Information AboutRosary |
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The Rosary (from s (Ward 2005). 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. John Paul II , in his Apostolic Letter of October 16, 2002 ''Rosarium Virginis Mariae'' {Link without Title} , recommended a new set of five decades in addition to the former standard of fifteen. As a result, some say a complete rosary of twenty decades, and some who do not recognize the Pope's addition use fifteen decades. Origins of the Rosary Prayer Beads are also found in many other religions (notably Hinduism , where the practice appears to have started), and some have been found dating back to antiquity. Similar prayer counters (originally using knotted ropes) date to about the fourth century, when they were used to pray the Jesus Prayer . Other counting methods, such as pebbles or pegboards, were also used by the early Desert Fathers {Link without Title} . 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." {Link without Title} 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, invented the story. 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 Rope s. 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. {Link without Title} 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. {Link without Title} Key Dates The following table shows key dates in the development of the rosary. Rosary beads A set of Rosary beads usually contains 50 Bead s 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 Roman 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." 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 # The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary ''Fruit of the Mystery: Humility'' # The Visitation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary ''Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbor'' # The Nativity of Our Lord ''Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God'' # The Presentation Of The Lord In The Temple ''Fruit of the Mystery: Obedience'' # The Finding In The Temple ''Fruit of the Mystery: Zeal for God'' Luminous Mysteries (optional) # The Baptism Of Jesus ''Fruit of the Mystery: Openess to the Holy Spirit'' # The Wedding At Cana ''Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary'' # The Proclamation of the Kingdom Of God ''Fruit of the Mystery: Repentance and Trust in God'' # The Transfiguration ''Fruit of the Mystery: Desire for Holiness'' # The Institution of the Eucharist ''Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration'' Sorrowful Mysteries # The Agony in the Garden ''Fruit of the Mystery: Repentance'' # The Scourging at the Pillar ''Fruit of the Mystery: Purity'' # The Crowning With Thorn s ''Fruit of the Mystery: Courage'' # The Carrying of the Cross ''Fruit of the Mystery: Patience'' # The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus ''Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance'' The Glorious Mysteries # The Resurrection of Christ # The Ascension of Christ # The Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost # The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary # The Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven Days of recitation For groups who say the Luminous Mysteries
For groups who do not say the Luminous Mysteries
Types of Rosaries Some national variations in terms of prayers used and structure occur in the form of the recitation of the Rosary.
One frequently used form
A regularly used alternative
: ''Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Savior, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Vessel of honor, Singular vessel of devotion, Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star, Health of the Sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of all Saints, Queen conceived without original sin, Queen assumed into heaven, Queen of the most holy Rosary, Queen of Peace. Pray for Us.''
Single-decade Rosaries Single-decade Rosary variations can be worn as a ring or carried easily. These small Rosaries were used in the 16th Century as persecution became pronounced, but are popular today. 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 Rosarys 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. Rosaries in other Christian denominations 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. {Link without Title} Other faiths also use similar objects for prayer, including Sufi Muslims, certain Buddhist groups, and some Hindus (see Japa Mala ), among others. Rosaries worn outside of religion Rosaries or rosary-like necklaces are often worn for non-religious purposes as a fashion or jewelery 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. Many Catholics have been told that it is improper or even sacrilegious to wear a rosary as a necklace, but in fact this was not an uncommon practice in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Rosaries were also worn hanging from or looped over a belt, pinned to and hanging from a shoulder or neckline, or wrapped around a wrist or arm as a bracelet. As Penance The Rosary was also used as a form of punishment by the Catholic Church in Europe during the Middle Ages . People were often forced to wear extremely large, and heavy Rosary beads around their necks, and forced to stand at the entrance of a cathedral, where they could be ridiculed by the public. Victims of this act were often punished for minor sacreligious acts, such as falling asleep in church, not donating enough money during collections, or just skipping church altogether. Praying the rosary is often prescribed by priests as a form of Penance after confession, though it is notable that penance in this form is usually meant to aid reflection and spiritual growth from sins, not as "punishment" for them. See also References
External links Roman Catholic After the addition of the ''Luminous Mysteries''
Before or without the inclusion of the ''Luminous Mysteries''
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