Hand-crafted Rosary

I'm really excited about this project! I think it'll be a really fun experience for me, but you're right, Erna (re: the comment you left me), I do feel the pressure of so many possibilities!

It's a good pressure though!

Im looking forward to this, I have never done anything like it. Dose anyone have any sugestions or information on the placement (spacing?)& what each bead represents?

Hi all - I received this email:

"Oh! I love making & using prayer beads. Question,though...Erna, you've given very clear & specific instructions for a rosary in the Roman Catholic tradition. Any chance of broadening the definition here? Like Anglican prayer beads, Orthodox Prayer Rope, Mala, Tasbih...I'd gladly make whatever my partner requests, of course. I think it make the swap have a broader appeal.

BTW there's loads of info one can research online, and I think Wikipedia is a great place to start - check out the entry on prayer beads if you haven't already."

I think it is a great idea. I gave very specific instructions for those who are eager to start, and do not feel like a lot of Internet research (I know it took me hours to learn about rosaries when I made my first one), but I did not intend the instructions to be limiting in any way - so GO FOR IT! Any prayer beads, from any tradition, are fine. It will probably be considerate to ask your partner what he/she'd like to receive - we do not want to offend anybody!

Hi Debi - there's a lot (maybe too much!) info on the Internet, but here, very briefly, are some answers to your questions:

Spacing does not seem to be important, as long as the beads/components can easily be distinguished from each other, so that you "know where you are" when you are using the rosary.

Try this link for starters: http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/practices/praying_rosary.htm

...or if you do not feel like all that research, here is a very brief summary of the traditional Roman Catholic rosary:

crucifix: the Apostles' Creed (basic statement of belief)

large beads: the Our Father (also called The Lord's Prayer)

small beads: the Hail Mary (Luke 1:42 - Elizabeth's greeting)

medallion: Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

This is a handy 1-page PDF file to download: http://www.newadvent.org/library/rosary.pdf

Erna & others, I'm in...I'm the one who wrote you the email you quoted above. I'm excited about this. I haven't actually made any prayer beads since the last workshop I led over a year ago. Yippee!

That's such a great idea! I'm in! =)

I'm Roman Catholic, so I grew up praying with the Rosary. So, I just thought I'd make a tiny correction: in the medallion, you should say a prayer called "Hail Queen" (no, it's not the same as "Hail Mary", lol. It starts like this: "Hail Queen, mother of mercy. Our life, sweetness and hope, hail! To thee we call, the poor children of Eve" (and so on) - please note that I translated it from Portuguese, so it might not be exactly the same in your language).

The "Glory" doesn't have a specific bead for it; it's said between the ten small beads and the big one, in each set.

Hope this was helpful. And I'd really like to know more about other relogions's prayer beads!

Welcome, China Roses, and thanks for your comments. I've been away - sorry it took me so long to reply.

Love to all of you rosary/prayer bead swappers!

How's everyone? Please let me know if you do not receive your rosary - I'd hate anybody to be left out. I'm willing to send a "spare" to the person whose rosary never arrived. I got mine yesterday, 10 November 2006 - that's nearly 2 months after the post by date - so do not lose hope! Yours could still be in the mail.

I hope you'll all upload pics to the swap album. I've posted the one I made, and the one I got.

Please share your experiences/thoughts/feelings about this swap here on the message board. For me, making the rosary was deeply moving. It's as if the piece spoke to me, and reminded me of things I'd forgotten.