Local Catholic radio station airs the rosary at 9:30 every morning and while at work, I silently pray along while doing my work.
Is it acceptable to do this without having rosary beads in hand?
Dear garn,
Personally, I think it would be difficult for me to keep my mind on my work as well as on the Mysteries of the Rosary. I’m not sure what kind of work you mean. If I were washing the dishes or folding laundry, maybe that woud be possible. At any rate, prayer is ultimately communion with God and so if you are lifting up your heart and mind to Him even for a few moments, then that is indeed prayer – even if you are unable to continue praying the Rosary in its completeness, as you do certain kinds of work.
The Rosary is a specific form of prayer and the beads we use are a sacramental; that is, they are blessed. They are used primarily as a means of keeping track of the ten Hail Mary’s in each decade, as well as the placement of the Our Father before each decade, and the Gloria which concludes each decade. Meditation on the Mysteries is very important because it draws us closer to Jesus and Mary as we ponder the events in their lives here on earth and their glory in heaven. Just carrying Rosary Beds in my pocket is a blessing for me.
I would encourage you to read the Apostolic Letter of Blessed John Paul II, “On the Rosary”. See HERE. I found this letter to be a blessing in praying the Rosary with greater attention and devotion.
Hope all this helps to answer your question. 
Greetings Garn9173,
Yes it is. It is intention that matters in this case. There are times that I forget to take my Rosary along with me to Mass, and well I pray the Rosary with them silently as well without it.
God Bless.
Anathama Sit
I often count the decades with my fingers when I don’t have a rosary.
need trick to help me. apostles creed- our father- three hail marrys (normal)- glory be (always thought it was important so i never bothered to check if it goes in that spot or not) - first mystery - our father- (here you do something special) ten altered version of the hail marry ( for instance if it’s the joyful mystery that is pertained to the day praying “hail marry full of grace the lord is with thee blessed are thou amongst woman and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus who was announced to you by Gabriel the archangel…”. same thing for the any mystery just alter the hail marry to include the mystery should help you remember which mystery you’re on.
It sure is.
The worst rosary prayed is the one that you don pray!
Keep going and if you don’t have the rosary just pray the best you can.
God bless you for your good intentions !
Thanks, everyone! When I saw work, I mean at my place of employment. I’m in a cube and it’s dept. policy that headphones must be worn when listening to the radio.
Sure! I have a Rosary cd I pray along with in the car. I love it because I can pray in a responsorial format, as though I was with a community. When I pray the whole Rosary alone, my mouth and throat get dry, and I tend to go too fast. So the cd gives me a little break in between speaking, and also keeps me at a good pace.
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. . . :signofcross: . . .**
Prayers of the Holy Rosary
. . . open our eyes Lord . . . that we may see Jesus . . .
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: Make the Sign of the Cross in the name of the **Father ** and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
:gopray2: THE ASPOSTLES CREED: I believe in **God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He **arose again; He ascended into heaven,and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen
:gopray2: OUR FATHER: Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.
:gopray2: **HAIL MARY: ** Hail Mary, full of grace; the **Lord **is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
:gopray2: GLORY BE TO THE FATHER: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
:gopray2: FATIMA PRAYER: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy”. *(Our Lady at Fatima, 13th July 1917) *
:gopray2: HAIL HOLY QUEEN: Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley, of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
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[RIGHT]. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Blessed Lord our Saviour+
. . . thank You Gracious Heavenly Father+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Blessed Virgin Mary our Mother+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+[/RIGHT]
What is more important, the beads or the prayers? For me, it is the prayers. The beads (even when blessed) are not the rosary. The rosary consists of the prayers we say and the mysteries we meditate on.
If I pray the rosary on my fingers or using another counting system, it is no less holy than praying it on beads.
I think that some are often confused about this because we call the string of beads the rosary (and note that there are many different kinds of rosaries). But we can use that string of beads for other prayers too – one of which is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We use a rosary for it, but we aren’t saying a rosary.
Fingers work just fine…
Sure it is! Sometimes when I’m driving, I use my fingers, pressing them slightly on the steering wheel as I count the Hail Marys.
I remember from my old Latin Sunday Missal: ‘If the hands are occupied-for example, driving a car-the indulgences for the Rosary can be gained, as long as the beads are on one’s person’. I take that to mean, ‘in a pocket or purse’.
So I always strive to wear clothing that has pockets, and I always have a Rosary in them!
That is why God gave us ten fingers! One for each Hail Mary. 
That’s what we can use whenever we do not have access to Rosary beads.
I rarely pray the rosary with an actual rosary. The implement is not neccessary at all.
YES - God in His infinite wisdom - knowing what we need before even we do…created human’s with build in Rosary Beads! How beautiful is that?
Dear ringil,
The Rosary may be prayed on one’s fingers or listening and praying with others, but to write that “the implement is not necessary at all” may be to miss some things that can really help us in prayer. Blessed Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter “On the Most Holy Rosary” wrote this:
The Rosary beads
- The traditional aid used for the recitation of the Rosary is the set of beads. At the most superficial level, the beads often become a simple counting mechanism to mark the succession of Hail Marys. Yet they can also take on a symbolism which can give added depth to contemplation.
Here the first thing to note is the way the beads converge upon the Crucifix, which both opens and closes the unfolding sequence of prayer. The life and prayer of believers is centred upon Christ. Everything begins from him, everything leads towards him, everything, through him, in the Holy Spirit, attains to the Father.
As a counting mechanism, marking the progress of the prayer, the beads evoke the unending path of contemplation and of Christian perfection. Blessed Bartolo Longo saw them also as a “chain” which links us to God. A chain, yes, but a sweet chain; for sweet indeed is the bond to God who is also our Father. A “filial” chain which puts us in tune with Mary, the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38) and, most of all, with Christ himself, who, though he was in the form of God, made himself a “servant” out of love for us (Phil 2:7).
A fine way to expand the symbolism of the beads is to let them remind us of our many relationships, of the bond of communion and fraternity which unites us all in Christ.
The full text of the Apostolic Letter, “On the Most Holy Rosary”, by Bl.JPII is HERE
Plus you can use the single hand for the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the three Hail Marys and the Glory Be before beginning the Mysteries.
I use the following system:
Make the Sign of the Cross and say the “Apostles’ Creed.” Say the “Our Father.” ( using thumb)
Say three "Hail Marys.(using index, middle and ring fingers)
Say the “Glory be to the Father.” Announce the First Mystery; then say the “Our Father.” (using the little finger)
Then hold both hands out and looking towards the left hand, say the Mystery, and looking towards the right hand (or with each hand held up) say the Our Father.
Use the individual fingers for the Hail Mary.
Then between the Mysteries, use the same two hands for the Glory Be and the Our Father prayers.
Then finish the rosary by reciting the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ prayer and the closing prayer.