I saw people wearing rosaries at Mass?

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ImmaCatholic

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Hi!

Today was a beautiful day at Mass as per usual. I looked around today and noticed that quite a few people were wearing a rosary on their neck outside of their shirts. I noticed this during Mass yesterday as well. I have been wearing a rosary for over a year now but stopped a month ago because I felt as if I should go to my first Confession and it would be disrespectful to wear it if I hadn’t confessed my sins (I’m a very young Catholic returning to the Church:)). Now I can and am wondering if it is alright to wear outside the shirt? I always kept it beneath because I didn’t know if the Church had anything against wearing it outside or not, but always wanted to wear it outside! Oh and by the way I have never worn it as a fashion accessory! I love wearing it because it reminds me of my Catholic faith, and also because the Rosary is one of my most fond prayers and we pray it at church everyday.

Thank you friends! 🙂
 
While I don’t wear a rosary myself, I’ve gleaned that so long as it’s worn with respect, it’s fine.

And on a personal note, I think having something markedly Catholic is a good thing as it also lets other Catholics catch you on their Cath-dar. (Side note: This second paragraph is not as eloquent as I intended.) I know that, at least for me, I find is pleasing when I come across other Catholics, even if we don’t exchange words.
 
ImmaCatholic said:
Hi!

Today was a beautiful day at Mass as per usual. I looked around today and noticed that quite a few people were wearing a rosary on their neck outside of their shirts. I noticed this during Mass yesterday as well. I have been wearing a rosary for over a year now but stopped a month ago because I felt as if I should go to my first Confession and it would be disrespectful to wear it if I hadn’t confessed my sins (I’m a very young Catholic returning to the Church:)). Now I can and am wondering if it is alright to wear outside the shirt? I always kept it beneath because I didn’t know if the Church had anything against wearing it outside or not, but always wanted to wear it outside! Oh and by the way I have never worn it as a fashion accessory! I love wearing it because it reminds me of my Catholic faith, and also because the Rosary is one of my most fond prayers and we pray it at church everyday.

Thank you friends! 🙂
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I am not aware of any restrictions to wearing rosaries, especially in the case of an expression of authentic faith. I when through a phase of wearing them inside the shirt, but I always managed to break them one way or another sooner or later, so stopped doing that. I like the way they look - I don’t mean in the fashion sense either. They are beautiful as an image of the faith, prayer, Mary, etc. The Church.
 
I used to be kind of funny about it because of its association with gangs but now that I think about it I think more Catholics should be wearing them because it’s our rosary and we need to take it back. I mean obviously it’s a Prudential judgment for the individual but there’s really nothing wrong with it.
 
It is really not encouraged to wear a rosary as it is not a piece of jewelry per se, but Rosaries are quite beautiful. My own thought are that the rosary is a private mode of prayer and is best kept that way. I don’t really have anything against wearing the rosary, but that is my own opinion. Peace
 
mVitus said:
While I don’t wear a rosary myself, I’ve gleaned that so long as it’s worn with respect, it’s fine.

And on a personal note, I think having something markedly Catholic is a good thing as it also lets other Catholics catch you on their Cath-dar. (Side note: This second paragraph is not as eloquent as I intended.) I know that, at least for me, I find is pleasing when I come across other Catholics, even if we don’t exchange words.
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I love running into other Catholics!! I look for symbols in cars on people etc. we are few and far between in my area but still growing.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
I am not aware of any restrictions to wearing rosaries, especially in the case of an expression of authentic faith. I when through a phase of wearing them inside the shirt, but I always managed to break them one way or another sooner or later, so stopped doing that. I like the way they look - I don’t mean in the fashion sense either. They are beautiful as an image of the faith, prayer, Mary, etc. The Church.
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This is what would happen to me too, when I would wear mine around at home–I would just end up accidentally breaking them, so I stopped doing it.

I just personally think that they get weakened by wearing them if you keep them on and try to wear them constantly.
 
Wearing the Rosary piously may well recommend it to others. The Dominicans. for example, integrate the Rosary into their habits. I think that the wearing of the Rosary has unfortunately been identified so often with the wrong reasons that wearing it for the right reasons is taking on guilt by association.

In The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort, there is a passage about wearing the Rosary:

*Alphonsus, King of Leon and Calicia, very much wanted all his servants to honour the Blessed Virgin by saying the Rosary, so he used to hang a large rosary on his belt, though he never said it himself.

Nevertheless, his wearing it encouraged his courtiers to say the Rosary devoutly. One day the King fell seriously ill and when he was given up for dead he found himself, in spirit, before the judgment-seat of our Lord. Many devils were there accusing him of all the sins he had committed, and our Lord was about to condemn him when our Lady came forward to speak in his favour. She called for a pair of scales and had his sins placed in one of the balances, while she put the large rosary which he had always worn on the other scale, together with all the rosaries that had been said through his example. It was found that the Rosaries weighed more than his sins.

Looking at him with great kindness, our Lady said, “As a reward for the little service you did for me in wearing my rosary, I have obtained a great grace for you from my Son. Your life will be spared for a few more years. See that you spend those years wisely, and do penance.”* (storyofasoul.com/resources/secretrosary.pdf
 
I was taught that rosaries were not jewelry and thus were not to be worn as such. I wear a crucifix necklace and carry my rosary in my purse.

However, I can find nothing that prohibits wearing rosaries. 🤷
 
oldgraymare2 said:
This is what would happen to me too, when I would wear mine around at home–I would just end up accidentally breaking them, so I stopped doing it.

I just personally think that they get weakened by wearing them if you keep them on and try to wear them constantly.
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Yep. I broke one making the bed - yanked round the bed post and one interestingly on my bike handle - as I recall I was riding the bike, something happened anyway - it broke. I think I may have gone through 2, 3 rosaries during this period, something like that, cheap and expensive I might add, before I gave it up. I do carry them though in my purse or backpack but not always, just on occasion, when I remember. And if I am going straight to Church and then back home, I will venture to very carefully wear it under my shirt. But I am quite paranoid about it.
 
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