Introduction to Prayer Beads

I. Uses & Purposes A. Most basically, used to keep count of prayers or other devotions - such as devotional gestures: Buddhist Juzu (prostration rosaries) B. Used in various ways: 1. repetition of the same prayer/devotion (like the Jesus Prayer or the Lords Prayer); - earliest form of prayer beads - Buddhist Japa Mala beads, Christian prayer ropes 2. repetition of several different prayers in some sequence - like the Roman Catholic Rosary 3. meditation on a series of spiritual themes - in Islam, the names of God - the Rosary also has aspects of this use (the Mysteries) C. Purposes, or: Why pray like this? 1. touch as an aid to contemplative prayer, a tactile focus of attention 2. Repetition: to bring us closer to God; - both in Islam & Orthodox monasticism - comparison to labyrinth 3. Internalization of prayer - the metaphor of the magnetized pin - read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest 4. In Scripture:
- Parable of the persistent widow: Persistence rewarded: Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? (Luke 18:1-8) - St. Paul: Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) - Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:18) - Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Col. 4:2) - Jesus often went away either alone or with a couple of disciples to pray; i.e. Luke 6:12 - ON THE OTHER HAND: But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

II. In Various Traditions A. Roman Catholic (Rosary) - highly Marian: addresses Mary, not God - combines sequence of prayers with meditations on events from the life of Christ B. Orthodox - typically with the Jesus Prayers C. Anglicans (The Anglican Rosary & the Roman Rosary) D. Other faiths Islam, Buddhism, Hindu, Bahai.

III. History A. Eastern Christianity 1. Prayer Ropes - The monastic Desert Fathers, 3rd - 5th c. used knotted strings to count prayers. - invention attributed to St. Anthony of the Desert or St. Pachomius - often with use of the Jesus Prayer 2. Very early on, monks might have counted prayers with piles of pebbles Second century hermit Abbot Paul is said to have prayed in the manner of old and beyond memory by praying 300 Our Fathers whilst moving pebbles from one pile to another 3. Beads typically have 100 beads & are prayed w/ the Jesus Prayer B. Evolution of the Roman Rosary 1. The popular devotional practice of reciting the 150 Psalms in sets of 50. a. For common Christians or illiterate monks, 150 Our Fathers were substituted b. strings of 50 beads used to count these prayers. - ca. 1075, Lady Godiva referred in her will to a circlet of precious stones which she had threaded on a cord in order that by fingering them one after another, she might count her prayers exactly. - 1160 St. Rosalia, a hermit, was reportedly buried with a string of prayer beads c. paternosters (guilds or the beads themselves) 1268: reference to a guild of paternosters in Paris 2. In the Middle Ages, the repetition of the Haily Mary began to be prayed alongside, or replace the Lords Prayer in the use of such beads - 1214 legend says St. Dominic received the rosary from the BVM - Dominicans popularized & promoted the use of the rosary 3. Early 15th century, a Carthusian monk, Dominic of Prussia, introduces the use of meditation (the Mysteries) into the rosary - ca. 1514 the Hail Mary attains its current form - 1569 Pope Pius V establishes the original 15 mysteries - 1597 first recorded instance that rosary, which had already appeared in Marian devotion, was used to refer to prayer beads - 2002 Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries as an additional set of meditations for use with the rosary. C. Anglican Prayer Beads 1. Developed in the mid-80s by Episcopal priest, the Rev. Lynn Bauman 2. 33 beads divided into four groups of seven (weeks), 4 larger cruciform beads, and an invitatory bead. 3. Unlike the rosary, usually have a cross, not a crucifix (a cross with a corpus) 4. No standardized sequence of prayers; they are adaptable and may be used in various ways, a sort of blank slate for personal use SEE QUOTE BELOW

Purpose & use different from those of the Catholic rosary. While both types of rosaries are intended as aids to contemplative prayer, the most common prayers used with the Catholic rosary focus on the seminal events in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and venerate Mary. In contrast, Anglican Prayer Beads are considered a tactile aid used to focus ones attention, but what one will attend to can vary widely. There is no set format of prayers. Those prayed are, in effect, disciplined personal prayers. The words I and we figure prominently (unlike the Catholic Hail Mary, for example), and God is addressed directly rather than through intercession. wikipedia on Anglican Prayer Beads ONLINE RESOURCES
You can find a good deal more about Anglican Prayer Beads (or Anglican Rosary try both terms in search engines) online. Here are just a few online resources, but there are many otherseven a simple Wikipedia query on the term brings up an interesting article.

King of Peace website - http://www.kingofpeace.org/prayerbeads.htm

Lots of general information on Anglican Prayer Beads, how to make your own, and several forms of prayer for use with the beads.

The Anglican Rosary at St. Gabriels site - http://www.saintgabriels.org/rosary.html

General information on the Anglican Rosary, and some suggested prayers for use with the beads. Also offers rosaries for sale.

Wanderin Star - http://wanderin-star.com/index.html

A site that sells booklets for use with Anglican Prayer Beads, as well as some not-too-expensive beads made with good materials.

Society of St. Francis website - http://www.franciscan.org.au/anglicanrosary.html

This web page was prepared using notes from workshops on Prayer Beads run by Br Nathan-James of the Society of St Francis. Good general background to the Anglican Rosary, a bit of history on prayer beads, and how to make your own prayers.