Does the Rosary need the beads

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My wife and I have been praying the rosary consistently for 6 months now. However, we actually do not use beads, but instead use our fingers. The reason for this is two fold: 1) you always have your fingers with you, and 2) we often pray while we are running, and it is just not convenient using the rosary. I know they have rosary rings, but curious if it is necessary to use the beads while praying the rosary.

We’ve become so use to this, we went to adoration the other day, and we knew this included the rosary at the closing, and we did not even think to bring the rosary.

Any insight? 🙂
Thanks, Patrick
 
I hope not! I pray the rosary as I am working out at the gym. I love to hop on the treadmill or another machine and pray away.

I think the rosary beads help in the counting but are not required to make a vaild rosary devotion.
 
Nope. The rosary, itself, does not need the beads.

I, as a human being, am made physically as well as spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically. As such, it is quite helpful to have a physical component to my prayer.

It doesn’t have to be the beads, though.

Mom taught us kids to pray the rosary with using only our hands, if we had to (if we didn’t have rosary beads on us).

I’ve used my fingers for a rosary while my husband was driving what seemed to me to be “willy nilly” when it was snowing outside and dark and on a mountain road and it felt to be WAY too fast to me for ANYone to be driving that fast… especially in snow!! :eek:

At the time, I’d been in snow exactly, let me count… ONCE… in my life. THAT time!!

Would’ve grabbed onto my rosary beads if I’d had them, though!
 
On another forum, they were discussing something and the subject of the rosary came up.

This mom mentioned that as she rocked her baby to sleep she would use her baby’s little toes to keep count of where she was when reciting the rosary.

I thought that was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. What makes a better rosary than an innocent little baby’s toes?
 
It’s true that beads are not required, however, a rosary is a sacramental that has more than beads, which should be blessed by a priest. It also generally has a crucifix and a medal. These two elements are what make the rosary more than beads–they are meant to be helps in meditation.

And while praying the prayers of the rosary while doing other things is all right, giving it a time of its own in a private space with no distractions helps us to concentrate on the mysteries of the rosary and thus on the sacrifices and gifts of the life of Jesus and Mary. Just a couple of thoughts meant to benefit us all. 🙂
 
I can understand why you do this, however for my own personal devotion I find it very edifying to be able to touch the beads and the corpus.
 
Somebody told me on a forum here.

If I pray with a blessed rosary then my prayers join the prayers of the Church. Otherwise, I’m praying by myself (which is also good).

So I am starting to pray while holding my rosary (and I don’t yet count with the beads).

I’m still fairly new – starting RCIA / RCIC soon and I hope with no trouble.
 
I pray the Rosary with beads and without. When I’ve finished those I’m committed to during the day, I fall asleep sometimes saying it on my fingers… …I tend to lose my beads under the covers. Someone once said that you don’t have to worry about not finishing your Rosary when falling asleep because the angels finish the for you…
 
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Annunciata:
I pray the Rosary with beads and without. When I’ve finished those I’m committed to during the day, I fall asleep sometimes saying it on my fingers.
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You mean I’m not the only one that does that? 😃
Someone once said that you don’t have to worry about not finishing your Rosary when falling asleep because the angels finish the for you…
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That’s a sweet thought. I frequently drift off to sleep praying the Rosary, and I’ll wake up some time later with my fingers in the same position. So I just pick back up.

DaveBj
 
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Della:
It’s true that beads are not required, however, a rosary is a sacramental that has more than beads, which should be blessed by a priest. It also generally has a crucifix and a medal. These two elements are what make the rosary more than beads–they are meant to be helps in meditation.

And while praying the prayers of the rosary while doing other things is all right, giving it a time of its own in a private space with no distractions helps us to concentrate on the mysteries of the rosary and thus on the sacrifices and gifts of the life of Jesus and Mary. Just a couple of thoughts meant to benefit us all. 🙂
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Thank you for this Della, :tiphat:

I too drive home saying a Rosary, but will also try to do my best to say the Rosary in the room where my wife has a statue of Mary, and of Jesus. They also help in contemplating all the Mysteries. .
 
My husband and I pray the Rosary every AM 6:30 using a scriptural type rosary book written by Martha Ortega “Word-Rosary Intercessors, inc” out of South Bend. We literally get up fill our coffee mugs and sit on top of our bed and start with “with this rosary we bind all of our children and family and friends to the Immac. Heart of Mary”. These little books M. Ortega puts together are great for keeping one focused and we do not use our beads at this time but other times I use my beads.
 
I pray the rosary at the park with little pebbles lining them up. No a rosary is not needed. But because it is a sacramental I believe I was told that you can receive more graces using one.
 
I’m about to enter RCIA. I had to undergo an MRI today and I was kinda scared and wished I knew the Rosary so I could’ve prayed it while in the machine (which was like being buried alive). So I wound up just praying whatever prayers I could remember, like the Hail Mary.
 
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DaveBj:
That’s a sweet thought. I frequently drift off to sleep praying the Rosary, and I’ll wake up some time later with my fingers in the same position. So I just pick back up.

DaveBj
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I do that too! And I frequently wake up in the night repeating the 'Hail Mary’s in my mind…and I also often wake up saying " sed libera nos as malo". Annunciata:)
 
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