Anglican prayer beads

For the Lutheran prayer beads, see Wreath of Christ.

Anglican prayer beads, also known as the Anglican rosary or Anglican chaplet, are a loop of strung Christian prayer beads used chiefly by Anglicans in the Anglican Communion, as well as by communicants in the Anglican Continuum. This Anglican devotion has spread to other Christian denominations, including Methodists and the Reformed.^[1][2]

An Anglican rosary with simple cross sitting atop the Anglican Breviary and the Book of Common Prayer

An Anglican rosary, comprising 33 beads and a cross

Description

Anglican prayer bead sets consist of a cross and thirty-three beads.

Beads

The loop is formed of 32 beads. 28 of the beads are divided into four groups consisting of seven beads, each which are called "weeks". The four larger beads separating the four groups are called "cruciform" beads. When the loop of an Anglican prayer bead set is opened into a circular shape, the "cruciform" beads form the points of a cross within the circle of the set, hence the term. Next after the cross on Anglican prayer bead sets is a single bead called the "invitatory" bead, which brings the total of beads to 33.

Materials

The beads used can be made of a variety of materials, such as precious stones, wood, coloured glass, or even dried and painted seeds.

Symbolism

The number 33 signifies the number of years that Jesus Christ lived on the Earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion in the faith, the days of creation, and the seasons of the Church year.^[3]

Cross

Anglican prayer bead sets are made with a variety of crosses or, occasionally, crucifixes. Christian crosses such as the Celtic cross and the San Damiano cross are two which are often used, though other styles are used as well.

Prayer

The Anglican Rosary hangs next to a home altar.

Anglican prayer beads are most often used as a tactile aid to prayer and as a counting device.

The standard Anglican set starts with the cross or crucifix, which may begin with praying the Trinitarian formula. This is followed by the invitatory bead; the prayer for this bead may be taken from a portion of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer's responsorial formula in the Morning and Evening Prayer services, in the form "O God make speed to save me [or 'us'], O Lord make haste to help me [or 'us']". The Glory Be may also be prayed on this bead.^[4]

This is then followed by the first cruciform bead, and then, moving to the right, the first set of seven beads, reaching the next cruciform bead. The rosary is continued around in this manner, and use of the rosary may conclude by saying the Lord's prayer on the invitatory bead, or a final prayer on the cross or crucifix.

The entire rosary may be prayer three times, signifying the lifetime of Jesus and the Holy Trinity.^[3]

See also

• Christianity portal

• Quiet time