Beads and Prayers

John Desmond Miller

The Christian rosary is a devotion in which a set of beads is used to keep tally of the prescribed prayers while pondering with Mary, the Mother of the Lord, on the significant events in the life of her son, Jesus Christ. The most popular of all Catholic devotions rosaries are also well known in other religious traditions beining in ancient times. A detailed and readable study of the Rosary in its various forms has long been needed. [Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is at an all time high, judging by the popularity of parish Rosary groups, pilgrimages to Marian shrines and the many alleged apparitions of Our Lady around the world.] Dr. Miller's book will fill a real need for the many who wish to take their devotion and theirprayer life to new depths, to understand the perennial importance of Christian meditation, and to understand more fully the tradition to which they belong.

Chronology of the Development of the Rosary1 Introduction2 Origins of the Rosary3 The Hail Mary4 The Our Father5 The Sign of the Cross, the Gloria Patri and the Creed6 The Pre-Christian Origin of Prayer Beads7 The Use of Beads in the Christian Tradition8 The Use of Prayer Beads in England9 The Rosary in Ireland10 The Marian Movement and the Twentieth Century11 Marian Apparitions and the Promotion of the Rosary12 The Symbolism of the Rose, Rose Garland and Rose Garden13 The Rosary in Papal Documents14 A Method for Praying the Rosary15 Mediating on the Rosary16 Other Rosaries and Chaplets17 The Jesus Clause18 Indulgences Associated with the RosaryAppendix 1: The Salve ReginaAppendix 2: The Angelus and MemorareAppendix 3: The Liturgy of the HoursAppendix 4: The Rosary and the Blessed SacramentAppendix 5: Rosaries in the Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonBibliographyIndex