Where Did the Rosary Come From?

The Rosary is one of the most beloved and powerful Catholic prayers. Countless miracles have been attributed to people devoutly reciting this prayer.

But where did the Rosary come from? Our modern form developed over a long period of time. Here are some key moments.

Monks develop rhythmic prayer.
Since the emergence of monastic life in the late third century, monks developed a habit of rhythmic prayer. For example, a monk told St. John Cassian that he often repeated these words: “God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.” Other monks repeated the Jesus Prayer several times in succession.

Early on, monks started chanting all 150 Psalms each week. Note: The number of Hail Marys in the Rosary — minus the three initial Hail Marys — is 150. Some monks used free beads in their pockets to keep track of the prayers. They then started adding passages from the New Testament to meditate on — a precursor to our Mysteries.

In the Middle Ages, there were monks who said 150 Our Fathers while counting them on a cord of knots or beads. The cords were made by guilds.

Carthusians begin organizing the Rosary.
In the late Middle Ages, a Carthusian monk started grouping Hail Marys in tens and putting an Our Father before each one.

The prayer began to be referred to as “the Rosary” in the High Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th century. But it wasn’t until the 16th century that people called the cord of beads itself the Rosary.

Carthusians in the 14th and 15th centuries testify to 15 sets of 10 Hail Marys. They also got rid of the practice of having a meditation for each bead and introduced a meditation for each group of 10.

St. Dominic receives the Rosary.
It is widely believed that St. Dominic Guzman received the Rosary from Our Lady near the beginning of the 13th century, though some Catholics dispute this claim. We do know that St. Dominic was a big promoter of an early form of the Rosary.

We are blessed to live in a time when we have the Rosary in its full form. Now let’s all pray it regularly!

 

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