Questions about the Rosary

[KnightErrant]

Hello Everyone! I hope this is the appropriate place to put this. If not, I apologize.

I’m in the process of getting my family on board before I start the conversion process and I dropped in here to ask a few quick questions concerning the Rosary.

As stated above I’m not Catholic yet and I haven’t started RCIA, would it be acceptable to pray the Rosary? I’ve been trying to memorize the prayers and praying them individually has helped me on different occasions but I want to do this right.

Also, I’ve read that beads aren’t necessary but if I were to purchase a set, is there a certain kind someone would recommend (not material but like Franciscan, Five Decade…)?

When one meditates on the mysteries, does that change things depending on what kind of beads one typically uses? How do the Luminous Mysteries affect this?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Delaine75]

Yes, you may certainly pray the Rosary even if you aren’t Catholic yet!

Any rosary beads are just fine. I have always used five-decade rosary beads. They work for the Rosary as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet if you should decide to learn that, too!

And no, the type of beads you use have no bearing on the Mysteries whatsoever.

 

[po18guy]

You have really researched this! Anyone may pray the Rosary. In fact, many Episcopalians, Anglicans and Lutherans do.

You may use your fingers, or simply count them off. The beads are an aid, involving both your bodily senses as well as your spirit in the medication.

To start, I would simply obtain a common 5 decade Rosary. Oftentimes they are free at parishes.

The Luminous mysteries are simply the mysteries of Christ’s ministerial life - which are not contained in the traditional Rosary.

It is a private devotion, so you are free to pray it as you like, as often as you like. But, you will notice that aspects of the mysteries, as well as of God Himself will occur to you that you had never thought of before - little illuminations.

 

[Memaw]

Hello Everyone! I hope this is the appropriate place to put this. If not, I apologize.

I’m in the process of getting my family on board before I start the conversion process and I dropped in here to ask a few quick questions concerning the Rosary.

As stated above I’m not Catholic yet and I haven’t started RCIA, would it be acceptable to pray the Rosary? I’ve been trying to memorize the prayers and praying them individually has helped me on different occasions but I want to do this right.

Also, I’ve read that beads aren’t necessary but if I were to purchase a set, is there a certain kind someone would recommend (not material but like Franciscan, Five Decade…)?

When one meditates on the mysteries, does that change things depending on what kind of beads one typically uses? How do the Luminous Mysteries affect this?

Thanks for your help!

I commend you for wanting to learn to pray the Rosary even before you start RCIA. Any Rosary will be fine but if you know a Catholic friend maybe you could get their help in getting one and having it Blessed. Also there are many fine little booklets that help to learn the prayers as well as the sets of mysteries. All 4 sets of Mysteries are now part of the Rosary as Pope John Paul II gave us the Luminous Mysteries. To start with, just practice saying the Rosary and you can learn to memorize the mysteries as you go. If you have a Catholic friend maybe they would say it with you a few times to help you along. I have done that many times to help someone get started. When I meditate, I sorta try to place myself at the scene of the Mystery as I say the Hail Marys. You can add your own thoughts in there too. In fact before I start each Decade, after the Our Father, I say, " I offer to you Oh sweet Jesus, this decade and I pray for, (then I state what I want to pray for or who I want to pray for) and then say the Hail Marys. There are sooo many ways you can make the Rosary “your own”. But that will come as you learn it. You and your family are in my daily Mass and prayers, including the Rosary! God Bless, Memaw

 

[landon13]

Welcome home!

The rosary is one of the most important prayers ever for it was given to us by the Blessed Virgin Mary. Anyone can pray the rosary and everyone is asked to.

I would recommend getting a regular 5 decade rosary that you feel comfortable using on a daily basis. It is not necessary, though, to pray the rosary every single day.

The same set of beads are used to meditate on all of the decades of the rosary. If you go to a local Catholic book or gift store they will be able to guide you to different guides for the rosary that will be very helpful on your journey in prayer.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to PM or email me!

-Landon

 

[thistle]

Hello Everyone! I hope this is the appropriate place to put this. If not, I apologize.

I’m in the process of getting my family on board before I start the conversion process and I dropped in here to ask a few quick questions concerning the Rosary.

As stated above I’m not Catholic yet and I haven’t started RCIA, would it be acceptable to pray the Rosary? I’ve been trying to memorize the prayers and praying them individually has helped me on different occasions but I want to do this right.

Also, I’ve read that beads aren’t necessary but if I were to purchase a set, is there a certain kind someone would recommend (not material but like Franciscan, Five Decade…)?

When one meditates on the mysteries, does that change things depending on what kind of beads one typically uses? How do the Luminous Mysteries affect this?

Thanks for your help!

I recommend a good book on the Rosary which will help with the meditations on the Mysteries. It is called The Rosary: Chain of Hope by Father Benedict Groeschel.

 

[ccmcmg]

Hello Everyone! I hope this is the appropriate place to put this. If not, I apologize.

I’m in the process of getting my family on board before I start the conversion process and I dropped in here to ask a few quick questions concerning the Rosary.

As stated above I’m not Catholic yet and I haven’t started RCIA, would it be acceptable to pray the Rosary? I’ve been trying to memorize the prayers and praying them individually has helped me on different occasions but I want to do this right.

Also, I’ve read that beads aren’t necessary but if I were to purchase a set, is there a certain kind someone would recommend (not material but like Franciscan, Five Decade…)?

When one meditates on the mysteries, does that change things depending on what kind of beads one typically uses? How do the Luminous Mysteries affect this?

Thanks for your help!

If you want assistance in praying, Laudate is a great application for the iPhone or any smartphone. Rosary Player is also available for Android. I like Laudate, because one of the options is praying along with someone praying it with you (recording) with a scripture before each Hail Mary regarding the Mystery. Divine Mercy, and Latin Rosary are also available on it, not to mention the hundreds of scripture and prayer resources in the app.

God bless you and welcome!

 

[KnightErrant]

Thanks Everyone! Everyone here has just been so helpful on my journey “back home” and I can’t express how thankful I am for that.

I’ve been praying the rosary every day since I started this thread and I can already tell some of the benefits. I’ve always believed that God answered prayers but I have never had such an immediate response.

Delaine75: Thank You. I didn’t know that there was more than one set of prayers one could do with rosary beads. I saw The Divine Chaplet mentioned in a few different places and was wondering.

Thistle: Thanks, I will definitely look up The Rosary: Chain of Hope by Father Benedict Groeschel.

Memaw: Thanks for the help. In particular, thanks for the suggestion to use each decade as a separate opportunity to pray for someone/thing. I can’t tell you how much this has helped.

Thanks Christina: The Laudate app has been a blessing. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought to look for something on my phone but this is a wonderful idea. It is handy and has a lot of resources and it is free. Also, it is on a phone so it is discrete which can be helpful for people in a situation like mine where their family and loved ones may not understand yet.

I also found a site on the web, here , which has a guided rosary. You can do it on your own or join in on one that has already started somewhere else if you are into the idea of doing it with other people but are unable to in person. Just thought I would share that here in the event that someone else down the line is looking for help and stumbles on this thread.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for their help and God Bless.

 

[ccmcmg]

Thanks Everyone! Everyone here has just been so helpful on my journey “back home” and I can’t express how thankful I am for that.

Thanks Christina: The Laudate app has been a blessing. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought to look for something on my phone but this is a wonderful idea. It is handy and has a lot of resources and it is free. Also, it is on a phone so it is discrete which can be helpful for people in a situation like mine where their family and loved ones may not understand yet.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for their help and God Bless.

One of my most helpful apps inside Laudate is the Examination of Conscience for Confession. You check them off if the answer is yes, and it gets the list for you, all the directions!

 

[DebChris]

Several years ago, Time magazine had an article about how many non-Catholics were discovering and praying the rosary. This beautiful devotion is not limited to one denomination.
The standard rosary is the five decade rosary.
This rosary will have a crucifix. At the beginning of the rosary, a person uses this rosary uses this crucifix in making the Sign of the Cross and while saying “The Apostle’s Creed.”
This followed by one large bead for saying one “Our Father,” three small beads for saying “Hail Marys,” and one more bead for a “Glory Be to the Father.”

Each decade of 10 Hail Mary’s begins with the announcement of the mystery and the praying of the Our Father. It ends with the Glory Be and Fatima Prayer, prayed on the chain space between space between decades. The announcement of the next of the next mystery, and the Our Father are made on the large bead. No, you do not need different rosaries for different sets of rosaries. When you have completed the five decades the you are praying for the day, the “Hail, Holy Queen” is prayed on the medal.

There are small booklets and flyers to help you with individual prayers and mysteries as you begin praying the rosary. Memorization will come from daily recitation.
The rosary is used to help count the prayers. This can also be done using your fingers

 

[Mount_Carmel]

Yes indeed - Our Blessed Lady was given over to us ALL as our best mother, not just we Catholics {a word that has as its root meaning - universal]. Our Blessed Mother seeks to reach out to us ALL, and one special way to reach out to her is to pray the Rosary.

 

[johndaniel]

Hello Everyone! I hope this is the appropriate place to put this. If not, I apologize.

I’m in the process of getting my family on board before I start the conversion process and I dropped in here to ask a few quick questions concerning the Rosary.

As stated above I’m not Catholic yet and I haven’t started RCIA, would it be acceptable to pray the Rosary? I’ve been trying to memorize the prayers and praying them individually has helped me on different occasions but I want to do this right.

It’s always acceptable to pray the Rosary! St. Emerentiana (I believe that to be her name) was actually an unbaptized catechumen at the time of her martyrdom while praying at her sister St. Agnes’ tomb.

Also, I’ve read that beads aren’t necessary but if I were to purchase a set, is there a certain kind someone would recommend (not material but like Franciscan, Five Decade…)?

I like the Five Decade, personally, but the Franciscan Crown is beautiful as well. As is the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. For a while, I would alternate Franciscan Crown and Seven Sorrows in order to meditate on the mysteries contained in them, while still contemplating Mary and Jesus’ Joys, Sorrows, and Glories. It’s just up to personal devotion. And, if you’re in public or something, you can always pray the Rosary on your fingers.

When one meditates on the mysteries, does that change things depending on what kind of beads one typically uses? How do the Luminous Mysteries affect this?

I don’t understand this question. I’m sorry, could you please clarify it for me? I’m a little lacking in sleep right now. Hahaha.

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for praying the Rosary!

 

[Falco]

I made my rosary when I was first enquiring, as I was 100km away from a catholic shop, and the church didn’t have a Piety stall attached.

Since then I’ve made over 300 standard Dominican rosaries - the 5 decade ones - plus numerous chaplets and ‘tenners’ ( 11 beads which can be a key chain, or a pocket rosary). my biggest was a 20 decade habit rosary for a solitary monk.

so, if you are crafts minded, why not make your own - knotted, beaded, strung, chained, they are all beautiful. You need 59 beads for a 5 decade rosary, and you can recycle old necklaces. I like having the 6 our father beads of a larger size and different pattern.

 

[fred_conty]

There have been many good suggestions and ideas already. So here is more help with the rosary on these sites.

Thoughts for each decade of the rosary, for each bead.
rosary-center.org/joyful.htm
rosary-center.org/luminous.htm
rosary-center.org/glorious.htm
rosary-center.org/sorrow.htm

History of the Rosary
catholicapologetics.org/ap080600.htm

You can try Methods of saying the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort
montfort.org.uk/Writings/MSR.html

Scriptural rosary
ainglkiss.com/ros/sr.htm

How to say and pray the rosary
familyrosary.org/en/TheRosary.aspx

 

[TinyButterfly]

Hi!

I really liked this book.

amazon.com/gp/product/0867168757/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also a friend gave me one of these and it is really nice to have.

amazon.com/Scriptural-Rosary-English-Christianica/dp/0911346163/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372562585&sr=1-2&keywords=scriptural+rosary+prayer+book

I purchased a rosary and started praying it way before I was officially Catholic.

A prayer for the journey home!

:hug1:

 

[BostonStrong]

I was wondering is it okay to wear my rosary beads like a necklace? Id rather have it that way close to my heart than crumpled into a ball in my picket

 

[DebChris]

I was wondering is it okay to wear my rosary beads like a necklace? Id rather have it that way close to my heart than crumpled into a ball in my picket

You wil get different points of views on this question, but the answer is absolutely yes.
Because of what I was taught as I child, I stil tend to tuck my rosary under my clothing when I wear my rosary around the neck. Some posters point to “gangbangers” wearing the rosary as a fashion statement, and a negative reason for wearing the rosary as a necklace. St. Louis de Montfort wrote not to be afraid to appear as a peasant and encouraged individuals to wear the rosary as a necklace.
In an interesting sidenote, when I read Gates of the Alamo, the Mexican soldiers kept their rosaries on their somberos where they were readily available.