The fifteen promises are a list of spiritual blessings that, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary offered to those who pray the Rosary devoutly. They were spread in the fifteenth century by Blessed Alan de la Roche, a Dominican who said he learned of them through a private revelation about Saint Dominic, and Rosary confraternities have promoted them ever since. The Church has not recognized them as authentic revelation: they are a pious tradition that does not belong to the deposit of faith, and every Catholic is free to accept them or not. They can be read as an encouragement to pray with faith and to meditate on the mysteries of Christ. No devotion by itself secures salvation, which is God's gift and asks for conversion and each person's free response.
- Those who faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
- I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
- The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
- The recitation of the Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God. It will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
- The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
- Those who recite my Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. In his justice, God will not chastise them; nor shall they perish by an unprovided death, i.e., be unprepared for heaven. Sinners shall convert. The just shall persevere in grace and become worthy of eternal life.
- Those who have a true devotion to the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
- Those who faithfully recite the Rosary shall have, during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plenitude of his graces. At the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
- I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
- The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
- By the recitation of the Rosary you shall obtain all that you ask of me.
- Those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
- I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of their death.
- All who recite the Rosary are my beloved children and the brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
- Devotion for my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Text from 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who pray the Rosary, Rosary Center & Confraternity (Dominican Province of the Holy Name of Jesus, Western Province, USA).
How to read them
Private revelations, even those recognized by the Church, do not belong to the deposit of faith. Their role is to help people live Christ's Revelation, not to complete it.
Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, n. 67 · Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 67
The promises fall within private revelation: each person is free to accept them or not.
Q&A with Fr Flader: The power of Mary's Rosary (19 Feb 2021)
No private revelation is necessary for salvation or replaces the Catholic faith, the sacraments and communion with the Church.
No practice secures salvation automatically. Expecting glory without conversion is presumption, a sin against hope. The promises about death, purgatory or predestination are read in that light.
Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, n. 2092 · Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2092
Grace asks for a free response from the one who prays.
Q&A with Fr Flader: The power of Mary's Rosary (19 Feb 2021)
The text itself sets conditions: praying "devoutly", "applying themselves to the consideration of its sacred mysteries", having "a true devotion". The promises speak of someone who prays and meditates, not of the mere repetition of prayers.
15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who pray the Rosary · Promesas de Nuestra Señora del Rosario
A Nihil Obstat and imprimatur or Imprimi Potest on a text of the promises mean it contains nothing contrary to the faith; they are not a judgment on the authenticity of the revelation.
The Dominicans present them as an encouragement to meditate on the mysteries of Christ while praying the Rosary.