But Rosaries Are Catholic...

I have always been curious about the history of the rosary (why are Catholics so attached to them? and why are Catholics the only ones who use them?) but it wasn't until I stumbled across a brief discussion on them in a book I'm reading-My Faith, My Life: A Teen's Guide to the Episcopal Church-that I really learned anything about them. Turns out there is a vast and diverse history behind the rosary, which is also referred to as Prayer Beads.

Prayer Beads can trace their history to Hinduism where they are called Mala and consist of 108 beads used to count prayers. From Hinduism the practice transferred over to Buddhism, where they have a variety of names depending on the culture but generally keep to the 108 beads used by Hindus. Naturally, the practice caught on in Islam, where they are called Misbaha and contain either 99 beads to be cycled through once or 33 beads to be cycled through thrice. Finally Prayer Beads found their way into Christianity.

In the Sixteenth Century, Pope Pius V pronounced that what we know as the Catholic Rosary is credited to Saint Dominic who also founded the Dominican Order. The Catholic Rosary consists of either 5 or 15 decades meaning the beads are grouped in tens with a bead in between each grouping. They are used by saying a Hail Mary Prayer for each of the ten beads and an Our Father prayer is said for each of the beads in between groupings while simultaneously meditating on one of the 20 mysteries. For further clarification check out Wikipedia.

In the mid-1980s Anglicans decided they wanted to join in on the fun. Thus Anglican Prayer Beads were born. They consist of 33 beads and are organized as follows: After the cross is a larger bead called the Invitatory Bead, which is followed by the first of four Cruciform Beads, which is followed by 7 Week Beads, another Cruciform Bead, 7 Week Beads, Cruciform Bead, 7 Week Beads, final Cruciform Bead, and the final 7 Week Beads. There is no right or wrong way to pray using Anglican Prayer Beads which allowed for them to be adopted by many other religious sects including Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, and others.

After learning all of this I decided I wanted to try creating my own Anglican Rosary, something that would be uniquely mine that I could use for prayer in my own way. So I went to a bead store; then left the expensive bizarre bead store and went to Joann's. I found all of the materials I needed for $10! I went home and a little more than an hour later I had my own Anglican Rosary. I will keep you posted on whether or not it is beneficial to me or not, but in the mean time here is a photo.