Telling the Beads :: Rosary & Chutke (Chotki)

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Rosary- The Chain that will Bind Satan

The Rosary is a huge topic, mainly because there  are so many  Catholics in the world.

In the non-Catholic world, there are many objections to praying the rosary. These are good questions, valid objections to consider.  This lense hopes to address these concerns, encourage  deeper prayer by all  Christians, and perhaps increase understanding among religions.   

The Holy Rosary of the  Blessed Virgin Mary is a profound and beautiful method  of  prayer, used for centuries.  There probably isn't another thing which so prominently identifies a person as a Catholic.  

Please  share your prayer list, or your  rosary stories, or anything else you wish at the bottom of the page.  We would love to hear from you! 

Objection: Repetitive Prayer

The primary response given by Protestants.

"Do not allow satan to deceive you into thinking you can repeat prayer. Prayer cannot be repeated. A mother cannot repeat her child. A spring cannot repeat its water. The sun cannot repeat its rays, and the human heart cannot repeat prayer. It is the Holy Spirit who prays within us, and each Hail Mary is always a new grace, a new gift and a new strength."
Fr Jozo Zovko ofm

Prayer Beads, A Brief History of an Ancient Christian Practice Pt. 1

To Bead or Knot to Bead: Historical Considerations

Dr. Alexander Roman

The practice of using counters of various kinds for the purpose of reciting prayers is one that embraces the broad spectrum of historical religions in every age.

The repetitive Asian mantra was always dominant among Buddhist and Hindu monastics that developed circular beads on strings to chant continuously, night and day.

Their beads reflected various colours and substances that had rich, symbolic meaning related to their religious beliefs, including the numbers of beads on any given circlet.

Representations of western pagan religions likewise show worshippers holding what appear to be prayer-beads used for repetitive invocations.

In the beginnings of Christianity, the repetition of a short verse from the Psalms or of the Our Father prayer came into vogue, especially among the monastics of the Thebaid in Egypt.

The Gospel ban against "vain repetitions" did not extend to liturgical prayer and repeated personal prayers that were said slowly and meaningfully within a meditative devotional context. Christ Himself, especially during His Agony in the Garden prior to His Passion, prayed for long hours repeating a short phrase.

Here is an example: "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me, yet, not what I want, but what You want . . . And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words." (Mark 14: 36-39).

In the time of St Basil the Great in the fourth century AD, the practice of reciting the Jesus Prayer was predominant among Eastern monastics.

The Jesus Prayer had a number of forms including:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

Lord Jesus Christ, by the Mother of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Lord have mercy.

But the first form was the most approved by the Church and is today as well.

The Holy Rosary

The Bible Teaches the Church is Necessary

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Telling the Beads: St. Basil (pt. 2)

The Rosary in the History of Christianity

St Basil prescribed the saying of the Jesus Prayer in place of reading the Psalms and the Divine Office for those who could not read and also for those who were travelling and who were otherwise impeded from using the liturgical books in their prayer.

He prescribed the saying of the Jesus Prayer 300 times for each of the 20 sections of the Psalms into which the Byzantine Church had divided it.

Basil then ordered the use of a counting device of a woollen, knotted cord of 100 knots, divided every 25 knots with a larger or other knot or bead. In Slavonic, this knotted cord is called "Chotki."

Before his time, Christian monastics used loose beads in bags to count their repeated prayers. St Paul of Thebes had a bag of 300 beads and placed them, one by one, into another bag as he prayed. Interestingly, this is exactly how St Clare of Assisi prayed, centuries later.

Another method involved the use of the monastic staff itself. The top of the staff was carved with notches that one could use to count prayers as one walked or stood in prayer with the staff.

But the knotted cord became, by far, the most popular prayer counter. The East used nine turns of the threading needle to create one knot, a tradition that went back to Pachomius of Egypt.

When St Pachomius prayed on a knotted cord where the knots were made of three turns or wraps, the devil was able to undo them. Pachomius increased the size of his knots until he made them with nine turns of the threading needle - and the devil, much to his dismay, could not undo them!

Beads and other materials were later used for prayer cords and prayer chains that the West has come to know as the "Rosary" or a garden of roses ("rosarium").

In the West, the prayer cord was also popular. When St Dominic received the rosary from the Mother of God, what he received was a knotted cord and Dominicans and other Western monastics wrapped these large circled cords around their wrists as part of their monastic uniform - very much like Orthodox clergy and monastics do today.

St Basil

On The Human Condition: St Basil the Great (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press "Popular Patristics" Series) (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press "Popular Patristics" Series)

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St Basil is one of the great Church Fathers. His Patristics is invaluable for understanding the early Church.

Precious St. Basil Medal

For your rosary or to wear

14kt Gold St. Basil the Great Medal

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St Basil is a very great saint! Everyone needs his intercession.

Miracles of the Rosary

The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mother Theresa

The Holy Mother

Rosaries, Devotionals

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Pitter Patter :: The Beadsmen (pt 3)

Tenners & Tied Cords

The Western use of the prayer cord initially involved the praying of Our Father's in place of the Psalter for those who could not read - one Our Father for each psalm.

This was called the "Pater Noster Psalter" and Christians initially used decorated strands of knots or beads that were not attached at the ends.

So popular this devotion became that the term "pitter patter" came into being, referring to the sound made by those praying the beads as they recited their "Paters" or Our Father's!

Guilds of "Pater Nosterers" came into being that made knotted cords and strands of prayer beads for the faithful. One of the more famous series of guilds was located on the street "Pater Noster Row" near St Paul's Cathedral in London, England.

The Hail Mary was also used and soon the "Rosary" or "Psalter of the Virgin Mary" came into being that consisted in the recitation of 50 or 150 Hail Mary's. Meditation on the mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary were added as well.

The Golden Rosary that is still used today in Schrocken in the Vorarlberg Alps is a rosary made up of 63 beads for 63 Hail Mary's in honour of the years the Virgin Mary lived on earth (a tradition of the Brigettine Monks and those who share their rosary). No Our Father beads are included on this rosary, however.

Other bead numberings included 72 beads for the Franciscan Crown Rosary, three decades and even one decade or "Tenners" that were especially popular with me and pilgrims.

Rosary rings and tenners were also popular and resumed their popularity during the Irish Penal times when Catholicism was banned in Ireland.

So important the rosary or the "telling of the beads" became that wealthy nobles often paid to have an individual follow them around while saying the rosary for them at all times.

Such were called "beadsmen" and it became popular as an expression of courtesy to sign one's name in a letter to another "Your beadsman" to indicate that one was willing to undertake the continuous prayer of the rosary beads on the other's behalf voluntarily!

Thus did St Thomas More sign his letters to his family and friends.

Monk Praying His Rosary

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Our Lady & The Rosary

Ever Ancient, Ever New, For Every Christian

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Rosary in the News

As the world worsens and our need for God grows, so too does devotion to Him with the Holy Rosary. No surprise that it ends up in the news so often!
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The Ark of the Covenant

The story of the rosary begins here

In the Hebrew Scriptures, God ordered an Ark built. This Ark would have:

1. A mercy seat, comprised of winged angels, which provided a seat for the Shekinah, the Golden Cloud of the Glorious Presence of God to preside.
2. Would be gilded in gold, signifying the Glory and sanctity of God
3. Contained the manna (holy bread) that had miraculously fed the Israelites in the desert
4. Contained the budded rod of Aaron, signifying the priesthood.
5. Contained the original tablets of Moses, Torah or law, which Christians refer to as the Ten Commandments.

Learn more about the Ark of the Covenant.

Really Special Things

Where the Rosary turns up unexpectedly!

miracleoftherosary
Elvis Presley sings the rosary! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Beautiful Rosaries & Artwork
Special rosaries, art, sculptures and so much more.
The Rosary and the Republic | Spero News
The Holy Rosary a weapon? Yes, a weapon! We are fighting a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. -- International news and analysis, includes message board, blogs, and wiki.

Did the Ark exist or is it a myth?

some proof of the existence of these things

Arks as sacred object were certainly known and in use in ancient Egypt. When King Tutankhamen's Tomb was found, within it was an ark very much like the one described in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Exodus of the Israelites was one of the many stories of the superiority of God over the idols of other nations. Moses, having been raised Egyptian, in line with the throne, would have understood the importance of God requiring an Ark, as a portable Temple. Experiments in re-creating an ark as described (and found in King Tut's tomb) revealed it as a truly powerful piece by itself, some sort of an electrical generator, that was very dangerous. Ark of the Covenant

Rosary on Video

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Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant

The Old and New Testaments Correspond

Every Christian faith agrees there is correspondence between both 'sets' of scripture: the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, or Greek Scriptures. Virtually every verse in the Old has been combed for correspondence, application or prophecy in the New.

The correspondence of Mary with the Ark of the Covenant is virtually unexplored excepting for the ancient Christian faiths of Catholicism and Orthodox, including the Maronites, Coptics and other ancient Christian groups.

Peace

Growing Prayer Rings

Prayer groups online
Worldwide Rosary Crusade
a unified effort in building a global rosary chain on the 13th of each month in honor of our Blessed Mother's requests to pray the rosary for peace.
Fatima Rosary Organization
This group focuses on the Fatima apparitions.

Learn It in Latin:: The Our Father:: Pater Noster

Pater Nostra with English Translation
by saiju1234 | video info

299 ratings | 119,227 views
curated content from YouTube

Learn It In Latin! Ave Maria :: Hail Mary

Hail Mary - Latin - Rosary
by saiju1234 | video info

255 ratings | 108,103 views
curated content from YouTube

The Presence of God with the People

The Oneness of God

Jesus, in several places, identifies himself as God. When the High Priest challenges Jesus, asking him "Are you the Son of God?" Jesus answers "Yhwh" (Yahweh- I AM). This answer lead the Jews of the time to want to stone him. Jesus also said "I and the Father are ONE." The Apostle John describes Jesus as being Divine (God), through whom all things came into being.

Just as God came to, and presided with the Israelites through the Ark of Covenant, Mary was the new Ark through which the Divine God made his actual presence into humanity.

Pictured: The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Ethiopia, reportedly the home of the original Ark of the Covenant.

Rosary References & Prayer Aids

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Bread from Heaven

Manna

John 6. Jesus identified himself as the 'Bread of Life'. He said his body was true bread and his blood true wine. He said :unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you." This was so literal that many of his followers abandoned him, and Jesus didn't call them back saying, "I meant it symbolically." No, HE LET THEM LEAVE HIM INSTEAD.

His flesh being the 'bread that came down from heaven' literally, corresponds to the fact that it was through the maternity of Mary, him being within her womb for nine months, the same as the manna, the bread from heaven, was within the Ark of the Covenant.

Rosaries

Antiques, Collectibles, Special

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Special Rosaries and Projects

Ranger Rosary
For our Military Troops who want them, specially made
Spirit Daily
Return of Jesus Decade
Enormous Rosary Planned at the Rose Bowl
The largest outdoor celebration of the Rosary in Southern California in nearly 50 years will take place at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, on May 19, 2007, Holy Cross Family Ministries announced this week.
Florida Catholic - Couple rescues broken rosaries
Rescue Rosaries
Handicapped ‘master’ missionary rosary maker gives back to God - Catholic Online
CaringBridge.org - jennifer

Historical Catholic Collectibles and Treasures

For Prayer, for Church, for a Home Church

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Rosary Information

Historic and Practical Information about the Rosary

How did it start? What exactly is it? How do you pray it? These are very helpful links.
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Rosary
History of this devotion. Also considers the Orthodox and Eastern-Rite Catholic practice
Virtual Rosary
the original free multimedia rosary and prayer network
Ecumenical Miracle Rosary
This web page will introduce you to a group of prayers called the Ecumenical Miracle Rosary. Since its prayers and mysteries are derived solely from the Bible, any Christian denomination will feel comfortable reciting this rosary. I hope that this devotion will allow Catholics and Protestants to pra
Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae
APOSTOLIC LETTERROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAEOF THE SUPREME PONTIFFJOHN PAUL IITO THE BISHOPS, CLERGYAND FAITHFULON THE MOST HOLY ROSARY

INTRODUCTION
1. The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second
millennium under the guidance of the Spirit of G
Worldwide Rosary Crusade
Click for live image
Join the WorldWide Rosary Crusade!
The goals of this crusade are as follows: To mount a unified effort in building a global rosary
chain on the 13th of each month in honor of our Blessed
Mother's requests to pray the rosary for peace.
To build
Holy Rosary devotion - Our Lady - Mysteries, secrets, promises
The Holy Rosary, Catholic devotion to Our Lady - Mysteries, secrets, promises
~ The Most Holy Rosary ~
The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin and English. View splendid Holy Catholic images while praying and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. Also includes the unaltered/original version of the Fatima Prayer which is to be said while reciting the Rosary.
Rosary Army: Free Rosary & How To Make A Rosary
Rosary Army promotes the making, praying, and giving away of knotted twine/cord/rope Rosaries. Would you like a free Rosary? Just ask! It will be our pleasure to send you one.
The Citizen, Auburn NY
Living Rosary
-- Beliefnet.com
Rosary-A Life Saver to the Drowning
Rosary House, Inc.
Handmade in America
Rosaries: A spiritual symbol or trendy accessory? Houston Chronicle

Archbishop Fulton Sheen on the Rosary

The Power of the Rosary

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description."

Rosary References

Secular

Rosary information from secular sources
Rosary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!
Rosary From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary Beads. The words on her halo are: 'Je suis l'Immaculée conception' (I am the Immaculate
A Catholic Life: The Power of One Hail Mary
This is an individual post. Click to go to the main page of my blog
Thursday, April 26, 2007 The Power of One Hail Mary
I received this message in an email yesterday. I did not write this. I am just passing it on to my readers. Catholic information on Mary can be found at my website L

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Talk to us! Tell us what you think, if you need prayer, your rosary stories!

  • Spook Jan 13, 2012 @ 2:49 pm | delete
    As usual your attention to detail is mind blowing.
  • dawngibson Jul 5, 2011 @ 6:34 pm | delete
    I am an avid user of the Anglican Rosary, and live my life as an Anglo Catholic. I think some Protestants object to the rosary because the don't like any prayer not directed toward Jesus or the Trinity. Also, there is a strong association between the Rosary and being punished. I think this is more true in movies than reality, but it's a powerful misunderstanding. That said, the Anglican Rosary or Prayer Beads are growing in popularity. This is likely because people hunger for the deep guided meditation and prayer that only the Rosary can bring.
  • rahamimi Jul 4, 2011 @ 9:45 pm | delete
    LOL Rosary
    Laughing out loud while saying the Rosary? Yup!
    I mean, I'm floating and swimming and trying to stretch out my hurting back, and praying the Joyful Mysteries, something I love to do when I swim.
    I'm thinking about the ?Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.? I am puzzling over ? consciously this time, rather than unconsciously -- not understanding why the heck this mystery is put in with the JOYFUL mysteries since it clearly wasn't' joyful for Mary and Joseph? And then I realize ? it was joyful for Jesus! LOL! Of course ? he is sitting with the great rabbis and finally having a chance to ask all the questions that must have been puzzling him. Or, were they asking him questions? Probably he was asking them questions, a la Jewish sages, causing them to go deeper and deeper into the Torah!
  • davidrezo May 21, 2011 @ 8:15 am | delete
    Thanks for making this squid wonderful. eve isk
  • jaydenw19 Oct 31, 2009 @ 7:21 am | delete
    Nice and informative lens. Thanks for sharing Margaret.

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Orthodox Rosary, the Chotki 

Knotted wool wrist chotki chaplet Rosary with Knotted Cross with Olive wood beads (33 Knots)

Amazon Price: $24.09 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now

Wonderful and portable, the Orthodox use it to pray the Jesus Prayer

"Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner"

These were made during the Cold War by religious prisoners, and in hidden monasteries by monks.

Beautiful Icon Of Our Holy Mother 

Praying with Icons

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