Eastern Rosary.

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UnityofTrinity said:
So do Eastern Catholics and Orthodox use the same Rosary as the West?
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It depends. In my terminology the Rosary is a set of prayers, a rosary is a set of beads that have a cross, three beads, a center piece, and a set of 5 groups of beads that have one followed by 10.

Some Eastern Catholics pray the same Rosary as Western Catholics. Some Eastern Catholics use the prayers that you linked to and use a rosary that Western Catholics use when they pray the Rosary.

The Rosary is actually a chaplet that uses a certain set of prayer beads. The Divine Mercy Chaplet uses the same set of prayer beads but uses different prayers.
 
ciero said:
Let the RCs have their devotions and let the Byzantines have theirs…why do we Byzantines insist on adopting Roman devotions. :mad:
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This is an EO devotion. It is similar to the RC rosary but it isn’t the same thing. And to the best of my knowledge it wasn’t “borrowed” or adapted from the RC rosary either. I don’t think St. Seraphim divided it into 3 mysteries though. He just prayed them all at one sitting. Again someone can correct me if I said something wrong because I’m going off of memory and I’m too lazy/busy at the moment to look it up.
 
UnityofTrinity said:
stanne-byzcath.org/eastern%20rosary.htm

What do think about this? What kind of beads do Eastern Christians use to pray these prayers?
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Usually, not beads. Knotted string or leather ladders.

The chotki is made of two strands of cord, usually wool, tied with a specific knot, with a knot-work cross, the cross usually closing it into a loop. Several lengths are used: 33, 50, 51, 100, 101, 151, and even 300+. Some have a bead or a larger knot every 10 or 25. Wearing it on the wrist properly requires a blessing from one’s pastor to do so. Carrying and using one does not, but it’s a good idea to get it blessed.

The lestovka is a leather ladder with 101 rungs, and markers or spaces marking off particular numbers. 12 (for the number of the Apostles); 39 (for the weeks of the pregnancy of the Theotokos); 33 (for the years of Christ’s life on earth), and 17 (for the number of prophets). 9 divider beads (for the choirs of angels) separate these.

I simply use my fingers and/or a 10-bead roman “pocket rosary” when I say the jesus prayers, or a piece of string with simple knots tied in it.

orthodoxwiki.org/Chotki is a good article on it, and it’s equally appropriate for the Byzantine Catholics and (Byzantine) Eastern Orthodox.
 
Oh my goodness! That is a beautiful way to pray the rosary, I love it 😃
 
Orthodox monasteries have, from time immemorial, practiced the saying of 150 Our Father’s and/or 150 Hail Mary’s with prostrations.

The Rule of the Theotokos (the Psalter of our Lady or the Rosary) came from the Thebaid itself from the earliest centuries. St Seraphim taught that the saying of 150 Hail Mary’s DAILY was given as a command by our Lady to a monk in the Thebaid “and at one time all Christians throughout the world fulfilled this rule of prayer.”

St Seraphim of Sarov himself taught that the Rule or Rosary of our Lady is the MOST important act of devotion a Christian can fulfill in her honour to obtain her intercessory protection over our lives. This is noted especially in the Moscow edition of the Encyclopedia of Orthodoxy, 2003. St Seraphim of Sarov and a myriad of Orthodox saints said the Rosary daily as an Orthodox devotion. At DivEYevo in Russia, the nuns walk around their monastery along a ditch saying the Rosary daily - they sing the Hail Mary’s on feastdays. St Seraphim did have his own set of mysteries which the Russian Orthodox church has enshrined today. There is no reason why the standard RC set cannot be used or the 20 mysteries/decades.

The sole difference between the RC and Eastern versions of the Rosary/Rule is that in the East, this prayer has never been used as a paraliturgical service in church - it is always said by individuals or groups only.

(And I apologise for breaking my rule about not posting during Lent . . .)

Alex
 
The responses to OP have been wonderful. As one who makes prayer ropes, the issue of the Byzantine “Prayer Rule of the Theotokos” has fascinated me for awhile. My own personal prayer rope has been arranged so as to be able to pray this Rule. It has 150 knots with a bead separating every set of ten. This set up also maintains the symbolism of having a knot for every psalm. It also has the advantage of being able to easily count out 300 Jesus Prayers for another common daily prayer rule.

My own limited research into the “Prayer Rule of the Theotokos” has confirmed what others have said above. It is in no way a Latinization, but a very ancient rule of prayer that dates from the earliest centuries (Fourth or Fifth?) of the Eastern Churches. St. Seraphim of Sarov (a personal favorite of mine) attempted to repopularize it by assigning it as a rule for those who came to him for spiritual direction. To this day it is still prayed by many of the monks on Mt. Athos. I have also heard it speculated that St. Dominic discovered this Rule of prayer and adapted it to the devotional mindset of the Latin West. Whether this is true or not I do not know as I don’t completely trust the source from whence this story came. But it is an interesting possibility.

Personally I love praying this Rule as I walk up and down the streets in my neighborhood. The road may be a little noisy, but at least I get to focus my attention on our Mother and ask for her intercession as I walk to the bookstore (God knows that I need her intercession just to keep me from spending all my money in said bookstore).
 
Dear Phillip,

As a prayer-rope maker, should we title you “Pater Nosterer?” 😉

The Russian prayer rope style is to have a divider bead or knot every ten knots which makes it easily adaptable to the Rosary, or saying 40 Lord have mercy etc.

I know an Orthodox Abbess who has a 300 knot prayer rope and wraps it around her shoulders in a very uniqe way.

I asked if I could see it and after I was finished, she gracefully swung it around herself to the same position.

Do you make prayer ropes on special order i.e. if someone wanted the dividers in a certain manner? Hmmm?

Alex
 
Alex,

I would be very interested to see how that nun wrapped herself in her prayer rope. It almost sounds like the way in which Buddhist monks wrap their meditation beads around their shoulders. Hmmmm… That’s actually sounding quite convenient. Perhaps I’ll have to make myself a 300 knot rope sometime for the sake of tossing it over my shoulders and having easy access to it throughout the day. 😛

I do actually take special orders and requests. Currently I’m working on filling a fairly large order for a parish in New Mexico. This order consists of both the Greek and Russian style of prayer ropes. I also have an order for a 300 knot rope that has proven to be quite a challenge. Every time I try to make it my thread gets all tangled up and I can’t get anything done. I am trying to remain optimistic about it, however, and hope to be able to make it through. If you have a special request just let me know. I’m sure we can work something out.👍

Phillip
 
searn77 said:
This is an EO devotion. It is similar to the RC rosary but it isn’t the same thing. And to the best of my knowledge it wasn’t “borrowed” or adapted from the RC rosary either. I don’t think St. Seraphim divided it into 3 mysteries though. He just prayed them all at one sitting. Again someone can correct me if I said something wrong because I’m going off of memory and I’m too lazy/busy at the moment to look it up.
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If you notice in the link the mysteries as used by the RCs are included…something St Seraphim did not include. My point is why must everything we Eastern Catholics do be Latinized? Cant we just take our traditions as they are and accept them?
 
ciero said:
If you notice in the link the mysteries as used by the RCs are included…something St Seraphim did not include. My point is why must everything we Eastern Catholics do be Latinized? Cant we just take our traditions as they are and accept them?
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I agree with your concern - 100%.

In St Seraphim’s case, he insisted that his spiritual children say the Rosary/Rule daily and presented 15 mysteries that are different from those of the West. These began with the Nativity of the MHT, then the Presentation in the Temple, then the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity of our Lord, the Meeting in the Temple, Flight to Egypt, Jesus teaching in the Temple, the Wedding at Cana, the Theotokos under the Cross, the Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, Dormition and the Holy Protection of the MHT.

I know this prayer is popular through Orthodox Russia and Ukraine. It is well written up in chapter six of the book: Staretz Zechariah: An early Soviet Saint.

Jordanville publishes a book on prayer rules in monasteries where mention is made of the consistent practice of Orthodox monastics saying 150 Our Father’s and 150 Hail Mary’s with a prostration after each prayer.

According to St Seraphim, this prayer was revealed to a monk in the Thebaid and from there it spread throughout the then still united Christian world. This makes eminent sense given the connections between the Thebaid and western Europe, St John Cassian and Lerins etc.

Alex
 
I wish catholics and everyone in union with our church could start focus on unity rather than malicious postings, bickering, word-warfare and silly quarelling.

Use the Lent to a time for: love, reflection and doing good rather than telling others how wrong their traditions are. Please…
 
Padraig1972 said:
I wish catholics and everyone in union with our church could start focus on unity rather than malicious postings, bickering, word-warfare and silly quarelling.

Use the Lent to a time for: love, reflection and doing good rather than telling others how wrong their traditions are. Please…
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Sweet, very sweet. Maybe when Roman Catholics stop trying to impose their ways on the rest of us this will happen…or maybe its time for the Eastern Catholics to return to our mother churches. 🙂
 
Padraig1972 said:
I wish catholics and everyone in union with our church could start focus on unity rather than malicious postings, bickering, word-warfare and silly quarelling.

Use the Lent to a time for: love, reflection and doing good rather than telling others how wrong their traditions are. Please…
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ciero said:
Sweet, very sweet. Maybe when Roman Catholics stop trying to impose their ways on the rest of us this will happen…or maybe its time for the Eastern Catholics to return to our mother churches. 🙂
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Amen!

Maybe Padraig could email his post to the Italian Catholic Conference.
 
Look, i had no bad intention or wish to cause so however with my posting. If i did, then my apologies.
 
Padraig1972 said:
Look, i had no bad intention or wish to cause so however with my posting. If i did, then my apologies.
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You must understand our history.

When Roman Catholics start talking about unity they usually mean our conforming to the Roman way of things.
 
And we shouldn’t blame for being like that . . .

After all, when in Rome . . .

🙂
 
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