The use of beads in prayer dates back to Hinduism in the 8th century BC. This occurs when praying to Shiva, the highest divine being in Hinduism. This divine figure possesses the most knowledge and promotes the well-being of everyone. Instead of Shiva, Shiwa and Siva are also spoken of.
Before the birth of Jesus, pagans crowned their idols with roses. This custom symbolises the offering of their hearts to gods.
Roman persecutions of Christians in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and early 4th centuries lead to the beautiful dressing of Christian virgins. The women are crowned with roses. The women adorned with roses go to their martyrdom in the Colosseum in Rome. After their death, Christians gather the roses and pray.
In the 8th century AD, the use of prayer beads became common among European Christians.
In the Middle Ages, monks prayed in the cloister using a cord or rope with knots. Some of them could not read, and they memorised prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer.
Up until around 1100, monks worked in the abbeys, reciting 150 psalms in Latin daily. The need for extra labourers arose to perform work in the fields or within the monastery. As a result, lay brothers were appointed, but these workers were not proficient in Latin. Instead of Latin psalms, the lay brothers would recite the Our Father 150 times in their own language. This series of 150 Our Fathers was known as the “Psalter of Christ”. To count this many Our Fathers, they would use 150 knots on their prayer rope or cord.
Towards the end of the 12th century, there were more expressions of devotion to Mary. In the 13th century, devotion to Mary increased enormously, and for the lay brothers, this meant they no longer prayed the Our Father 150 times, but 150 Hail Marys. These Hail Marys were called the “Psalter of Our Lady”. The number 150 was divided into 3 groups of 50 Hail Marys. A group of 50 of these prayers was given the name “rosary”. The term “crown” was also used, as images of Mary were crowned with flowers.
In 1569, Pius V, Pope during the period 1566-1572, born Antonio Ghislieri (1504-1572), approved the rosary prayer. This Dominican became the first “Rosary Pope”. He called for the rosary to be prayed to Mary in order to obtain grace.
The victory of the Christian naval powers over the Turks, the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571, is attributed to the praying of the Rosary. By winning the naval battle, the looming invasion of Islam into Europe was prevented. The day of 7 October is celebrated as Rosary Day.
As thanks to Mary, for winning the naval battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V in 1572 issued a papal document to complete the official teaching of the Holy Rosary. This bull provides a five-part teaching:
The Rosary is necessary to avoid or resist wars and disasters.
The rosary is easy to use and suitable for everyone.
3. The Rosary is a powerful defence against heresies and dangers to the faith, and it also brings about conversions.
4. The rosary is for all believers.
5. The victory over the Turks at Lepanto in 1571 is thanks to the praying of the rosary by people in many European countries.
In 1917, Mary appeared to three children in Fátima, Portugal. She was referred to there as Our Lady of the Rosary. In Fátima, Mary explicitly asked for the rosary to be prayed. However, reformers within the Catholic Church in the 1960s and 70s paid little attention to this, as Mary was no longer on their agenda. The rosary seemed to be only for old women. This stood in stark contrast to the words of Our Lady. Mary emphasised time and again that praying the rosary was important for finding inner peace and resolving wrongs in the world. For example, praying the rosary in Fátima hastened the end of the First World War. Praying the rosary was decisive in ending the Second World War. Unfortunately, the reformers persisted, churches received fewer and fewer visitors, clergy abused boys and girls sexually and morally, priests left the priesthood, and Mary received less and less attention in the Church. The rosary lost its significance in the Church. But the tide is turning... a new Pope is coming.
John Paul II, Pope from 1978-2005, born Karol Józef Wojtyła (1920-2005), states that each decade of the Rosary represents events in life. The Pope is a great proponent of praying the Rosary. In 2002, this Pope introduced 5 new mysteries. These are the Luminous Mysteries.
Particularly since 2024, there has been a strong surge in rosary prayer in Germany. This is largely thanks to the efforts of Manfred Robert Benkert (*1968), who founded “Deutschland betet Rozenkranz” (Germany Prays the Rosary) in 2019. He is the chairman of this organisation from Altötting. More information can be found at www.deutschland-betet-rosenkranz.de.
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