DAY 9: What is a rosary?

     The Rosary is a set of prayer beads. The word "rosary" means a garland of roses. According to http://www.hail-mary-rosaries.com/paternoster-beads.html, throughout the Middle Ages, Bibles were expensive and rare.  Many people were also illiterate. Devout lay people, who wanted to share the devotion of praying the psalms with the monks of the day, "substituted  a series of recited or chanted  'Our Fathers' - one for each psalm.  The knotted, and later beaded, strings used by lay people to count their prayers were called ‘Paternosters’  (Latin for ‘Our Fathers’.)"  Many Protestants have also begun using the rosary because they recognize "it as a truly biblical form of prayer—after all, the prayers that comprise it come mainly from the Bible."

HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

Make the Sign of the Cross and say the "Apostles' Creed."

1. Say the "Our Father."
2. Say three "Hail Marys."
3. Say the "Glory be to the Father."
4. Announce the First Mystery; then say the "Our Father."
5. Say ten "Hail Marys," while meditating on the Mystery.
6. Say the "Glory be to the Father."
7. Announce the Second Mystery; then say the "Our Father." Repeat 6 and 7 and continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner.

The Apostles' Creed is the basics of the Catholic beliefs. If a non-Catholic Christian were to read the Creed, they would find that they believe most of what Catholics believe.... The " Our Father" is straight out of the Bible. The "Hail Mary" came from Luke 1:42, and the "Glory Be" is a simple prayer of praise to God.

Thanks for reading....