Do you exchange Rosary beads?

[SnorterLuster]

In my Irish Catholic family there was a custom to exchange Rosary beads amongst the family. The idea was to remember the people you love as you pray. For instance, my grandparents had beads from each other, their siblings, children and grandchildren. As they said their Rosary, the person’s bead reminded them to say that Hail Mary for that person.

It seems to be a custom that has died out in my generation. As I was thinking about it I wondered if the custom was unique to the Irish or maybe just my family.

 

[CARose]

What a lovely family tradition. I wish I had others in my family who were practicing Catholics, with whom I could trade rosaries. My sister-in-law is “catholic” and I’ve made a rosary for her and one for each of her parents. I’ve also made one for her friend’s birthday present. I’m on back-order to make one for another friend who has been diagnosed with cancer. But this is a one-way exchange.

I have also made a rosary for my other sister-in-law and I made one with her mother, so she could have exactly the one she wanted. My non-Catholic niece (my sister’s daughter) sat and chatted with us as we made rosaries, so that was fun.

So, I think I’ve saturated my family, at least those interested in having a rosary (as well as my 2 non-Catholic nieces). I’m not holding my breath waiting for anyone to give me a rosary in return.

CARose

 

[SnorterLuster]

CARose:

What a lovely family tradition. I wish I had others in my family who were practicing Catholics, with whom I could trade rosaries. My sister-in-law is “catholic” and I’ve made a rosary for her and one for each of her parents. I’ve also made one for her friend’s birthday present. I’m on back-order to make one for another friend who has been diagnosed with cancer. But this is a one-way exchange.

I have also made a rosary for my other sister-in-law and I made one with her mother, so she could have exactly the one she wanted. My non-Catholic niece (my sister’s daughter) sat and chatted with us as we made rosaries, so that was fun.

So, I think I’ve saturated my family, at least those interested in having a rosary (as well as my 2 non-Catholic nieces). I’m not holding my breath waiting for anyone to give me a rosary in return.

CARose

I don’t think I made myself completly clear. We would exchange just one bead with each person. For instance, since you made rosaries for your family, you would take one bead from your rosary and place it in your sister-in-laws rosary and take one bead from her rosary and replace the bead in your rosary. That way, everytime you came to that bead, you would remember your sister-in-law and you would say that Hail Mary for her. Likewise, when your sister-in-law came to your bead, she would remember you.

My grandparents rosary’s first decade was a mixture of beads each from a different rosary.

 

[CARose]

What a sweet idea. I hope that by posting it here, it becomes popular.

CARose

 

[need_to_know]

I would …if I knew any Catholics who actually prayed the rosary (I’m 17 and all the Catholics I know outside of Church are the same age - they’re not big on prayer, lol.), and also if my beads didn’t keep breaking…

 

[CatholicCid]

I’ve never seen an interchangable rosary

 

[CARose]

need_to_know:

I would …if … and also if my beads didn’t keep breaking…

Heck, a broken Rosary is perfect for this kind of bead exchange. It needs to be fixed anyways. Swap out a few of the beads with some of your friends. Perhaps you could do it as a “before we head off to the four corners of the world next year” Sr Christmas gift exchange with your other Catholic friends. You don’t even need to make a big deal out of the fact that you are hoping for prayers from anyone, just do it as a way of remembering your HS friends.

It might work.

CARose