Rosary question

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Mattjolley

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I always recite the Nicene creed when I begin, as a pose to the apostle’s. Is this necessarily a bad thing, I’m just more familiar with it because of how often I say it at mass and so forth. I figured its okay, it’s still the same faith im professing, and the rosary is a personal devotion after all, thats not to say i rearrange it however I see fit, adding various prayers, i just use the different creed. any thoughts?

Matt
 
Actually, praying the Creed and the first four beads of the rosary are not universally done. It seems to be a geographic thing. Many folks in other countries only pray the Our Father nearest the center piece and then the 5 decades. To my mind that means that you can pray any Creed or not that you choose.
 
thats odd, i always thought it was the ‘done’ thing, saying the creed. well im based in england and have been raised to say it, wherabouts did you have in mind where people dont say it? im interested now hehe:) i worry because i end with a simple ‘glory be’ after my last decade, then the sign of the cross, i dont know the hail holy queen very well, am i doing wrong, i always thought the rosary wasnt a set thing as such anyway, its more of a personal set of prayers, or am i wasting my time reciting the whole thing if i dont say the fatima prayer or the hail holy queen?

Matt
 
Nope. As you say, the rosary is a personal devotion and you can adapt it as it works for you. Obviously, the fatima prayer (and the Luminous mysteries) is a very late addition to the traditional form. There are many ‘add on’ prayers that people say before and after the rosary and in between the decades, but none of that is required. The basici rosary is simply the mysteries and the Our Father, 10 Hail Marys. Feel free to say it as you please. Just remember to follow along carefully whenever you say it with a group in public.
 
For many years I was a member of the Legion of Mary which was started in Ireland by Frank Duffy (in 1929 if I recall). One of the rules was that during meetings no “extra” prayers could be added. It was a rule that made a lot of sense because Legion members would pray all day and half the night if you let them and no business would ever get done.

One of the perscribed prayers at the meetings was the Rosary. In the U.S. we do the Creed, the Our Father, three Hail Mary’s, a Glory Be, and then the First Mystery beginning with the Our Father and on through the Rosary ending with the Hail Holy Queen. Now there was an ongoing discussion among the members that came from many different countries, or from U.S. members who had been to Ireland met with Frank personally or his associates, whether or not the introductory prayers were “extra” prayers or not. The members who had been to Ireland said yes the introductory prayers were extra, the U.S. members said no they weren’t. Finally the Concillium in Ireland declared that local tradition would determine whether a prayer was “extra” or not. The result being that the introductory prayers of the Rosary are said during Legion meetings in the U.S. Since this was such a matter for discussion, I simply have to assume that in many localities including Ireland do not normally say the introductory prayers. However, on reflection, I do not believe that the Creed was considered one of the introductory prayers.

Of course what you need to understand is that long before Our Lady gave St. Dominic the Rosary as we know it the Rosary had gone through a long evolution. It began with the lay people who wanted to share in the monk’s prayers. The monks prayed the 150 psalms everyday, but the folks outside the monastery had to work all day long to survive and beside that they could not read. So the monks told them that it would be all right if they prayed one Hail Mary for every Psalm and gave them a knotted string to keep track on. Even now the Rosary is not fixed in concrete. It was only a few years ago that John Paul II of blessed memory gave us a fourth set of mysteries to meditate upon.
 
Mattjolley said:
I always recite the Nicene creed when I begin, as a pose to the apostle’s. Is this necessarily a bad thing, I’m just more familiar with it because of how often I say it at mass and so forth. I figured its okay, it’s still the same faith im professing, and the rosary is a personal devotion after all, thats not to say i rearrange it however I see fit, adding various prayers, i just use the different creed. any thoughts?

Matt
Click to expand...
I do the same thing… so does my husband…
 
Mattjolley said:
I always recite the Nicene creed when I begin, as a pose to the apostle’s. Is this necessarily a bad thing, I’m just more familiar with it because of how often I say it at mass and so forth. I figured its okay, it’s still the same faith im professing, and the rosary is a personal devotion after all, thats not to say i rearrange it however I see fit, adding various prayers, i just use the different creed. any thoughts?

Matt
Click to expand...
The heart of the Rosary is the decades. Prayers before and after are nice, but not required. The traditional Franciscan Crown aka The Seraphic Rosary, is still done that that way. No starting prayers, just 7 decades of 1 OF and 10 HMs. Plus 2 more HMs at the end to bring the number up to 72. Later on it became normal to do another OF and HM for the Pope’s Intention and to gain the indulgences.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
For many years I was a member of the Legion of Mary which was started in Ireland by Frank Duffy (in 1929 if I recall). One of the rules was that during meetings no “extra” prayers could be added. It was a rule that made a lot of sense because Legion members would pray all day and half the night if you let them and no business would ever get done.
Click to expand...
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

At my Church, the Legion of Mary (of which I am an auxilliary member) omits the opening creed, OF, and 3 HMs. We use the opening prayers to the Holy Spirit, then plunge into the 5 decades, concluded by the Hail, O God, and the closing prayers.
 
Andruschak said:
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

At my Church, the Legion of Mary (of which I am an auxilliary member) omits the opening creed, OF, and 3 HMs. We use the opening prayers to the Holy Spirit, then plunge into the 5 decades, concluded by the Hail, O God, and the closing prayers.
Click to expand...
What is the Hail, O God?

God Bless
Joyful_1
 
As many said, both or neither are acceptable as the Rosary is first and foremost a private devotion. When said in a group, local customs have developed that are unique to different communities and even Rites within the Church.

To your question of Nicene or Apostles Creed: Usually the Nicene creed is used in public worship, especially in the universal worship of the Sunday and Holyday Mass. Apostles Creed is usually used in smaller worship groups and in private prayer. The “why” of the distinction I don’t know.

I suspect that because the rosary is primarily a private devotion and the Apostles Creed is mostly prayed in small groups or in private, the two just naturally became linked.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
For many years I was a member of the Legion of Mary which was started in Ireland by Frank Duffy (in 1929 if I recall). One of the rules was that during meetings no “extra” prayers could be added. It was a rule that made a lot of sense because Legion members would pray all day and half the night if you let them and no business would ever get done.

This is funny. My mother was also a long time member of the Legion of Mary. I recently drove her down to my brother’s house (a five hour drive) and she (we) started the rosary about the time we left and we finished just before we got there! It made the time go faster, but man! I felt like saying “Take a breath, will ya??”
Click to expand...
 
As long as we are at it . . . 😉

For some months, I have been praying the Rosary during my commute to and from work along with an iPod recording by Gretchen somebody or other (just looked it up – Gretchen Harris is the name). Nice little recording . . . But it adds what to me is an “extra” prayer at the end of each decade, following the Glory Be – “Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well-beloved spouse.”

What is the origin of that? Does anyone know?
 
IrishAm said:
As long as we are at it . . . 😉

For some months, I have been praying the Rosary during my commute to and from work along with an iPod recording by Gretchen somebody or other (just looked it up – Gretchen Harris is the name). Nice little recording . . . But it adds what to me is an “extra” prayer at the end of each decade, following the Glory Be – “Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well-beloved spouse.”

What is the origin of that? Does anyone know?
Click to expand...
There is nothing wrong with “extra” prayers, they just aren’t allowed in group recitation at the Legion meetings. First you add the Fatima prayer, then you add Gretchen’s prayer (which I have never heard of) then some other prayer comes along, and the next thing you know, you’re praying 5 Our Father’s, 50 Hail Mary’s, and 3700 addendums. We are taught to pray without ceasing, so that is fine, but it makes group recitations difficult.
 
IrishAm said:
As long as we are at it . . . 😉

For some months, I have been praying the Rosary during my commute to and from work along with an iPod recording by Gretchen somebody or other (just looked it up – Gretchen Harris is the name). Nice little recording . . . But it adds what to me is an “extra” prayer at the end of each decade, following the Glory Be – “Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well-beloved spouse.”

What is the origin of that? Does anyone know?
Click to expand...
It seems to be associated with the Marian Movement of Priests.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
There is nothing wrong with “extra” prayers, they just aren’t allowed in group recitation at the Legion meetings. First you add the Fatima prayer, then you add Gretchen’s prayer (which I have never heard of) then some other prayer comes along, and the next thing you know, you’re praying 5 Our Father’s, 50 Hail Mary’s, and 3700 addendums. We are taught to pray without ceasing, so that is fine, but it makes group recitations difficult.
Click to expand...
At the Legion Of Mary meetings at my Church, the Fatima prayer is not part of the decades. I do include the Fatima Prayer in my own devotions, with (yes) a couple of additions. :o
 
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