Why do we wear rosaries?

There are several answers to the question of why do we wear rosaries.

But before we give answers to them, let’s find out something more about the origin of the rosaries and how we use rosary prayers.

How do we use rosaries and their origin?

As we all know, the rosary is one of the most widespread prayers in Catholicism.

Catholic families pray rosaries every day, and there is an old saying that emphasizes the importance of the Rosary: Family who prays together, stays together!

The prayers that compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys, called decades. Each decade is preceded by one Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) and traditionally followed by one Glory Be. Many Catholics also choose to recite the “O my Jesus” prayer after the Glory Be, which is the most well-known of the seven Fatima Prayers.

The exact origin of the Rosary as a prayer is less than clear and subject to debate among scholars. The use of knotted prayer ropes in Christianity goes back to the Desert Fathers in the 3rd and early 4th centuries.

According to pious tradition, the concept of the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic of Osma in an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the year 1214 in the Monastery of Notre-Dame-de-Prouille, France. This Marian apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary.

At 16. century, during Pope Pius the Fifth, the Catholic church established a standard 15 Mysteries of the Rosary, based on long-standing custom. This groups the mysteries in three sets: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries.

Also, Pope Pius the Fifth in 1569, in the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices, officially established the devotion to the Rosary in the Catholic Church.

Dedication to the rosary has been present in the Catholic Church ever since, and all popes have emphasized the importance of the rosary as a prayer.

As former Pope John Paul, the Second said: “Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as by the hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.”

Why do we wear rosaries?

As we mention at the beginning of this article, there are several answers to the question of why do we wear rosaries.

Firstly, we wear rosaries because it helps us in our prayer.

Secondly, we wear rosaries as a protection against the omnipresent evil that puts our faith to the test every day.

Also, we give rosaries as present on special occasions such are baptisms, first communion, confirmation, weddings, during Christmas or Easter, etc.

Not to be forgotten, there are Devotional rosaries that we wear and use while we pray to various Saints or Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Should we wear the rosary as a piece of jewelry or as a personal experience of faith?

The European Catholic tradition welcomes the wearing of a rosary around the neck, primarily as an expression of faith.

Catholics in Herzegovina and Croatia have a special connection with rosaries, which were a symbol of courage and freedom during the Homeland War.

Many of our soldiers who defended our homes had a blessed rosary around their necks that protected them and gave them the strength to endure all the horrors of war that oppressed us in those days.

That is why even today Catholics from the area of Herzegovina and Croatia with reverence and admiration wear blessed rosaries that bring them peace of mind and love for God, Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Where can you find rosaries?

At Medjugorje Jewelry you can find various catholic jewelry and in the category Rosary you can look for a wide range of beautiful rosaries, for common use, devotional or for special occasions.

Also, there are unique rosaries which beads are made out of stones from the Medjugorje’s Apparition hill and from the Cross hill and, what is especially important to emphasize, every rosary (and every other product) from Medjugorje Jewelry Souvenir Shop can be blessed by priests on the Apparition hill, on Cross hill or in the Parish Church of St. James in Medjugorje. This service is FREE of charge and can be done after the purchase and before sending the rosary or some other product from the Medjugorje Jewelry store.

Medjugorje Jewelry