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Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary Beads

The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, "crown of roses"), is an important and traditional sacramental devotion of the Roman Catholic Church consisting of a set of prayer beads and a system of set prayers. The Rosary combines prayer and meditation centered around sequences of reciting the Lord's Prayer followed by ten recitations of the "Hail Mary" prayer; one such sequence is known as a decade. A complete Rosary involves the completion of all decades, as well as other prefatory and final prayers. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary has the liturgical rank of universal memorial and is celebrated on October 7th on the liturgical calendar in commemoration of the "Victory of Our Lady" at the Battle of LePanto.

The rosary is also used by some in other Christian denominations, particularly in the Anglican Communion, the Old Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Church.

John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter of October 16, 2002 Rosarium Virginis Mariae [1], recommended a new set of five decades in addition to the traditional fifteen. As a result, some say a rosary of twenty decades.

Origins of the Rosary

Prayer counters similar to the rosary (originally using knotted ropes) date to about the fourth century, when they were used to pray the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me: a sinner". Other counting methods, such as pebbles or pegboards, were also used by the early Desert Fathers [3].

According to tradition, in 1214 the Virgin Mary gave to St. Dominic the basic form of the Rosary as it is known today, with minor variations in the wording of the Hail Mary, such as the addition of the Name "Jesus" by St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444). In the words of the Catholic Encyclopedia, "the lesson for the Feast of the Holy Rosary informs us that when the Albigensian heresy was devastating the country of Toulouse, St. Dominic earnestly besought the help of Our Lady and was instructed by her, so tradition asserts, to preach the Rosary among the people as an antidote to heresy and sin. From that time forward this manner of prayer was 'most wonderfully published abroad and developed (promulgari augerique coepit) by St. Dominic whom different Supreme Pontiffs have in various past ages of their apostolic letters declared to be the institutor and author of the same devotion.' That many popes have so spoken is undoubtedly true, and amongst the rest we have a series of encyclicals, beginning in 1883, issued by Pope Leo XIII, which, while commending this devotion to the faithful in the most earnest terms, assumes the institution of the Rosary by St. Dominic to be a fact historically established."[4]

However, the Catholic Encyclopedia goes on to conclude that Alan de Rupe, a Dominican involved in the promotion of the rosary in the late 15th century, was the first to attribute to St. Dominic the story of Mary's giving to St. Dominic the Rosary in its traditional form. As the table below shows, the use of prayer beads and the Hail Mary predated Dominic by some time, and the practice of the rosary cannot be said to have been introduced by any one person. Rather, like other Catholic practices, it evolved over a period of centuries.

The earliest prayer counted in this way appears to be the Jesus Prayer, which is still the prayer used by the Eastern church with its prayer ropes. Later, counting of Our Fathers (Paternosters), i.e. the Lord's Prayer, became common practice as a substitute for saying the Psalms, among illiterate "lay brothers" or in military orders where saying the Psalms would have taken too much time. Because there are 150 Psalms, 150 or 50 Paternosters were said. Strings of beads used for counting these are known from at least the 11th century, and by the 13th century were widely known as "paternosters", after the prayers. However, during approximately the same period the Hail Mary began to gain currency as a devotion and, since it was also repeated, began to be counted on beads. [5]

In Eastern Orthodox practice, the repeated recitation of the Jesus Prayer may substitute for the Psalms or other parts of the liturgy, in a parallel to the medieval practice referred to above.[6]

Key Dates

The following table shows key dates in the development of the rosary.

Date Event

  • 4Th century prayer rope used by the Desert Fathers to count repetitions of the Jesus Prayer
  • C. 1075 Lady Godiva refers in her will to "the circlet of precious stones which she had threaded on a cord in order that by fingering them one after another she might count her prayers exactly" (Malmesbury, "Gesta Pont.", Rolls Series 311) [7]

early to mid 12th century repetition of the Hail Mary prayer (in groups of 50) comes into use as a devotion [8]

  • 1160 St Rosalia is buried with a string of prayer beads [9]
  • 1214 Traditional date of St Dominic's reception of the rosary from the Virgin

mid-13th century word "Rosary" first used (by Thomas of Champitre, in De apibus, ii. 13[10]), not referring to prayer beads but in a Marian context

  • 1268 Reference to guild of "paternosterers" in Paris in "Livre des métiers" of Stephen Boyleau[11]

early 15th century a Carthusian, Dominic of Prussia, introduces the meditations (mysteries)[12]

  • C. 1514 Hail Mary prayer attains its current form[13]
  • 1569 Pope Pius V established the current form of the original 15 mysteries[14]
  • 1597 First recorded use of term "rosary" to refer to prayer beads[15]
  • 2002 Pope John Paul II introduces the Luminous Mysteries[16]

Rosary beads

Rosary beads

A set of Rosary beads usually contains 50 beads in groups of ten (a decade), with an additional large bead before each decade. Some beads have been known to have one hundred or one hundred and fifty. These numbers were chosen to match the number of psalms, or a third or two-thirds of them. Although counting the prayers on a string of beads is customary, the prayers of the Rosary do not actually require a set of beads, but can be said using any type of counting device, or even by counting on one's fingers.

The beads can be made from a wide variety of materials, including wood, bone, glass, semi-precious stones such as agate, jet, amber, or jasper, or precious materials including coral, rock crystal, gilded silver and gold. In the 19th and early 20th century they are sometimes made from the seeds of the "rosary pea" or "bead tree". Modern beads are most often glass, resin (plastic) or wood. Early rosaries were strung on strong thread, often silk, but modern ones are more often made as a series of chain-linked beads.

It is especially common for beads to be made of material with some special significance, such as jet from the shrine of St. James at Compostela, or olive seeds supposedly from the Garden of Gethsemane. Beads are sometimes made to enclose sacred relics, or drops of holy water.

A set of blessed Rosary Beads is considered a sacramental.

What distinguishes the "official" Rosary from other forms of repetitive prayer is that, along with the verbal prayers, it includes a series of meditations. Each decade of the Rosary is said while meditating on one of the "Mysteries" of redemption. These mysteries originated in the 15th century, and while there has been some disagreement on them (the final mystery is sometimes the Last Judgement) the earliest sets bear a remarkable resemblance to those still used.

Many similar prayer practices exist in Catholicism and elsewhere, each with its own set of prescribed prayers and its own form of bead counters. These other devotions and their associated beads are usually referred to as "chaplets."

Rosary beads

The Mysteries

The recitation of the Rosary is traditionally dedicated to one of three sets of "Mysteries" to be said in sequence, one per night: the Joyful (sometimes Joyous) Mysteries; the Sorrowful Mysteries; and the Glorious Mysteries. Each of these three sets of Mysteries has within it five different themes to be meditated on, one for each decade of ten Hail Marys. Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 2002), recommended an additional set called the Luminous Mysteries (or the "Mysteries of Light").

(The list of mysteries below corresponds to moments in the life and death [the Passion] of Jesus and Mary chronologically.)

Joyful Mysteries

  1. The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fruit of the Mystery: Humility
  2. The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbor
  3. The Nativity of Our Lord Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God
  4. The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple Fruit of the Mystery: Obedience
  5. The Finding in the Temple Fruit of the Mystery: Zeal for God

Luminous Mysteries

  1. The Baptism of Jesus Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit
  2. The Marriage at Cana Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary
  3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God Fruit of the Mystery: Repentance and Trust in God
  4. The Transfiguration Fruit of the Mystery: Desire for Holiness
  5. The Institution of the Eucharist Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration

Sorrowful Mysteries

The Crucifixion of Jesus - the fifth of the Sorrowful Mysteries
  1. The Agony in the Garden Fruit of the Mystery: Repentance
  2. The Scourging at the Pillar Fruit of the Mystery: Purity
  3. The Crowning with Thorns Fruit of the Mystery: Courage
  4. The Carrying of the Cross Fruit of the Mystery: Patience
  5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance

The Glorious Mysteries

  1. The Resurrection of Christ
  2. The Ascension of Jesus.
  3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost
  4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  5. The Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven

Days of recitation

Including the Luminous Mysteries

  • The Joyful Mysteries are recited on Mondays and Saturdays.
  • The Luminous are recited on Thursdays
  • The Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Friday
  • The Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Without the Luminous Mysteries

  • The Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Thursdays.
  • The Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays.
  • The Glorious on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Approved form

File:Glorycrop.jpg
The Resurrection of Jesus - the first of the Glorious Mysteries
  • A sign of the cross on the Crucifix and then the "Apostles' Creed";
  • An "Our Father" on the first large bead;
  • A "Hail Mary" on each of the three small beads with the following intentions (the theological virtues):
    1. For the increase of faith
    2. For the increase of hope
    3. For the increase of love
  • Announce the mystery
  • A "Glory Be to the Father" on the next large bead;
  • An "Our Father" on the large bead;
  • A "Hail Mary" on each of the adjacent ten small beads;
  • A "Glory Be to the Father" on the next large bead;
  • Again an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, the Glory Be to the Father, and Fatima Prayer for each of the following decades;
  • A "Hail Holy Queen" and a sign of the cross.

Common pious additions

Many people add a recitation of the Fatima prayer at the end of each Decade.

In the practice of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, they have an additional decade for the intentions of the students or the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the practice of the Dominican Order, the opening prayers are as follows:

  1. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
  2. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
  3. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
  4. O Lord, open my lips.
  5. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
  6. Incline your aid to me, O God.
  7. O Lord, make haste to help me.
  8. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Then one proceeds to the decades.

File:Glory5crop.jpg
The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven - the fifth of the Glorious Mysteries (linked into the Hail Holy Queen prayer)

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Litany of Loreto is an example of a concluding litany following the "Hail Holy Queen."

Other Forms of the Catholic Rosary

Paternosters

In Monastic Houses, monks were expected to pray the Divine Office daily in Latin, the language of the Roman Catholic Church. In some Houses, lay brothers who did not understand Latin were required to say the Lord's Prayer a certain number of times per day while meditating on the Mysteries of the Incarnation of Christ. Since there were 150 Psalms, this could number up to 150 times per day. To count these repetitions, they used beads strung upon a cord and this set of prayer beads became commonly known as a Paternoster,which is the Latin for "Our Father". Lay people adopted this practice as a form of popular worship. The Paternoster could be of various lengths, but was often made up of 5 “decades” of 10 beads, which when performed three times made up 150 prayers. Other Paternosters, most notably those used by lay persons, may have had only had 10 beads, and may have also been highly ornamented. As the Rosary (ring of flowers) incorporating the Hail Mary prayer became more common, it was often still referred to as a Paternoster.

The Franciscan Crown

The Franciscan rosary, or as it is properly called, The Franciscan Crown, developed in early part of the 15th century, and was officially established in 1422. The Franciscan Crown consists of seven decades of Hail Mary's, each preceded by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be. The Crown recalls the seven joys of Mary and how she responded to the grace of God in her life. In addition to developing this Marian devotion, the Franciscans are credited with adding the final words to the Hail Mary, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. In 1263, Saint Bonaventure, Minister General of the Order, encouraged liturgical devotion honouring the mystery of the Visitation.

Irish Penal Rosary
The schema for a single-decade rosary.

Single-decade Rosaries

Religious persecution of Catholics began in England and Ireland under Henry VIII in 1540 and continued until about 1731. During what has been called, the Penal Times, death became the common penalty for attending a Catholic Mass or harboring a priest. Small, easily hidden Rosaries were used to avoid detection. Sometimes rather than a cross, other symbols of specific meanings were used:

  • Hammer: nails of the cross;
  • Nails: crucifixion;
  • Spear: wound;
  • Halo: crown of thorns;
  • Cords: scourging;
  • Chalice: Last Supper;
  • Rooster: crowing/resurrection.

These rosaries, especially the smaller ring-type, have since become known as soldiers' rosaries, because they were often taken into battle by soldiers, most notably during WWI. These single-decade Rosary variations can be worn as a ring or carried easily and are still popular. A rosary ring is a ring worn around the finger with 10 indentations and a cross on the surface, representing one decade of a rosary. This is often worn as jewelry, and used through the day. Some ring Rosaries use a small bearing on the inside of the ring to permit easy turning. A finger Rosary is similar to a ring, but is a bit larger. Rosary like these are used by rotating them on a finger while praying. A hand Rosary is a decade in a complete loop, with one bead separated from ten other beads, this is meant to be carried while walking or running, so as not to entangle the larger type. Credit card-sized Rosaries have also appeared, especially among members of militaries, where holes or bumps represent the prayers, and the person praying moves their fingers along the bumps to count prayers.

Chaplets

The term Chaplet is used commonly to designate prayer forms which use beads, but are not necessarily related to the traditional Marian ( Dominican) Rosary. Some of these chaplets have a strong Marian connotation, others are more directly related to Jesus or the Saints. Chaplets are considered "personal devotionals," and there is no set form and therefore they vary considerably. Often they have fewer beads than a traditional Rosary, and a different set of prayers. Common Chaplets include:

1. CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY, using ordinary rosary beads of five decades.

2. CHAPLET OF THE INFANT JESUS, made up of three and twelve beads.

3. CHAPLET OF THE SACRED HEART, consisting of 33 small beads, 6 large beads, a centerpiece, a Crucifix and a Sacred Heart Medal.

4. CHAPLET OF THE HOLY FACE, to honor the Five Wounds of Jesus Christ, composed of a cross and six large beads and thirty-three small.

5. CHAPLET OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, consisting of thirty-three beads in seven groups.

6. CHAPLET OF OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA, made up of nine beads with a crucifix and a medal of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

7. CHAPLET OF OUR LADY, STAR OF THE SEA, consisting of a medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, three separate beads, and 12 additional beads.

8. CHAPLET OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, consisting of 3 groups of 4 beads, with a medal of the Immaculate Conception.

9. CHAPLET OF THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY, made up of seven groups of seven beads.

10, CHAPLET OF BLESSED KATERI TEKAKWITHA, composed of eight brown, eight red and eight crystal beads.

11. CHAPLET OF ST. ANTHONY, made up of thirteen sets of three beads.

12. CHAPLET OF ST. JOSEPH, which is divided into 15 groups of four beads consisting of one white and three purple beads.

13. CHAPLET OF ST. PATRICK, made up of twelve beads.

14. CHAPLET OF ST. PHILOMENA, consisting of of three white beads and thirteen red beads.

15. BRIGITTINE ROSARY, consisting of six decades of ten beads each. There are three additional beads at the end.

16. LITTLE FLOWER CHAPLET, made of one large bead and twenty-four smaller beads.

Rosaries in other Christian denominations and other religions

Eastern Christians use similar strings of beads, called "chotki," to pray, although among the Orthodox their use is mainly restricted to monks and bishops, not being common among laity or secular clergy. Many Eastern Christians use a prayer rope instead; its use is much more prevalent, and it is typically associated with the Jesus Prayer.

Another form of prayer beads is popular with some members of the Anglican Communion. Originally called Anglican prayer beads, this bead set is also known as the "Anglican Rosary" or as "Christian prayer beads" because of the popularity it has found among Protestants generally. Anglican bead sets contain 28 beads in groups of seven (the "weeks"), with an additional large bead before each. In total, there are thirty-three beads representing the years of Jesus' life on Earth. The most common prayer used is the Jesus Prayer, but there are no appointed prayers or meditations. This relatively new form of the rosary used by some in the Anglican tradition is somewhat similar in appearance to the Roman Rosary.[2]

A recent creation known as the Ecumenical Miracle Rosary uses the same beads as the Catholic Rosary but with different prayers and with mysteries which focus on Christ's miracles.

Other faiths also use similar objects for prayer, including Sufi Muslims (see tasbih), certain Buddhist groups, and some Hindus (see japa mala), among others.

Rosaries worn outside of religion

Young woman wearing a rosary

Rosaries or rosary-like necklaces are often worn for non-religious purposes as a fashion or jewelry item, and are sold in different variations in popular jewelry and clothing stores. Such ornamental use, especially the wearing of a rosary around the neck, was heavily popularized by singer Madonna in the early 1980s and has experienced a come-back in recent years.

As a result of the persecutions of Catholicism in England, English-speaking Catholics are taught that it is improper or even sacrilegious to wear a rosary as a necklace, however this is common pious expression among Latin Catholics. Wearing of a Rosary that one actually uses to pray — is neither uncommon in various Catholic cultures nor sacrilegious, and was a common practice in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Rosaries are also worn hanging from or looped over a belt, particularly with some religious habits, pinned to and hanging from a shoulder or neckline, or wrapped around a wrist or arm as a bracelet.

As Penance

Praying the rosary is often prescribed by priests as a form of penance after confession. Penance in this form is usually meant to aid reflection and spiritual growth from sins, not to be a "punishment" for them.

See also

References

  • Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy: A Consideration of the Rosary by J. Neville Ward (Doubleday, 1973); revised as Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy: Meditations on the Rosary (Seabury Classics, 2005) - an ecumenical Methodist minister's book on the Rosary. ISBN 1596280123
  • "Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages" by Anne Winston-Allen (1997, Pennsylvania State University Press) - the most current source in English on the history and development of the Rosary in its earliest years. ISBN 0-2710-1631-0

Including the Luminous Mysteries

Without the Luminous Mysteries

Other Sites of Interest

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