Rosary-based prayers
The Rosary based prayers are Roman Catholic prayers, said on a set of rosary beads. These prayers recite specific word sequences on different parts of the rosary beads. They may be directed at Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary or The Father.[1]
Holy Rosary
The best known example of a rosary based prayer is simply called "The Holy Rosary" and involves contemplation on five rosary mysteries, while Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father prayers are recited.[2]
This rosary prayer goes back several centuries and there are differing views among experts on its exact history.[3] In the sixteenth century, Pope Pius V established the current form of the original 15 mysteries for this rosary and they remained so until the 20th century[4] Pope John Paul II extended the mysteries in this rosary during his reign, while keeping the original mysteries intact.
Rosary of the Holy Wounds
The Rosary of the Holy Wounds was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century by the Venerable Sister Mary Martha Chambon, a lay Roman Catholic Sister of the Monastery of the Visitation Order in Chambery, France.
This rosary specificaly meditates on the wounds of Jesus Christ as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. This rosary also focuses on prayers for souls in purgatory. Sister Mary Martha attributed the following purpose for the rosary to Jesus: "you must not forget ... the souls in Purgatory, as there are but few who think of their relief . . . The Holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory."[5][6]
Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy introduced in the early 1930s by Saint Faustina Kowalska, a nun who lived in Płock, Poland. The theme for prayer is mercy and it focuses on three forms of mercy: to obtain mercy, to trust in Christ's mercy, and to show mercy to others. In 2000, Pope John Paul II ordained the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday, where Roman Catholics remember the institution of the Sacrament of Penance.[7]
Both Saint Faustina Kowalska and the Venerable Sister Mary Martha Chambon attributed these prayers to Jesus as part of their visions of Jesus Christ.
Notes
- ^ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 087973910X
- ^ Catholic encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm
- ^ History of the Rosray http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/ROSARYHS.htm
- ^ "CONSUEVERUNT ROMANI Pope Pius V". Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Legionnaires Praying for the Clergy http://www.lpca.us/five_sacred_wounds.htm
- ^ Michael Freze, 1993, Voices, Visions, and Apparitions, OSV Publishing ISBN 087973454X
- ^ Vatican web page for Saint Faustina Kowalska http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000430_faustina_en.html
References
Anne Cecil Kerr, 1937, Sister Mary Martha Chambon of the Visitation B. Herder Publishing.
Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska, 2003, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul Marian Press, ISBN 094420337X
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