)](#ref-4) - [What do Christians believe about Mary?](/christianity/what-do-christians-believe-about-mary) and [is praying to saints in the Bible?](/christianity/is-praying-to-saints-in-the-bible) quote the churches on Mary and on the saints. They do not choose a side. ## Do Eastern Orthodox Pray the Rosary? The OCA page asks, “Do the Orthodox pray the rosary and use rosary beads?” The answer is a clergy question-and-answer. It is not a synod. [(1)](#ref-1) > The Roman Catholic devotion of praying the Rosary is not a part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition, as this devotion in its present form dates from about the 15th century—hundreds of years after Roman Catholicism separated herself from the Orthodox Church. The same answer says there is a practice of praying the Jesus Prayer on a set of prayer beads, generally 100, especially among monks and nuns, and also among a growing number of laypersons. It says this usage is completely unrelated in origin, form, and content to the rosary. ## What Do Orthodox Christians Use in Place of the Rosary? The prayer the Q&A prints is this. [(1)](#ref-1) > O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner. The catechism chapter “The Jesus Prayer” calls that prayer the most normal form of unceasing prayer in the Orthodox tradition, and the form used by those practicing the prayer of the heart. The words it says are most usually said are “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” [(2)](#ref-2) The two published wordings are close. They are not the same string. The Q&A includes “O Lord” and “upon me, a sinner.” The catechism chapter omits “O” and “upon,” and it has no comma before “a sinner.” [What does the Eastern Orthodox Church believe?](/christianity/what-does-the-eastern-orthodox-church-believe) and [Eastern Orthodox vs Catholic](/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-catholic) quote the wider differences. Those pages say when a text is a catechism chapter or a clergy answer. They do not choose a side. ## What Does the Catholic Church Say About the Rosary? Catechism paragraph 971 is the Catholic Church’s own sentence. [(3)](#ref-3) > The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary. The Holy See’s page “The Mysteries of the Rosary” says the rosary is twenty mysteries in the life of Jesus and Mary, grouped as joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious. It says that at the beginning of each decade the mystery is announced, and that the decade is an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and the Glory be to the Father. [(4)](#ref-4) ## Do Orthodox Christians Pray to Mary? The OCA rosary answer says the Hail Mary finds a place in Orthodox liturgical worship and private prayer. The greeting it prints addresses Mary as Virgin Mother of God, full of grace, blessed among women, who has borne the Savior of our souls. In the page’s HTML the words “with you” and “for you” are run together, so this sentence does not treat that broken line as a clean block quotation. [(1)](#ref-1) [What do Christians believe about Mary?](/christianity/what-do-christians-believe-about-mary) quotes Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant texts on the mother of Jesus. [Is praying to saints in the Bible?](/christianity/is-praying-to-saints-in-the-bible) is the question of address to the saints. Neither page picks a side. ## Which Church Is Stricter About Prayer? The OCA answer and the Catholic catechism do not rank the churches. [Eastern Orthodox vs Catholic](/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-catholic) sets out the differences they do publish, including the filioque, the pope, and Mary. A search sometimes asks about the unforgivable sin beside this question. That text is [What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?](/christianity/what-is-blasphemy-against-the-holy-spirit). It is not a sentence about the rosary. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is the Rosary Allowed for Eastern Orthodox Christians? The OCA clergy answer says the Roman Catholic rosary is not part of the Orthodox Christian Tradition, and that the prayer rope is a different practice. It does not speak for every Orthodox church by a synod. [(1)](#ref-1) ### Do Christians Pray the Rosary? The Catholic catechism names the rosary as Marian prayer. The OCA answer says that devotion is not the Orthodox practice. [(3)](#ref-3) [(1)](#ref-1) ### What Prayer Do Orthodox Christians Use? The Jesus Prayer, on a rope or beads. The Q&A and the catechism chapter each print their own wording, quoted above. [(1)](#ref-1) [(2)](#ref-2) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### The Jesus Prayer Orthodox Church in America, catechism. [Open on oca.org](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving/the-jesus-prayer) > The words of the prayer most usually said are “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” ### The Mysteries of the Rosary English, Holy See. [Open on vatican.va](https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/misteri_en.html) > After a short pause for reflection, recite the “Our Father”, ten “Hail Marys” and the “Glory be to the Father”. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [The Rosary, Questions and answers](https://www.oca.org/questions/romancatholicism/the-rosary) (Orthodox Church in America. A clergy question-and-answer. Not a synod.) 2. [The Jesus Prayer, The Orthodox Faith, Volume IV](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving/the-jesus-prayer) (A catechetical chapter on the Orthodox Church in America website. Not a synod.) 3. [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_three/article_9/paragraph_6_mary_-_mother_of_christ,_mother_of_the_church.html) (Holy See. Marian prayer, including the rosary.) 4. [The Mysteries of the Rosary](https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/misteri_en.html) (Holy See. How the decades are recited.) ## See Also - [Eastern Orthodox vs Catholic: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-catholic) — Both confess the Nicene faith. They differ, in their own texts, on the filioque, the pope, Mary, purgatory, the cup for the laity, and clerical celibacy. - [Do Catholics Believe Mary Was Sinless?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/do-catholics-believe-mary-was-sinless) — Ineffabilis Deus in 1854 defines Mary as preserved from original sin at her conception. The Catechism adds that she remained free of every personal sin. An Orthodox clergy answer calls that definition foreign. Augsburg and Article IX speak of original sin in everyone naturally born. - [Is Praying to Saints in the Bible?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-praying-to-saints-in-the-bible) — The Council of Trent says it is good and useful to invoke the saints, and that the honour of images is referred to the prototypes. The Catechism calls image honour veneration, not the adoration due to God alone. Augsburg and Article XXII refuse calling on the saints. - [Is the Holy Spirit God?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-the-holy-spirit-god) — The Nicene confession that the Holy Spirit is God, in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal texts, and what those texts say about praying to the Spirit. - [What Do Christians Believe About Mary?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-do-christians-believe-about-mary) — The Catechism teaches the Mother of God, perpetual virginity, the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption, and says devotion to Mary is not adoration. Augsburg and Article XXII refuse calling on the saints. An Orthodox clergy answer seeks her intercession and calls the Immaculate Conception foreign.