Rosary

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The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, "Rose Garden"), is an important and traditional devotion of the Catholic Church (Roman and Eastern) consisting of a set of prayer beads and a system of set prayers. The Rosary combines vocal prayer and meditation centered around sequences of reciting the Lord's Prayer followed by ten recitations of the "Hail Mary" prayer; and one recitation of "Glory Be to the Father" one such sequence is known as a decade. A complete Rosary involves the completion of fifteen or twenty decades, as well as other prefatory and final prayers.

The Rosary is usually prayed in three or four parts, one part each day, with the "Mysteries" (which are meditated or contemplated on during the prayers) being rotated daily.

What distinguishes the Rosary from other forms of repetitive prayer is that, along with the vocal 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 Judgment) the earliest sets bear a remarkable resemblance to those still used.

Many similar prayer practices exist in Catholicism, 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." (To see types of prayer-bead prayers used by other religions, see article on prayer beads).

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary has the liturgical rank of universal memorial. It is associated with Our Lady of Victory and is celebrated on October 7th on the Catholic liturgical calendar in commemoration of the "Victory of Our Lady" at the Battle of Lepanto.

The rosary is also sometimes used by some adherents of other Christian denominations, particularly in the Anglican Communion, the Old Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Church. Baptists, Methodists, Fundamentalist Protestants, and some other Christian groups sometimes condemn it as idolatry[1] or as being contrary to Jesus's teachings in the Gospel of Matthew 6:7 regarding prayer.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Key dates 2 Rosary beads 3 The Mysteries 3.1 Joyful Mysteries 3.2 Luminous Mysteries 3.3 Sorrowful Mysteries 3.4 The Glorious Mysteries 4 Days of recitation 5 Approved form 5.1 Common pious additions 6 Other forms of the Catholic rosary 6.1 Paternosters 6.2 The Franciscan Crown 6.3 Single-decade rosaries 7 Rosaries in other Christian denominations 8 Rosaries worn outside of religion 9 As penance 10 See also 11 References 12 External links 12.1 Catholic links 12.1.1 Including the Luminous Mysteries 12.1.2 Without the Luminous Mysteries

[edit] History

The Rosary came to replace the popular devotional practice that consisted of reciting the 150 Psalms of the Bible in thirds or 50 at a time. Instead of the Psalms, 150 Our Fathers were recited. Over the course of the middle ages, the Lord's Prayer was replaced with the Angelic Saluation, commonly called the Hail Mary. The prayers of the Rosary were set by the late 16th century. From the 16th to the early 20th century, there were no changes in the Rosary until the mid-20th century when the addition of the Fatima Prayer became popular. There were no other changes until 2002 when John Paul II proposed five new Luminous Mysteries as an option.

[edit] Key dates

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

• 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) [2]
• Early to mid 12th century repetition of the Hail Mary prayer (in groups of 50) comes into use as a devotion [3]
• 1160 St Rosalia is buried with a string of prayer beads [4]
• 1214 traditional date of the legend 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[5]), 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[6]
• Early 15th century a Carthusian, Dominic of Prussia, introduces the meditations (mysteries) [7]
• c. 1514 Hail Mary prayer attains its current form [8]
• 1569 Pope Pius V established the current form of the original 15 mysteries[9]
• 1597 first recorded use of term "rosary" to refer to prayer beads [10]
• 2002 Pope John Paul II introduces the Luminous Mysteries as an option for Catholics [11]

[edit] Rosary beads

A set of Rosary beads contains 50 beads in groups of ten (a decade), with an additional large bead before each decade. Some 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, by counting on one's fingers, or by counting by oneself without any device at all.

The beads can be made from a wide variety of materials, including wood, bone, glass, crushed flowers, 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 Santiago de 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 a sacramental.

[edit] 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) [12], recommended an additional set called the Luminous Mysteries (or the "Mysteries of Light"). However, it should be noted that the Luminous Mysteries are optional. Catholic faithful who prefer the original fifteen mysteries point to the belief that the Rosary is Mary's Psalter, containing 150 Hail Marys in its body for the 150 Psalms. The Luminous Mysteries make the total 200. Some traditionalist Catholics see the Luminous Mysteries as an illegitimate addition to the Rosary.

In addition to meditating upon the events of the mysteries, many people associate certain virtues, or fruits, with each mystery. (The following list of mysteries and the fruits associated with them corresponds to moments in the life, passion, and death of Jesus and Mary's participation in them chronologically.)

[edit] Joyful Mysteries

1. The Annunciation. Fruit of the Mystery: Humility
2. The Visitation. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbor
3. The Nativity. Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty
4. The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: Obedience
5. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: Joy in Finding Jesus

[edit] Luminous Mysteries

1. The Baptism of Jesus. Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit
2. The Wedding at Cana. Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary
3. Jesus' 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

[edit] Sorrowful Mysteries

1. The Agony in the Garden. Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin
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. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance

[edit] The Glorious Mysteries

1. The Resurrection. Fruit of the Mystery: Faith
2. The Ascension. Fruit of the Mystery: Hope
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God
4. The Assumption of Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Grace of a Happy Death
5. The Coronation of Blessed Virgin Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Trust in Mary's Intercession

[edit] 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 Fridays.
• The Glorious Mysteries, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Without the Luminous Mysteries

• The Joyful Mysteries, on Mondays and Thursdays, and Sundays from Advent to Lent.
• The Sorrowful Mysteries, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sundays during Lent.
• The Glorious, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Easter to Advent.

[edit] Approved form

• 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
• A "Glory Be to the Father" on the next large bead;
• Announce the mystery
• 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.

[edit] 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.

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."

[edit] Other forms of the Catholic rosary

[edit] Paternosters

In Monastic Houses, monks were expected to pray the Divine Office daily in Latin, the liturgical language of the Roman Catholic Church. In some Houses, lay brothers who did not understand Latin or who were illiterate 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.

[edit] 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 honoring the mystery of the Visitation.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Rosaries in other Christian denominations

Amongst the Anglican Communion the use of a form of prayer beads is fairly popular. These, 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 as well as Anglicans. Anglican bead sets contain 28 beads in groups of seven, the "weeks", with an additional large bead before each. In total, there are 33 beads representing the years of Jesus' life on Earth. The most common prayer used is the Jesus Prayer, but there are no Church-appointed prayers or meditations.

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.

[edit] Rosaries worn outside of religion

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 usually hold that it is improper or even sacrilegious to wear a rosary around the neck, however this is a common pious expression among Catholics of Latin cultures. Wearing of a Rosary that one actually uses to pray is neither uncommon nor sacrilegious in various Catholic-adherent cultures, and was a common practice in the Medieval and Renaissance periods, particularly among monastics (monks and nuns). 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.

[edit] As penance

Praying the rosary may be 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.

[edit] See also

• Legion of Mary
• Rosary Army
• Prayer rope
• Prayer beads
• Rosario, the Spanish word for "rosary" is used as a name for people and places.
• Japa mala for Asian prayer beads
• Tasbeeh An Islamic version of the rosary.

[edit] 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

[edit] External links

[edit] Catholic links

[edit] Including the Luminous Mysteries

• How to recite the Holy Rosary Printer-friendly PDF document (includes prayers, bead use, mysteries)
• The Rosary Evangelization Apostolate
• Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• The Holy Rosary The Holy Rosary site (contains prayers, history, and images)
• Spiritual Treasure: The Holy Rosary Pray the rosary with this beautiful site with graphics
• Virtual Rosary Online interactive Rosary and global prayer network
• Knights of Columbus, promotion of the Rosary is a key mission
• Praying the Rosary History, meaning, prayers, and mysteries of the rosary
• 59Beads.com An online meditative prayer aide
• Thesaurus Precum Latinarum the Rosary in Latin
• John Paul II's 'Rosarium Virginis Mariae' and Participation in the Virtues of Christ
• Rosary Prayer Aid - For Use In Your Daily Rosary Devotions
• Rosarium Virginis Mariae John Paul II's apostolic letter on the Rosary, 16 October 2002
• The Rosary Foundation A charity created for the sole purpose of promoting the rosary.
• Mother Teresa and Her Rosary Beads

[edit] Without the Luminous Mysteries

• Catholic Encylopedia entry on the Rosary
• OHCA online Rosary in both Latin and English
• Index of documents about the rosary
• Apostolic Constitution of Pius V establishing the first 15 mysteries
• Naturalism and the Rosary Criticism of Pope John Paul II's addition of the Luminous Mysteries
• Secrets of the Rosary St. Louis de Montfort's 16th-century text online, with many anecdotes about the benefits of the Rosary
• Paternoster-Row, a website on rosary history, historical rosaries and paternosters
• Ecumenical Rosary A rosary designed for ecumenical use, see Ecumenical Miracle Rosary
• The Most Holy Rosary A web site with a large image for each mystery, and with texts of all the prayers, to be used as one prays the rosary.