The Five Luminous Mysteries

The other day I was just randomly googling around, and I discovered something I did not know until now. Namely, in October 2002 Pope John Paul II added five new mysteries to the Rosary. The five Luminous Mysteries:

• The Baptism of the Lord
  
  
• The Wedding at Cana
  
  
• The Proclamation of the Kingdom
  
  
• The Transfiguration
  
  
• The Institution of the Eucharist

Thus bringing the total number of mysteries to twenty. The Luminous Mysteries come after the Joyful Mysteries, with the Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries following. And I was like, "Why didn't I know this before?!" I repeat, it came as total news to me.

Back when I was in college my friend Bruce, who lived down the hall from me in the dorm, was a devout Catholic. We used to discuss religion, and Bruce taught me how to say the Rosary. He even gave me a very nice Rosary with cocoa wood beads which had been blessed by Padre Pio, and a book about the Rosary: I still have both to this day.

I think Bruce thought he was going to turn this Presbyterian into a Catholic. A few years later, he entered a monastery out on the West Coast. For some years we used to exchange Christmas cards. He would always write in his Christmas card, "If you have any questions about the Blessed Virgin, please feel free to ask me."

Anyhow. Three years ago that the Pope added five new mysteries to the Rosary, and I didn't catch up with it until just the other day. I usually try to keep up on things like this. I'd think I would've heard about it before now. The five Luminous Mysteries.