Rosary Medals

[Caedmon]

I've noticed that every Rosary has a medal joining the three strands of beads, and that this medal usually has an image of Mary on it. I know that the Rosary "belongs" to Mary, but I'm looking for a Rosary that is more ecumenical. Are there any Rosaries that have an image of Christ instead of Mary, or perhaps a Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection, etc? Thanks...

 

[panterapat]

It might be pretty tough to seperate Mary from the rosary since the rosary is a meditatioin of the life of Christ through her eyes. As far as finding a rosary without a Marian medal, some rosaries are made with cord, having only a knot where the medal is usually placed.

Remember that Mary is the mother of us all, not just Catholics. On the cross, Jesus told John (representing us) to "behold your mother". remind people that the rosary is totally scriptural. The Hail Mary is but a quotation of Mary's words. These words are repeated while Meditating of each mystery of Christ's life.

In Christ, Patrick

 

[jukesk9]

My wife brought me back a rosary from the new Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in LA and the medal on that is of St. Padre Pio.......

 

[isshinwhat]

I, too, have one with Padre Pio on the front, and roses on the back, for Mary. I have seen some with Saint Patrick, and one with a Cross, I believe.

God Bless,

Neal

 

[Avila]

DH's medal on his favorite rosary is the crown of thorns. So is FIL's. Or, you could opt for a simpler one in which the medal is just a large wooden bead. My wooden rosary only has a crucifix, no medal. I got it at Stuebenville - but you should be able to find something similar elsewhere.

 

[KC Catholic]

I am still looking for one of those football rosaries that LillyLamb was talking about.

 

[VOW]

KC:

I received my new catalogue from Leaflet Missal. I saw the sports rosaries in it, and thought of you. The individual beads are little tiny footballs!


Peace,
~VOW

 

[nyj]

Humblejoe,

There are many "center's" that can be placed in the rosary. I made one for my sister for her birthday and the center is of St. Anthony (her patron saint). I also made one for myself and the center is of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps, if you are semi-nimble of hand, you could make your own rosary. All you need is a set of needle-nose pliers, a set of crimping pliers, flexwire, beads, a cross and a center and you're ready to go. If you want a heavy set of stone beads the total cost will run you around 25 dollars, going with wooden beads will decrease the cost somewhat.

I order all of my rosary parts from the following place: http://www.stjosephsmailorder.com/

I was inspired to make my own rosary by ordering chaplets form this place:
http://www.margaretsrosaries.com/

 

[KC Catholic]

Originally posted by VOW
KC:

I received my new catalogue from Leaflet Missal. I saw the sports rosaries in it, and thought of you. The individual beads are little tiny footballs!


Peace,
~VOW

How much are they? They must not have the latest version of the catalog on line, because I cannot find it.

 

[VOW]

KC:

The catalogue is at home. I'll send you the info later.

Or you can call them, ask for a catalogue of your very own!
800-328-9582


Peace,
~VOW

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by panterapat
It might be pretty tough to seperate Mary from the rosary since the rosary is a meditatioin of the life of Christ through her eyes. As far as finding a rosary without a Marian medal, some rosaries are made with cord, having only a knot where the medal is usually placed.

Yes, I guess I really can't seperate her from the Rosary. The thing that makes it so difficult for me, is that I don't believe in the Assumption and Coronation(mostly because they are linked back to Immaculate Conception, because I do not believe anyone except Christ is sinless). Not only are these mysteries, but the entire essence of the Rosary involves these two Marian doctrines. If I remember correctly, Church Tradition states that when Mary ascended, a bed of roses or other flowers was left where she stood. In this way, the very name of the Rosary contradicts my beliefs. I believe it is also said that when a Rosary is completed, Mary receives a "crown of roses". This links to her coronation. I like the Rosary very much. I think it is a wonderful tool for meditating on the life of Christ. But not being able to accept these doctrines really puts me at odds with using it.

Remember that Mary is the mother of us all, not just Catholics. On the cross, Jesus told John (representing us) to "behold your mother". remind people that the rosary is totally scriptural. The Hail Mary is but a quotation of Mary's words. These words are repeated while Meditating of each mystery of Christ's life.

"[R]epresenting us", of course, is a different interpretation than what I have been taught and believe. I don't view that event as significantly as a Catholic would. But I guess I could see her as my "mother", since Christians are all in the same family. My problem begins when I try to refer to her as "queen"; I find that to be very difficult to say.

I know that the Hail Mary is based on Scriptures, but it is difficult for me to say this "prayer" over and over again. Granted, I have done all the mysteries before using the Hail Mary, but it tends to make me feel very uncomfortable when I begin to think about what it is I'm doing. I know that praying the Rosary does not make Mary "God", but repeating it over and over again like that is somewhat disarming to me, now that I've considered it. I wouldn't mind it if the meditative prayer wasn't a petition to Mary.

 

[Caedmon]

I've heard that the Rosary started as 150 individual stones(reflecting the 150 Psalms), over which the Our Father was prayed throughout the day.

Has the Rosary always been Marian in nature? If not, then when did it become Marian? And could it be used in its original nonMarian form?

 

[VOW]

To Joe:

Remember, Hon, there ARE NO "Rosary Police" lurking in the bushes, waiting to pounce on you for doing it "wrong."

I haven't heard about the roses growing on the spot from which Mary was assumed into Heaven. That sounds more like a myth than a tradition.

Roses themselves are mystical. Their appearance and their scent are associated with holiness. You needn't feel that roses are only something to do with Mary.

Your "apprehensions" are more of a swallow-the-horse-and-choke-on-the-tail occurance. Stop thinking of what you CAN'T do, and just do what you can!

The "Hail Mary" isn't intended to be a nagging of Mary to please pray on your behalf. That's not the purpose of it. The action of the prayer is a chant, a background noise, if you wish, while you focus on the mysteries. The Hail Marys are to force the interference of the world out of your head and your heart, so you can concentrate on God.

Don't dwell on the Assumption and the Coronation, Joe. Your fussing is tarnishing the entire purpose of the Rosary.

The ORIGINAL purpose of the 150 stones, or the 150 beads, was to keep track of the Psalms. The monks in the monasteries would memorize the Psalms and chant them throughout the day. The peasants near the monasteries admired the monks, and wished to copy their practice. However, they could not read, and so the monks gave them the "Our Father" to say, with a knotted string to keep track of the prayers. Over the years, this evolved into the 5 decade loop, and the complete Rosary would then be 150 prayers. Eventually, the prayers became the Hail Mary, with the Our Father separating the decades.

The Rosary is simple and easy. If you want to go ahead and read the 150 Psalms, by all means, do so. But the simplicity of the Rosary makes it easier to do and it provides comfort and solace in the very repetition.


Peace,
~VOW

 

[KC Catholic]

Hey..On EWTN.com I saw a really cool "Stations of the Cross" rosary....

Joe....check it out - this may be for you.

I'm going to see if I can find one less expensive.

 

[VOW]

Oh, mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

If I had the Stations of the Cross Rosary, it would have to be waterproof. I'd blubber all over it!


Peace,
~VOW

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by VOW
To Joe:

Remember, Hon, there ARE NO "Rosary Police" lurking in the bushes, waiting to pounce on you for doing it "wrong."

I haven't heard about the roses growing on the spot from which Mary was assumed into Heaven. That sounds more like a myth than a tradition.

Roses themselves are mystical. Their appearance and their scent are associated with holiness. You needn't feel that roses are only something to do with Mary.

Your "apprehensions" are more of a swallow-the-horse-and-choke-on-the-tail occurance. Stop thinking of what you CAN'T do, and just do what you can!

The "Hail Mary" isn't intended to be a nagging of Mary to please pray on your behalf. That's not the purpose of it. The action of the prayer is a chant, a background noise, if you wish, while you focus on the mysteries. The Hail Marys are to force the interference of the world out of your head and your heart, so you can concentrate on God.

Don't dwell on the Assumption and the Coronation, Joe. Your fussing is tarnishing the entire purpose of the Rosary.

The ORIGINAL purpose of the 150 stones, or the 150 beads, was to keep track of the Psalms. The monks in the monasteries would memorize the Psalms and chant them throughout the day. The peasants near the monasteries admired the monks, and wished to copy their practice. However, they could not read, and so the monks gave them the "Our Father" to say, with a knotted string to keep track of the prayers. Over the years, this evolved into the 5 decade loop, and the complete Rosary would then be 150 prayers. Eventually, the prayers became the Hail Mary, with the Our Father separating the decades.

The Rosary is simple and easy. If you want to go ahead and read the 150 Psalms, by all means, do so. But the simplicity of the Rosary makes it easier to do and it provides comfort and solace in the very repetition.

Actually, hehe... I've been thinking about reading through the 150 Psalms, finding a verse in each that I think exemplifies the Psalm, and then memorizing and reciting it for each Rosary bead. But I think that memorizing all 150 Psalms in their entirety would be awesome! lol
I wouldn't mind doing that if I had the time. I think God would really like that. I would like it too.

As far as the Rosary is concerned... I really like it. And I like Mary to be my mother. Sometimes I get tired of trying to sift through all the theological stuff, yet it stays in the back of my mind. But I don't want to think about it. I just want to pray, that's all. I love Mary as my mother, and I can't quite call her "queen", but I just want to pray.(sounds like a folksong! lol) And I guess it's ok to say the Rosary, because I would give roses to my own mother, and if another mother deserves for me to give roses to her, it would be Mary. Another thing, and this is kind of silly, but it kind of "bothers" me that I would focus on Mary and not all the other saints in Heaven, lol. I feel like I'm "passing over" them, haha. I do like Joseph though. I feel like fatherhood is my destiny in life, and he was the, errr, stepdad(?) of Jesus. Anyway, back to Mary... I feel like she is a mother to me, and I like to think about her and tell her how much I love her.(if I think about what I just said for too long, I start to get uncomfortable ) I'm weary of worrying over the details, and things I can't do or believe, and what my Protestant(esp Reformed) peers think, and so on, yada yada... I just want to be close to God and to be comforted, and the Rosary is a precious thing for this purpose for me.

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by KC Catholic
Hey..On EWTN.com I saw a really cool "Stations of the Cross" rosary....

Joe....check it out - this may be for you.

Woweee... that looks pretty neato. How do you use it? lol

 

[Caedmon]

Hey, check this one out! This one looks different. (I can't do images, so here's the site)
http://www.gifts-of faith.com/Holyland/olivewoodrosaries/r27-034.shtml

And this is a site for praying it.
http://www.scborromeo.org/prayers/rosarysoc.htm

BTW, who is Veronica?

 

[VOW]

To Joe:

Veronica wiped the Face of Jesus when He fell on the way to Calvary. Tradition has it that the imprint of His Face was left on the cloth she used.

However, it has been theorized that this cloth was actually the folded up Shroud of Turin. A cloth bearing the Face of Jesus was exhibited in Constantinople for years before it mysteriously vanished. Then later, the Shroud appeared in Turin. (or wherever it was that the Shroud first showed up!)

Supposedly, Veronica's name came from the Latin phrase, "Vera Icon," or "True Image."

Kewl, huh?



Peace,
~VOW


(oh, and Joe? Please put whatever worries you have about the judgment of your Reformed brothers and sisters in regards to your relationship with Mary and your devotion to the Rosary. You don't pray for their evaluation. Remember what Jesus said about praying in public and secluding yourself when you pray. Your Rosary and your devotions are nobody's business but YOURS and GOD'S. Okay?)

 

[Wolseley]

If I had the Stations of the Cross Rosary, it would have to be waterproof. I'd blubber all over it!

You and me both. I remember one time meditating on the Scourging at the Pillar, and how the whip in question was a Roman flagellum, consisting of nine strips of leather into which were tied, at intervals, sharp pieces of metal, bone, glass, or stone, and which would literally take the hide right off a man's back, leaving it a slashed, bloody mess, and how Jesus' Blood must have been flying from His back with every blow, dropping into the dust at His feet in big dime-sized drops.....

I sat there with the tears running down my face in a river and having to stop every so often to mop my nose.......

And in walks my sister.

Talk about feeling like a fool. I had to explain to her what the deal was, because she looked at me like I had more than a few loose screws.

And then later I thought about it, and I decided she could think whatever she blooming well pleased. You can cry over a lot sillier things.