New komboskini from the Master Beadsman

[XXI_4]

Thanks to my friend, @Phillip_Rolfes the Master Beadsman for my new “Memento Mori” komboskini.

Phillip’s work is top-notch, I can’t recommend him enough. If you need a prayer rope, he’s the one to talk to!

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[Annie]

Wow, the prayer rope looks great

Skulls are strange–i know they are very Catholic, but so many bikers, etc., use them as scary symbols that I end up with an odd disconnect seeing a skull in a Catholic context

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Hi Annie,

I started using skulls on some of my prayer ropes because I’ve been reading the Desert Fathers rather intensively for the last several years. One of the dominant themes that runs their their sayings is the necessity of keeping death always before our mind’s eye. The skull beads on the prayer rope are meant to serve as a reminder (much like the skull in the paintings of St. Jerome).

As a side note, I showed the prayer rope to my parish priest, who then took me to our parish’s secondary chapel where he offers daily Liturgy. He showed me that he keeps a skull in a space under the altar so that when he kneels down to call the Holy Spirit down upon the Offering (a particularly powerful moment in the Maronite Liturgy), he sees the skull and is reminded of his own mortality.

Anyhow, I also make prayer ropes with olivewood beads from the Holy Land. So if the “Memento Mori” prayer rope isn’t your style, there’s always that option.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Thanks for posting the picture @XXI_4. Keep me posted on how it works out for you.

 

[XXI_4]

I showed the prayer rope to my parish priest, who then took me to our parish’s secondary chapel where he offers daily Liturgy. He showed me that he keeps a skull in a space under the altar so that when he kneels down to call the Holy Spirit down upon the Offering (a particularly powerful moment in the Maronite Liturgy), he sees the skull and is reminded of his own mortality

Wow, that is pretty awesome.

I need to go back and read the thread on the Desert Fathers. I’ve been reading some contemporary fathers recently (Elder Ephraim and Matthew the Poor). Both have been excellent.

I’m loving this prayer rope. Your work really is fantastic. I’m going to take it to liturgy on Denho to have Abouna bless it with the newly-blessed epiphany water. I’ll also be showing it to people at the next Society of St. John Chrysostom meeting.

Thanks again!

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I actually used to work for the founder of the Society of St. John Chrysostom. Let me know what the people in your chapter think of the prayer rope.

 

[XXI_4]

Phillip,

This evening I took my new prayer rope and had it blessed and dipped in the Epiphany water.

Then touched it to our relic of Mar Maroun’s skull.

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[Phillip_Rolfes]

That’s amazing! I didn’t know we had any relics of Mar Maroun available. Through his intercession, may you and I both be granted the gift of continual prayer and hesychia.

 

[XXI_4]

That’s amazing! I didn’t know we had any relics of Mar Maroun available

Yes! I believe it was in 2017. All Maronite parishes named St. Maron received one (plus the National Shrine and the Cathedrals).

As far as I know, the remainder of the skull itself is still in a Roman Catholic church in Italy…