History of the Rosary
History of the rosary
The devotion of the rosary can be traced back to the 9th century, when monks would recite the 150 psalms of the bible as part of their daily worship. Over time people became drawn to this beautiful, synchronized form of prayer. Although many people desired to make this prayer a part of their own worship, the psalms were very difficult to memorize, and copies of the Psalter, which is the book the psalms were contained in, were not readily available. Due to this fact, an alternative was proposed to the people, that they recite a series of 150 “Our Father” prayers in place of the 150 Psalms.
Over time, as this form of prayer became increasingly popular, people began to devise methods to keep track of the prayers. Eventually, a long rope containing 50 knots began to be used, and slowly evolved into a string of beads.
As Lay People, as well as Clergy assumed this devotion as part of their prayer life, they began to recite the “Angelic Salutation” (the first part of what we now know as the “Hail Mary”). The popularity of this prayer led to the adoption of the 50 Angelic Salutations, said on each of the 50 beads.
In the early 12th or 13th century, theologians began to recognize the hidden mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, contained within each of the Psalms. They began to compose a series of praises that honored Jesus as He was represented in each Psalm. In addition to these mysteries of Christ, 150 Psalters honoring Mary were added to emphasize her special role in the plan of salvation. In order for these Psalters to fit the existing prayer string, they were divided into sets of 50 and were referred to as “Rosariums”. The word “rosarium” refers to roses, or a bouquet of roses, which, in regards to the rosary, represents a collection or “bouquet” of prayers.
It was in 1520 that Pope Leo X officially acknowledged the rosary. However, it was not until 1569 that the rosary was universally accepted and, promulgated by Pope St. Pius V who encouraged its use to combat the evil taking place in the world at the time. In 1571 Pope Pius V officially declared the feast of Our Lady of Victories, now known as the feast of the Most Holy Rosary, which is celebrated on October 7th.
In 1917 the Blessed Mother appeared to the children of Fatima and declared herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. Through her apparitions at Fatima, Mary implored the world to turn their hearts back to God by urging each and everyone to “Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world . . . for she alone can save it.” (Our Lady, July 13, 1917). Mary introduced 15 promises to those who responded to this request faithfully.
In 2002, with his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II introduced the fourth set of mysteries to the rosary. These msyteries are known as the “Luminous” or “Mysteries of Light”, which carry us from the infancy to the public life of Jesus. It is in these mysteries that we can in a more profound way come to know Christ during His ministry here on Earth. At the same time, it is through these mysteries that we are given a peak into Christ’s mission of redemption, and His establishement of the universal Church.
