Broken Rosaries

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Nanabelle

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The rosary left to me by my Great Great Aunt - one day the crucifix was missing…it’s very old and has a lot of meaning so I kept it and still carried it around with me. A month later- it fell apart and I repaired it… It fell apart again. I still carry it around with me, is that okay?

Also, I purchased two more rosaries back in March at the same time because I couldn’t make up my mind and liked them both… They both fell apart within 1 -2 weeks. I had one repaired which lasted about 2 weeks; about a week and it came apart again. So, I repaired it and then suddenly more than half of it was
gone. . . ( I will admit that due to some difficult times -I had been sleeping with one of them on… And if I’m going to be completely honest . . . Sometimes during the day if it was more stressful than other, but I did always try and make certain it was tucked under my blouse so no one would think it was a jewelry statement) I thought as long as you weren’t wearing it as jewelry-like a diamond cross necklace- that was okay? )

Why do they keep falling apart? I know they don’t “make things like they did”… But, three in three months? Would I be better spending a couple of hundred on one instead?
 
I love sleeping with a Rosary. For this purpose though I use an entirely knotted Rosary, not a beaded one. I also carry my beaded one with me everywhere, but I keep it in a Rosary zip-case in my pocket. I have had the beaded one for years.
 
Nanabelle said:
( I will admit that due to some difficult times -I had been sleeping with one of them on… And if I’m going to be completely honest . . . Sometimes during the day if it was more stressful than other, but I did always try and make certain it was tucked under my blouse so no one would think it was a jewelry statement) I thought as long as you weren’t wearing it as jewelry-like a diamond cross necklace- that was okay? )

Why do they keep falling apart? I know they don’t “make things like they did”… But, three in three months? Would I be better spending a couple of hundred on one instead?
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I’ve slept with rosaries before too, but they were cord rosaries. You might consider getting one.

I don’t think the Church has ever said that one could not wear the rosary, even as externally visible. Of course, we cannot view it as mere jewelry. I’m reluctant to do so just because of the recent fad of wearing them without any understanding of what they are or how they’re used (I’ve met a Non-denominational Christian who was vehemently anti-Catholic who wore one since it “has a cross on it”, and I also met a Jew who wore it because she “thought it was pretty”).

The only thing you mentioned that I think would necessarily hasten a rosary’s demise would be sleeping with one (unless when you pray with them you’re unnecessarily rough). If you’re paying more than $20 for a rosary it should last you much longer than 3 months.
 
I carry a Rosary in my pocket book, but it is kept in a small pouch in there. I haven’t had any break, but after a while, they look kind of “beat up.”

But I agree with previous posters… they should last longer than 3 months!! :eek:
 
If paying more than 30 dollars, do you think falling asleep in a chair would do this?
 
Nanabelle said:
If paying more than 30 dollars, do you think falling asleep in a chair would do this?
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Well let me put it this way:

Rosaries break sometimes. Having a few of them break on you in a matter of months (assuming all of these rosaries aren’t identical, mass-produced, or purchased from the same place) would tell me that they’re not lasting their typical longevity due to something I was doing. Sleeping with them is most likely the culprit, but it could be that you’re tugging on them too tightly when praying.

I’d suggest either a more durable rosary, or a cord rosary. The latter is incredibly versatile, and as I mentioned earlier I often use them in prayer to help me fall asleep. For something that is more durable but not a cord rosary, I’d suggest the ones made of a dense rope as the skeleton which subsequently has beads strung on the rope. I’ve owned a couple of these and have never had one break on me. All of the rosaries I’ve owned which have broken on me were made of chains linked together (granted I’ve never paid more than $15 for such a rosary). In fact, all but one of my chain rosaries I’ve ever owned have broken. The only one that hasn’t is one I purchased in Rome during the 2000 Jubilee, blessed by Pope John Paul II. I don’t tend to use this rosary; it usually doesn’t leave my home altar.

So to sum it up:
  • try not to sleep with your rosaries unless they’re homogenous in material (e.g. a cord rosary).
  • try to find rosaries made of more durable material.
  • try to be a little more gentle when running your fingers across the beads during prayer.
 
I like to sleep with my rosary as well. I only have a beaded one that I use (the other one is made of my birth stones that my girlfriend got for me. It feels too fragile to use.) Like I said, I love falling asleep with it, usually just saying some prayers as I drift off to sleep. I don’t move very much in my sleep though, so that might be something for you to consider about yourself as to why they might be breaking so quickly.

Also, as to wearing the rosary, I had heard on my Catholic radio station that one is not supposed to wear the rosary, even if you know what it stands for. They said that many people who pray the rosary wear it like a necklace thinking that they are honoring the BVM, but in reality it is not doing that because it is not intended for that purpose (being worn like a necklace). Just passing along what I’ve heard.

God Bless
 
Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I will definitely be purchasing a knotted rosary - asap - as many of you have suggested. Thank you. 🙂

I’m ashamed to say that I do not know how to pray the rosary properly and will be learning how to do so… I’ve held it in prayer for over 15 years… I guess it all bugged me due to some other odd things. This- being the least of them… So, I’m certain it’s not for them having been treated/ rubbed too harshly or tossing around… I guess I really freaked out when I found the crucifix and another part of the rosary smashed in someone’s driveway today and having known where and when the last one went missing, where I’ve been, etc… Guess I lumped it with all the really weird stuff and totally freaked out today - making a mountain out of a molehill! 😊

Sorry
 
Nanabelle said:
Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I will definitely be purchasing a knotted rosary - asap - as many of you have suggested. Thank you. 🙂

I’m ashamed to say that I do not know how to pray the rosary properly and will be learning how to do so… I’ve held it in prayer for over 15 years… I guess it all bugged me due to some other odd things. This- being the least of them… So, I’m certain it’s not for them having been treated/ rubbed too harshly or tossing around… I guess I really freaked out when I found the crucifix and another part of the rosary smashed in someone’s driveway today and having known where and when the last one went missing, where I’ve been, etc… Guess I lumped it with all the really weird stuff and totally freaked out today - making a mountain out of a molehill! 😊

Sorry
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Its all good. That’s what everyone is here for, to help you sort that stuff out.

As for learning the Rosary, I don’t know what resources you have to learn it, but I’ll give you the link for what I used to learn the rosary.

catholicwarfare.com/Warfare/rosary.pdf

I found it very helpful, hopefully you will too. They’ve got one for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as well.

catholicwarfare.com/Warfare/Chaplet.pdf

Thought you might like it.

God Bless
 
smad0142 said:
I love sleeping with a Rosary. For this purpose though I use an entirely knotted Rosary, not a beaded one. I also carry my beaded one with me everywhere, but I keep it in a Rosary zip-case in my pocket. I have had the beaded one for years.
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Huh. I never thought of that!
Maybe I ought to try it.
 
I have just started making rosaries, and these comments may help. In my experience, rosaries don’t actually break. What happens is that there is tension (pulling) that either opens one of the loops on the pins that go thru the individual beads, or opens one of the “jump rings” that connect the lengths of chain to the crucifix and the centerpiece.

I you have a rosary that is coming apart, what you need to do is to find someone who repairs rosaries and have him/her check all the loops and jump rings to make sure that they are fully and securely closed. If you lived near me, I would be glad to do that for you, but really, anyone with a pair of rounded-tip needle-nose pliers and a good pair of eyes can do it. Then you need to make sure that you do not put unnecessary tension on the rosary. The pins and jump rings are soft metal, and it is not at all hard to pull them open again.

Personal experience–last Monday I put together a sterling silver rosary from a kit. By Tuesday evening it had come apart in three different places. Wednesday I closely examined every loop, tightening where required, and it has stayed together since then.

DaveBj
 
I’ve been using wooden beads cord rosarys. Fairly durable, usually 18" stretched out.
I am an adult male and carry a rosary in my pocket at all times, the rosary is in the same pocket with sharp keys. They have a life of about a year, maybe two. In addition, I find these cord wooden rosaries at usually a bottom price of 4-6 dollars. When I find a beautiful cord rosary(cord/bead color combination), its a bit of a dissapointment that it has a limited life. But I can usually extend its life by using plastic ties and/or leather cord to keep it together when it breaks.These have been the most durable rosaries I could find until I found out about knotted rosaries.

You can order a ‘knotted rosary’ off of ebay for $4.
They have good-excellent durability, my exp. is limited(this is new for me), but you can make your own. I ordered a 500ft of #36 colored nylon twine and there are many 'How to make your own knotted rosary" videos. It only takes 20ft of cord off of a 500 ft spool to make a rosary.

So basically, I’m inferring from the available info.(my cord is on the way in the mail) that after your first few rosaries you can make one in 20-30 minutes or less depending on how you do the cross. Moreover, the cost per rosary is on the order of .60 cents.

Buying some colored nylon twine, making your own, and giving away rosaries is now quite affordable.
 
If you prefer traditional beads but want something a little sturdier, you can always go with a beaded rosary that is strung on wire instead of made with chain. I make strung beaded rosaries and I’ve never had one break. I use a strong but flexible stranded beading wire to string the beads and use tiny seed beads as spacers between the Ave beads instead of tiny links of chain. To close off the ends you use small metal beads that are crimped with a special pair of pliers, so there just aren’t the high number of weak spots that would cause the rosary to fail.

When I was learning the prayers to the rosary, I found an “album” on iTunes of all of the mysteries of the Rosary. It was really helpful to be able to just turn that on and listen and pray along to learn the prayers rather than fumbling with prayer cards or a book to read the words.
 
Hmmm. Maybe the rosaries are breaking partially from strain while you are sleeping.

Mine break all the time! In fact, all three of my favs are busted right now. :’( I just keep fixing them and fixing them. But I like having more than one so if one breaks, I have two on hand. Until they all break.

btw, I have one rosary that has a complete segment missing. Since it is blessed and I can’t just throw it away, i use it for part when a bead or two has disappeared on my other rosaries.
 
I recently purchased a chotki - Eastern Catholic Prayer Rope - which I have used to pray some of the Eastern Catholic prayers as well as the rosary. The one I have is Russian style and while not exactly a rosary, it has ten sets of ten knots which lets you count off as many decade as one would care to pray.

The thing is hand made, beautiful, and I don’t think it will ever break. I got it from Phillip Rolfes on the Eastern Catholic forum.



-Tim-
 
I own at least two dozen Rosaries. Cheap ones can and will fall apart, particularly if the beads are putting a strain on the links. Though maybe not as pretty, cord rosaries can be really tough, and I think, attractive with the right beads.
 
I just got a knotted rosary!! I was going to buy it later so I asked the lady to set it aside, adn she said she would buy it for me!!! she said no one knew where it came from so she set it off to the side. Do you think our Lady sent it?
 
Nanabelle said:
The rosary left to me by my Great Great Aunt - one day the crucifix was missing…it’s very old and has a lot of meaning so I kept it and still carried it around with me. A month later- it fell apart and I repaired it… It fell apart again. I still carry it around with me, is that okay?

Also, I purchased two more rosaries back in March at the same time because I couldn’t make up my mind and liked them both… They both fell apart within 1 -2 weeks. I had one repaired which lasted about 2 weeks; about a week and it came apart again. So, I repaired it and then suddenly more than half of it was
gone. . . ( I will admit that due to some difficult times -I had been sleeping with one of them on… And if I’m going to be completely honest . . . Sometimes during the day if it was more stressful than other, but I did always try and make certain it was tucked under my blouse so no one would think it was a jewelry statement) I thought as long as you weren’t wearing it as jewelry-like a diamond cross necklace- that was okay? )

Why do they keep falling apart? I know they don’t “make things like they did”… But, three in three months? Would I be better spending a couple of hundred on one instead?
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Nanabelle, I make and sell rosaries, and I would be very happy to help you out! I’ll fix your rosaries for you for free if you like! 🙂
 
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