The Rosary is a set of prayers and meditations used by Roman Catholics, recited on a string of beads called a chaplet. It originated in the 3rd and 4th centuries and was popularized by St. Dominic in the 13th century. The prayers are counted on the beads, with specific prayers recited on each set. The Rosary is a means of meditation and intercessory prayer. The chaplet can be purchased online, in Catholic bookstores, and in Catholic churches.
Most people have seen images of nuns or priests with the rosary hanging from their waist or clutched in their hands. Occasionally, a line in an obituary will mention that a Rosary service will be held for the deceased. Roman Catholics are very familiar with the Rosary, but non-Catholics may not be. So what is a Rosary? It is both an object and a set of prayers and meditations.
The Rosary as an object is a crown or a string of beads. These beads are grouped into five sets of ten, or decades, with a large bead or other adornment separating each set. The beads culminate in a small medallion with the image of the Virgin Mary and then a string of a pearl, three beads and a pearl, at the end of which a small crucifix is suspended. The chaplet can be a long string of beads, but is most commonly arranged to look like a necklace, though not worn as such.
The chaplet is used to recite the Rosary, a series of prayers and meditations on the life of Jesus Christ and his mother, the Virgin Mary. Devout Roman Catholics take the rosary very seriously and use it as a means of meditation, as well as an intercessory prayer.
The Rosary, like many things in the Roman Catholic tradition, is steeped in history. Discussing it in depth is beyond the scope of an article like this, but the origins of the rosary date back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The laity wanted to imitate the monastic custom of prayer, which involved the daily recitation of the entire book of Psalms. Most of the peasants could not read or write, but could remember short prayers. They recited the Our Father, or Our Father, and noted how many times they recited it with stones or a knotted rope, using a knot or pebble for each prayer.
St. Dominic popularized a form of the Rosary in the 13th century. It has changed over the centuries and, in the Renaissance, was similar to the modern form. The Virgin Mary is often associated with the rose, and the word Rosary comes from the Latin rosarium, meaning “crown of roses”.
The prayers of the Rosary are counted on the beads of the chaplet according to a prescribed form. Detailed instructions for praying the Rosary are widely available on the Internet and in books, but here’s an abbreviated form. The Ave Maria is recited on sets of 10 grains. The Lord’s Prayer begins every decade, on large beads. At the end of each decade, the person recites the Gloria Patri and the prayer “Oh my Jesus”. The prayers conclude with the prayer beginning “Ave Regina” and another beginning, “Oh God, whose only begotten Son” The person also meditates on particular events in the life of Jesus and Mary as they pray.
Rosary beads are available online, in Catholic bookstores and even in Catholic churches. Many include booklets on praying the Rosary, as well as meditations and essays on it. There is a wealth of information on the Web about the origin of the rosary, its evolution and its continuing significance in the life of the Roman Catholic Church.
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