The
plenary Indulgence attached to the recitation of the Franciscan Crown, Franciscan Crown (Or Seraphic Rosary.) by the Catholic Encyclopedia
A Rosary consisting of seven decades in commemoration
of the seven joys of the Blessed Virgin (the Annunciation, Visitation, Birth
of our Lord, Adoration of the Magi, Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple,
the Resurrection of Our Lord, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and
her Coronation in heaven), in use among the members of the three orders of
St. Francis. The Franciscan Crown dates back to the year
1422. Wadding tells us that a young novice who had that year been received
into the Franciscan Order had, previous to his reception, been accustomed
to adorn a statue of the Blessed Virgin with a wreath of fresh and beautiful
flowers as a mark of his piety and devotion. Not being able to continue this
practice in the novitiate, he decided to return to the world. The Blessed
Virgin appeared to him and prevented him from carrying out his purpose. She
then instructed him how, by reciting daily a rosary of seven decades in honour
of her seven joys, he might weave a crown that would be more pleasing to her
than the material wreath of flowers he had been wont to place on her statue.
From that time the practice of reciting the crown of the seven joys became
general in the order. The manner of reciting the Franciscan Rosary is
as follows: The Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, and three Hail Marys having
been said as usual, the mystery to be meditated upon is introduced after
the word Jesus of the first Hail Mary of each decade, thus: “Jesus, whom
thou didst joyfully conceive”, “Jesus, whom thou didst joyfully carry to
Elizabeth”, “Jesus, whom thou became Man by the birth through the Holy Ghost
to Mary”, “Jesus, whom by respect from Adoration of the Magi”. “Jesus, whom
by respect from the visitation of the Maji”, “Jesus,
whom allowed Joseph and Mary to find you in God's Temple”, “Jesus, whom thou
didst Resurect yourself from the grave”, “Jesus,
whom thou Assume Mary into Heaven, body and soul”, “Jesus, whom thou didst
honor Mary by crowing her Queen of Heaven and Eargh”.
Given in most manuals of Franciscan devotion. At the end of the seventh decade
two Hail Marys are added to complete the number of years (72) that the Blessed
Virgin is said to have lived on earth. There are other ways of reciting the Crown but
the one given seems to be in more general use. The plenary Indulgence attached
to the recitation of the Franciscan Crown, and applicable to the dead, may
be gained as often as the crown is recited.
The 15 Promises
of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary Revealed
to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan. 1. Whoever shall faithfully
serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall
recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell,
it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause
virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy
of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world
and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh,
that soul would sanctify them by this means. 5. The soul that recommends
itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6. Whoever
shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration
of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will
not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain
in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall
have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of
the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during
their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His
graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the
Saints in Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been
devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit
a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of
me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12. I shall aid all those who propagate
the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine
Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the
entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14.
All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my
only Son, Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
The Holy Rosary The rosary probably began as a practice
by the laity to imitate the monastic Divine Office (Breviary or Liturgy of
the Hours), during the course of which the monks daily prayed the 150 Psalms.
The laity, many of whom could not read, substituted 50, or even 150, Ave Marias
(Hail Marys) for the Psalms. This prayer, at least the first half of it so
directly biblically, seems to date from as early as the 2nd century, as ancient
graffiti at Christian sites has suggested. Sometimes a cord with knots on
it was used to keep an accurate count of the Aves. The first clear historical reference
to the rosary, however, is from the life of St. Dominic (died in 1221), the
founder of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. He preached a form of the
rosary in France at the time that the Albigensian
heresy was devastating the Faith there. Tradition has it that the Blessed
Mother herself asked for the practice as an antidote for heresy and sin. One of Dominic's future disciples,
Alain de Roche, began to establish Rosary Confraternities to promote the praying
of the rosary. The form of the rosary we have today is believed to date from
his time. Over the centuries the saints and popes have highly recommended
the rosary, the greatest prayer in the Church after the Mass and Liturgy of
the Hours. Not surprisingly, it's most active promoters have been Dominicans. Rosary means a crown of roses, a spiritual
bouquet given to the Blessed Mother. It is sometimes called the Dominican
Rosary, to distinguish it from other rosary-like prayers (e.g. the Franciscan
Rosary of the Seven Joys or Franciscan Crown, the Servite
Rosary of the Seven Sorrows). It is also, in a general sense, a form of chaplet
or corona (crown), of which there are many varieties in the Church. Finally,
in English it has been called "Our Lady's Psalter" or "the beads." This last
derives from an Old English word for prayers (bede)
and to request (biddan or bid). The rosary has been called the preparation
for contemplation and the prayer of saints. While the hands and lips are occupied
with the prayers (it can and should be prayed silently when necessary so
as not to disturb others), the mind meditates on the mysteries of the Incarnation
and Redemption represented by the decades. Meditation is the form of prayer
by which the one who prays uses the mind and imagination to consider a truth
and uses the will to love it and form resolutions to live it. In this way
the heart, mind, and soul of the Christian is formed according to the Gospel
examples of the Savior and His First Disciple, His Mother. In God's own time,
when this purification of the heart, mind, and soul has advanced sufficiently
the Lord may give the grace of contemplative prayer, that special divine
insight into the truth which human effort cannot achieve
on its own. Why pray the Rosary today? Certainly,
to grow in holiness and in one's prayer life. The following are a few others
reasons why the rosary should be prayed often, even daily: "Among all the devotions approved
by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion
of the Most Holy Rosary" (Pope Pius IX). "Say the Rosary every day to obtain
peace for the world" (Our Lady of Fátima). "There is no surer means of calling
down God's blessings upon the family . . . than the daily recitation of the
Rosary" (Pope Pius XII). "We do not hesitate to affirm again
publicly that we put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of
evils of our times" (Pope Pius XII). "No one can live continually in sin
and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will
give up the Rosary" (Bishop Hugh Doyle). "The Rosary is a magnificent and universal
prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations and the entire world" (Pope
John XXIII). "The Rosary is the compendium of the
entire Gospel" (Pope Paul VI quoting Pope Pius XII). "Meditation on the mysteries of the
Rosary . . . can be an excellent preparation for the celebration of those
same mysteries in the liturgical actions [i.e. the Mass] and can also become
a continuing echo thereof" (Pope Paul VI). "My impression is that the Rosary
is of the greatest value not only according to the words of Our Lady at Fátima,
but according to the effects of the Rosary one sees throughout history. My
impression is that Our Lady wanted to give ordinary people, who might not
know how to pray, this simple method of getting closer to God" (Sister Lucia,
one of the seers of Fátima). "How beautiful is the family that
recites the Rosary every evening" (Pope John Paul II). Pope John Paul II has called the Rosary
his "favorite prayer," after the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
St. Louis de Montfort warns us against both
the ignorant and scholars who regard the Rosary as something of little importance..."the
Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God." The Rosary and the Sacred Scriptures Pray The Rosary |
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by Saint Louis Marie Grignion
De Montfort
History of the Rosary
Since the Rosary is composed, principally and in
substance, of the prayer of Christ and the Angelic Salutation, that is, the
Our Father and the Hail Mary, it was without doubt the first prayer and the
principal devotion of the faithful and has been in use all through the centuries,
from the time of the apostles and disciples down to the present. At this point our Lady appeared
to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, “Dear Dominic, do you know
which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?” “Oh,
my Lady,” answered Saint Dominic, “you know far better than I do, because
next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of
our salvation.” Then our Lady replied, “I want you to know that,
in this kind of warfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic
Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if
you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my
Psalter.”
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the
Blessed Virgin as well as by his own experience, Saint Dominic preached the
Rosary for the rest of his life. He preached it by his example as well as
by his sermons, in cities and in country places, to people of high station
and low, before scholars and the uneducated, to Catholics and to heretics. The Rosary, which he said every day, was his preparation for
every sermon and his little tryst with our Lady immediately after preaching.
All things, even the holiest, are subject to change,
especially when they are dependent on man's free will. It is hardly to be
wondered at, then, that the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary only retained
its first fervour for a century after it was instituted by Saint Dominic.
After this it was like a thing buried and forgotten. One day when
he was offering Mass, our Lord, who wished to spur him on to preach the holy
Rosary, spoke to him in the Sacred Host. “How can you crucify me again so
soon?” Jesus said. “What did you say, Lord?” asked Blessed Alan, horrified.
“You crucified me once before by your sins,” answered Jesus, “and I would
willingly be crucified again rather than have my Father offended by the sins
you used to commit. You are crucifying me again now because you have all the
learning and understanding that you need to preach my Mother's Rosary, and
you are not doing it. If you only did that, you could teach many souls the
right path and lead them away from sin. But you are not doing it, and so
you yourself are guilty of the sins that they commit.” This terrible reproach made Blessed Alan solemnly resolve to preach the Rosary unceasingly. Our Lady also
said to him one day to inspire him to preach the Rosary more and more, “You
were a great sinner in your youth, but I obtained the grace of your conversion
from my Son. Had such a thing been possible, I would have liked to have gone
through all kinds of suffering to save you, because converted sinners are
a glory to me. And I would have done that also to make you worthy of preaching
my Rosary far and wide.” Saint Dominic appeared to Blessed Alan as well and told him of the great results of his ministry: he had preached the Rosary unceasingly, his sermons had borne great fruit and many people had been converted during his missions. He said to Blessed Alan, “See
what wonderful results I have had through preaching the Rosary. You and all
who love our Lady ought to do the same so that, by means of this holy practice
of the Rosary, you may draw all people to the real science of the virtues.” Briefly, then, this is the history of how Saint Dominic established the holy Rosary and of how Blessed Alan de la Roche restored it. From the time Saint Dominic established the devotion to the holy Rosary up to the time when Blessed Alan de la Roche reestablished it in 1460, it has always been called the Psalter of Jesus and Mary. This is because it has the same number of Hail Marys as there are psalms in the Book of the Psalms of David. Since simple and uneducated people are not able to say the Psalms of David, the Rosary is held to be just as fruitful for them as David's Psalter is for others.
Ever since Blessed
Alan de la Roche re-established this devotion, the voice of the people, which
is the voice of God, gave it the name of the Rosary, which means “crown of
roses.” That is to say that every time people say the Rosary devoutly they
place on the heads of Jesus and Mary 153 white roses and sixteen red roses.
Being heavenly flowers, these roses will never fade or lose their beauty.
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Our Lady of Lourdes How To Pray The
Rosary | The Joyful Mysteries | Luminous Mysteries | The Sorrowful Mysteries | The Glorious Mysteries Prayers Before of the Rosary After The Rosary The Family Rosary The Rosary is divided
into five decades. Each decade represents a mystery or event in the life of
Jesus. There are four sets of “Mysteries
of the Rosary” (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious). These four
“Mysteries of the Rosary” therefore contain, a total of twenty mysteries.
The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries are then said on specific
days of the week (see each set of mysteries below). During private recitation
of the Rosary, each decade requires devout meditation on a specific mystery.
Public recitation of the Rosary
(two or more people), requires a leader to announce each of the mysteries
before the decade, and start each prayer (see “The Family Rosary” below). The Apostle's Creed is said on
the Crucifix; the Our Father is said on each of the Large Beads; Queen of the Holy Rosary, you have
designed to come to Fatima and Medjugorje, to
reveal to the three shepherd children and six visionaries, the treasures of
grace hidden in the Rosary. Inspire my heart with a sincere love of this devotion,
in order that by meditating on the Mysteries of our Redemption which are
recalled in it, I may obtain peace for the world, the conversion of sinners,
and the favor which I ask of you in this Rosary (Mention your request). I
ask it for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good
of souls, especially for my own. Amen.
The Joyful Mysteries (Said on Mondays,
Saturdays, Sundays of Advent, and Sundays from Epiphany until Lent) First Joyful Mystery -
The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary I Desire the Love Of Humility (Said on Thursdays
throughout the year) First Luminous Mystery - The Baptism of Jesus
in the River Jordan And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 (Said on Tuesdays,
Fridays, and daily from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday). First Sorrowful Mystery
- Agony of Jesus in the Garden I Desire True Repentance for My Sins Think
of... Our Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemani,
suffering a bitter agony for our sins. Matthew 26:36 (Said on Wednesdays,
and Sundays throughout the year) First Glorious Mystery
- The Resurrection of Jesus I Desire a Strong Faith Think of... Christ's glorious
triumph when, on the third day after His death, He arose from the tomb and
for forty days appeared to His Blessed Mother and to His disciples.
John 20:1 Prayer Before The Rosary Queen of the Holy Rosary, you have
designed to come to Fatima and Medjugorje, to
reveal to the three shepherd children and six visionaries, the treasures of
grace hidden in the Rosary. Inspire my heart with a sincere love of this devotion,
in order that by meditating on the Mysteries of our Redemption which are
recalled in it, I may obtain peace for the world, the conversion of sinners,
and the favor which I ask of you in this Rosary (Mention your request). I
ask it for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good
of souls, especially for my own. Amen.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, Our Lord; who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell;
the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and is
seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall
come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy
Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Hail Holy Queen: Pray for us, O Holy
Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, whose only-begotten Son,
by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal
life; grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the
Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain
and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Religious devotion, public or private,
for the duration of nine days to gain special graces, is called a Novena.
Those who perform it with a lively
hope of having their request granted, and with perfect faith and resignation
if it be refused, may be assured that Christ will grant some grace or blessing.
This requires an understanding that in His infinite wisdom and mercy, He may
refuse the particular favor which is requested. Novenas originated in imitation
of the Apostles who were gathered together in prayer for nine days
from the time of Our Lord's Ascension (to Heaven) until Pentecost Sunday (the
descent of the Holy Spirit).
The 54 Day Novena Devotion which
originated in 1884 at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, consists of the daily recitation of five decades
of the Rosary (one complete Mystery: Joyful, Sorrowful, or Glorious) for twenty-seven
days in petition and five decades for twenty-seven additional days in thanksgiving.
You will actually be making three Novenas in petition for a particular favor
and three Novenas in thanksgiving for a particular favor.
The Family That Prays Together...
Stays Together. The family Rosary is the Rosary recited aloud together, by
as many of the family and their friends as can be present. Any family (two
or more people) may say the Family Rosary in any suitable place and at any
time.
Mary's Great Promise
at Fatima The Five First Saturdays are
intended to honor and to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for
all the blasphemes and ingratitude of men. This devotion and the wonderful
promises connected with it were revealed by the Blessed Virgin at Fatima,
a small village in Portugal. Our lady appeared to three children there in
1917, and one of the little girls, Lucy, tells us that Our Lady said:
3. Keep me company for fifteen
minutes while meditating on the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, with the
intention of making reparation to me. Franciscan Crown
(Or Seraphic Rosary.) by the Catholic Encyclopedia
A Rosary consisting of seven decades
in commemoration of the seven joys of the Blessed Virgin (the Annunciation,
Visitation, Birth of our Lord, Adoration of the Magi, Finding of the Child
Jesus in the Temple, the Resurrection of Our Lord, and the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin and her Coronation in heaven), in use among the members of
the three orders of St. Francis. The Franciscan Crown dates back
to the year 1422. Wadding tells us that a young novice who had that year
been received into the Franciscan Order had, previous to his reception, been
accustomed to adorn a statue of the Blessed Virgin with a wreath of fresh
and beautiful flowers as a mark of his piety and devotion. Not being able
to continue this practice in the novitiate, he decided to return to the world.
The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and prevented him from carrying out his
purpose. She then instructed him how, by reciting daily a rosary of seven
decades in honour of her seven joys, he might weave a crown that would be
more pleasing to her than the material wreath of flowers he had been wont
to place on her statue. From that time the practice of reciting the crown
of the seven joys became general in the order. The manner of reciting the Franciscan
Rosary is as follows: The Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, and three Hail
Marys having been said as usual, the mystery to be meditated upon is introduced
after the word Jesus of the first Hail Mary of each decade, thus: “Jesus,
whom thou didst joyfully conceive”, “Jesus, whom thou didst joyfully carry
to Elizabeth”, “Jesus, whom thou became Man by the birth through the Holy
Ghost to Mary”, “Jesus, whom by respect from Adoration of the Magi”. “Jesus,
whom by respect from the visitation of the Maji”,
“Jesus, whom allowed Joseph and Mary to find you in God's Temple”, “Jesus,
whom thou didst Resurect yourself from the grave”,
“Jesus, whom thou Assume Mary into Heaven, body and soul”, “Jesus, whom
thou didst honor Mary by crowing her Queen of Heaven and Eargh”. Given in most manuals of Franciscan devotion.
At the end of the seventh decade two Hail Marys are added to complete the
number of years (72) that the Blessed Virgin is said to have lived on earth. There are other ways of reciting
the Crown but the one given seems to be in more general use. The plenary
Indulgence attached to the recitation of the Franciscan Crown, and applicable
to the dead, may be gained as often as the crown is recited. It is not required that the beads
be blessed, or in fact that beads be used at all, since the Indulgence is
not attached to the material rosary, but to the recitation of the prayers
as such. In 1905 Pope Pius X, in response to the petition of the Procurator
General of the Friars Minor, enriched the Franciscan Crown with several new
Indulgences that may be gained by all the faithful. Those who assist at a
public recitation of the Franciscan Crown participate in all the Indulgences
attached to the Seraphic Rosary that are gained by the members of the Franciscan
Order. It is required, however, that beads be used and that they be blessed
by a priest having the proper faculties. A translation of the pontifical
Brief is given in “St. Anthony's Almanac” for 1909. |