The Holy Rosary

The Holy Rosary

That obviously means a lot to me

because I so admire him. It makes me
think about peace and promoting
understanding and ethical behavior.
The Holy Rosary
 The Origin of the Holy
Rosary
Prayer Beads have been
a counting device for
almost every religion on
earth. Sandstone
sculptures of the Sunga
and Kushan period show
Hindu Sages holding
Rosaries (185BC-AD320).
Hindus predate
Christians by 9 centuries
B.C. and desert fathers
counted with stones,
sticks and notches long
before recorded history.
 The Holy Rosary

Even the term Rosary

is not solely Christian
nor is the rose symbol.
In Tibet and India the
Sanskrit word mala
means garden,
garden of flowers,
necklace of beads. In
Hindu, prayer beads is
japamala which
translates rose
chaplet. Rosary is to a
rose or flower garden.
 The Holy Rosary
(Knots and Beads)
Early Christians counted 150 beads (150
Psalms). The Buddhist and Hindu prayer beads
have 108 while some have 66. Muslim or Islam
count prayers on 99. Greeks still use and call
their 100 knots on cords Kombologion.
Historically strung rosaries and chained rosaries
have been around for a long time. Cords and
knots developed into strung beads and from
there grew chained rosaries.
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Today, elegant techniques have been developed
in the craft now called 'wire bending' These wire
techniques become a vital part of the design of
jewelry and rosaries, many of the techniques
actually creating the bead itself. This craft is not
new as it has its roots in ancient and traditional
forms but new designs have flowed from the
 Holy Rosary
(Origin)
Of course, no one really knows the
origin of the Christian prayer beads.
Some believe it was given to the
church fathers by the Muslims or
possibly the Buddhist as they
migrated or traveled the trade routes
about a thousandthe
We understand years ago.
Hebrews had a
counting system that would have
naturally been adopted by the newly
formed Christians. Since the root of
our rosary today lies in the
Paternoster and counting of the 150
Psalms from the Old Testament, also
known as the 'Psalter of David' - one
has to consider this is the root and
the original source of our rosary
today.
The Origin of the Holy Rosary
(Paternoster)

(Our Father) To the early monks

and clergy, the most important
part of the liturgical prayer was
the 150 Psalms or Psalter. Many
of the Psalms are songs of
praise and thanksgiving. Most of
the laity could not read so they
chanted 150 'Our Fathers'
instead of the 5 books which
made up the Psalms. This
prayer is said on the 6 large
beads of the rosary and is from
Scripture. It has not basically
changed over the centuries
 The Origin of the Holy Rosary
(Ave Maria)

(Hail Mary) Slowly the 150 Paternosters were

replaced by 150 Ave's, both of which were totally
scriptural in the beginning. The tradition of the five
books of Psalms carried over after a time and the
Ave's were broken up into decades with the Our
Father as dividers. Prayers of the faithful were added
creating the petition. The Hail Mary is broken down
into two parts:
+
SALUTATION
1. (Gabriel's salutation to Mary at the Annunciation:
(Luke 1:28). Mary was added to identify. The angel
called her 'full of grace'.)
2. Elizabeth's greeting at the Visitation when she
sees Mary: (Luke 1:42).
The addition of the name of Jesus becomes part of
the custom for many from the year 600 and is
officially added during the 14th century..
The Origin of the Holy Rosary
(Sign of the Cross)

Tertullian writes,... we mark our

foreheads with the sign of the
cross
In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Amen
which stems from the Old
Testament (Ezekial 9:4)
comments on marking an X on
the foreheads of the innocent
and (Revelations 7:3, 9:4 and
14:1) the seal on the forehead of
the chosen
 The Holy Rosary
(The Apostles Creed)

Tradition tells us it is the

teaching of the Apostles
themselves and is an
overview of the
Christian faith. It is
believed to be part of
the baptismal prayer or
rite of new Christians
since the beginning.
 St. Dominic Guzman
1170-1221 AD France

According to tradition, The

Blessed Lady appears to St.
Dominic Guzman (1170 - 1221)
with a Rosary in her hand, in
response to his prayers to her for
help during the Albigensian
heresy which is destroying
Christendom in the 12th and 13th
centuries. She teaches him how
pray the Rosary. (It is known that
Mary`s Psalter predated St
Dominic.) Marys Psalter predated
the Spanish Saint but according
to Fr. Ennio Staid a Dominican
Theologian, St Dominic, the
founder of the Dominican Order
became its principal promoter
 The Holy Rosary

October 7, 1571 Battle of Lepanto

On Oct. 7, 1571, two years after the Vatican urged the
Rosary for universal use, an event took place that caused
the devotion to gain widespread popularity. One of the
most famous (and bloodiest) naval battles in history took
place that day on the Bay of Lepanto, off the coast of
Greece. The opposing forces were Christians, made up of
an alliance of fleets from Spain and Italy, against a far
superior Turkish navy. The Muslim force was threatening
to take over the Mediterranean Sea and hence be in a
position to attack European countries. Pope Pius V asked
the Christian faithful to pray the Rosary and seek the
intercession of the Blessed Mother to defeat the Muslim
navy. Despite being outnumbered, the Christian fleet
prevailed. Accordingly, Pope Pius established Oct. 7 as
a feast day of Our Lady of Victory, thus perpetually
bringing honor to the Blessed Mother for her assistance.
In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572-85) changed the
name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary, a feast
the Church continues to celebrate.
 21 Century
st

~ 2001 ~ USA - The Twin Towers of World

Trade Center (NYC) are hit on September
11th, along with the Pentagon (DC) in an
attempt to take out the financial and
governmental communities of the US. the
nation comes together in prayer. Pope John
Paul II calls for praying the daily rosary for
peace during the month of October.
~ 2002 ~ VATICAN - Pope John Paul II
introduces the fourth Mystery to the
prayers of the rosary, the Mystery of Light
or the Luminous Mysteries. It embraces the
public ministry of Christ: 1. Baptism of
Jesus, 2. Wedding at Cana, (first sign of
public ministry) 3. Proclamation of the
Kingdom (call for our conversion), 4.
Transfiguration (glory of the Lord) and 5.
 Mysteries of the Holy
Rosary
Joyful Mystery of the Rosary
Monday & Saturday
The Annunciation of the Lord to
Mary
The Visitation of Mary to
Elizabeth
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus
Christ
The Presentation of our Lord
Finding Jesus in the Temple at
age 12
Sorrowful Mystery of the
Rosary
Tuesday & Friday
The Agony of Jesus in the
Garden
The Scourging at the Pillar
Jesus is Crowned with Thorns
Glorious Mystery of the Rosary
Wednesday & Sunday
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The Ascension of Jesus to Heaven
The Descent of the Holy Ghost
The Assumption of Mary into
Heaven
Mary is Crowned as Queen of
Heaven and Earth
Luminous Mystery of the
Rosary
Thursday
The Baptism in the Jordan
The Wedding at Cana
The Proclamation of the Kingdom
The Transfiguration
The Institution of the Eucharist