The History of the Rosary

The Rosary; in Latin, Rosarium, meaning Garden or Chaplet of Roses, is a term first recorded in the 13th century, that has since come to refer to both the beads themselves, and the prayer series.

The custom of reciting the Lord's Prayer many times in succession dates from very early in the Christian church. That of keeping note of the prayers by means of strung beads or a knotted cord was common in the east, and is thought to have been introduced to Europe during the crusades.

Known as the Paternoster, and beginning as a monastic practice, this was adopted by the laity as a popular devotion, instead of a recitation of the Psalter. During the Middle Ages, the Lord's Prayer came to be replaced by the Hail Mary. The prayers and usage of the Rosary were settled by the end of the 16th Century.

Traditionally, it was in 1214 that St Dominic received the Rosary from the Virgin Mary, as Our Lady of the Rosary.

Usually, a set of Rosary beads contains 55 beads, grouped into five sets (or decades) of ten Ave's, each separated by one of the individual beads to mark the Paternosters. The Rosary is distinguished by combining prayers with a series of meditations, or Mysteries. Traditionally, a recitation is dedicated to one of the three Mysteries, established by Pope Pius V, said on succeeding nights. These are the Joyful; the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries. Each set contains five different themes for meditation; one for each decade. A further set, the Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light was, in 2002, recommended by Pope John Paul II.

There are other forms of Rosary, with different bead and prayer sequences, such as St Anthony's Rosary with three sets of thirteen beads, and the Dolour Rosary with seven sets of seven. There are also other devotions, such as the Divine Mercy that have associated beads, known as Chaplets.

Apart from in the Roman Catholic Church, the Rosary is also used by members of other Christian denominations, especially in the Anglican Communion, the Old Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, and by some Methodists.

Some curly laced lines seperating the content Some curly laced lines seperating the content