Praying The Anglican or Ecumenical Rosary

I'm guessing if you are like me, and grew up Protestant, you might have wondered what in the world a Rosary was and what it was used for. A string of beads, crosses and prayers that people seemed to recite every time something bad was about to happen. It was a Catholic thing.

Then, I discovered the Anglican or Ecumenical Rosary. And, I must say, it has been a blessing! I guess what I have discovered is that it is another tool to aid me in talking to God. And, to answer the question some of you might be asking...When you use the Anglican Rosary, you don't pray to Mary. But, what I have found to be true is that the way the Rosary is designed, I pray a lot of Scripture back to God. I get to use His words in talking to Him. It has been a great way to listen to His Word and to memorize His Word as I pray.

Let me show you want one looks like:




The Cross and each of the beads help to lead you in prayer. You start at the Cross (praying the Lord's Prayer or the Our Father) and move around the chain. Here is a set of prayers I wrote for the Anglican Rosary. You can see which prayers go with which beads by viewing the diagram above.

Week One Prayers

The Cross

Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed by Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day
Our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those
Who sin against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory forever.

Amen.

The Invitatory

"May the words of my mouth
And the meditations of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord,
My Strength
And my Redeemer."
-- Psalm 19:14

The Cruciforms

1. "God You are my refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble."
-- Psalm 46:1

2. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God's Holy Name."
--Psalm 103:1

3. "I lift my eyes unto the hills; where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
--Psalm 121:1-2

4. "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,
be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! Amen."
--Revelation 5:13

The Weeks

1. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."
--Luke 18:13

2. "Come Lord Jesus, draw us to yourself."
--John 12:32

3. "Holy, Holy, Holy are you Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come."
--Revelation 4:8

4. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same
the name of the Lord shall be praised!
-- Psalm 113:3

The Closing Cruciform

I bow before the Father who made me,
I bow before the Son who saved me,
I bow before the Spirit who guides me.


The Closing Invitatory
Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

The Cross

Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed by Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day
Our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those
Who sin against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory forever.

The prayer beads are made up of twenty-eight beads divided into four groups of seven called weeks. In the Judeo-Christian tradition the number seven represents spiritual perfection and completion. Between each week is a single bead, called a cruciform bead as the four beads form a cross. The invitatory bead between the cross and the wheel of beads brings the total to thirty-three, the number of years in Jesus’ earthly life.

Praying The Beads:

To begin, hold the Cross and say the prayer you have assigned to it, then move to the Invitatory Bead. Then enter the circle of the prayer with the first Cruciform Bead, moving to the right, go through the first set of seven beads to the next Cruciform bead, continuing around the circle, saying the prayers for each bead.

It is suggested that you pray around the circle of the beads three times (which signifies the Trinity) in an unhurried pace, allowing the repetition to become a sort of lullaby of love and praise that enables your mind to rest and your heart to become quiet and still.

(taken from The King Of Peace website)

It took a bit to get used to praying prayers over and over. But, since most come straight from Scripture, I began to have words from God and to God in my head all day...memorized. What a blessing.
Well, I hope you find this helpful. It has been for me. I hope to post two more sets of prayers I've put together for the Rosary.

Grace & Peace,

Wes