What is the Anglican Rosary?
For over a thousand years, people of faith have used various methods to keep track of their prayers. The Rosary actually finds its roots in the British Isles. The first Christians to use beads with their prayers were in the Irish community of St. Colomba in the ninth century. Though the practice of using stones and knots to count prayers originated with the Desert Fathers and Mothers in the third century, the Irish exchanged their knotted strings for the texture and beauty of beads. Interestingly, the word “bead” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “bede,” which means “to pray or request.”
The practice of praying and meditating with beads quickly spread throughout Europe. However, whether through knots in a rope, stones in a pouch, or beads on a string, the simple act of moving one’s fingers while praying unites body, mind, and spirit in communion with God. Just as a radio antenna connects with sound waves to reveal what’s being broadcast, praying with a Rosary can cut through the world’s noise, tuning hearts and minds to God’s frequency.
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A Different Focus
Most people are familiar with the Roman Catholic Rosary, a key element of Catholic worship. However, many may not realize that Protestants can also use prayer beads in the form of what is often called the Anglican Rosary.
In the 1980s, a Texas study group exploring different forms of prayer became excited about embracing the focus aspect of the Rosary while using Protestant symbols. Soon, the Anglican Rosary was born. While the Catholic Rosary focuses on Mary to help contemplate the mysteries of Jesus’ life, the Anglican Rosary relies on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to guide prayer, meditation, and interaction with scripture.
The symbolism of the Anglican Rosary finds its roots in Christ’s life. The simple combination of the cross and thirty-three numbered beads reflects the years of Jesus’ journey on earth. As you hold the Rosary and rhythmically move your fingers across the beads in prayer and contemplation, your mind and heart open to the present moment. The world fades away, scripture comes alive, and your prayers find connection.
Increased awareness of God’s presence reminds us that we are not alone on our journey through life. In the first book of Kings, Solomon asked for “a heart that listens.” Rather than requesting riches, power, or victory over his enemies, he prayed for a silent heart capable of listening to God.
Escaping the Distractions
Like many today, I found it challenging to escape the distractions and stresses of everyday life to spend time with God. With so many concerns and a wandering mind, it was difficult to trust and find peace in prayer. The Anglican Rosary changed everything. No matter what was happening around me, the Rosary immediately brought me to a quiet state of being. The simple act of holding the beads became an anchor of peace, attuning my heart to God’s purposes and provision and providing comfort and direction.
When I first began praying with the Protestant Rosary, resources were scarce. So, I started experimenting with traditional forms of prayer and adapted them for use with the cross and beads. The results were wonderfully enriching and brought these classic methods of prayer to life.
After teaching about the Anglican Rosary at a women’s retreat in 2015, I felt compelled to make this form of prayer accessible to everyone. I gathered my resources and wrote The Anglican Rosary: Going Deeper with God—Prayers and Meditations with the Protestant Rosary.
The methods of prayer in this book have been the foundation of spiritual life since the beginning of Christendom. When used with the Rosary, they come alive in the present moment, engaging body, mind, and spirit in prayer and communion with God.
The Symbology of the Rosary
The Anglican Rosary beautifully illustrates Christian faith and tradition. The thirty-three beads, representing Christ’s life on earth, are linked together in a circular manner that begins and ends on the cross. Jesus, the source of faith, is our beginning and end. The circular nature of the Rosary embraces the sense of wholeness found in a deep relationship with God.
The Anglican Rosary consists of a Cross, one Invitatory bead, four Cruciform beads, and four groups of seven “Week” beads.
- The Cross represents the saving grace of God acting in our lives to bring us into his kingdom.
- The Invitatory bead is our entrance into prayer and worship. We place ourselves in God’s presence and open our hearts to receive his Word.
- The four Cruciform beads form the shape of a cross and remind us that Christ is central in our lives.
- The seven Week beads follow each Cruciform. These four sets of seven beads stand for spiritual completeness or perfection.
How to Pray with a Rosary
Written Rosary prayers are laid out in a pattern that follows the order of the beads. Every Rosary begins on the Cross, moves up to the Invitatory bead, the first Cruciform, then to the right of the loop with the next seven Week beads, and so on.
Each of the beads has specific prayers, phrases, or scriptures attached to them. Different Rosary prayers may have extra instructions for each section, but the basic format is to pray the designated words out loud and from your heart. Mindless, automatic recitation has no place here. The point of using a Rosary is to engage fully in this time with God.
The Week beads usually have an assigned phrase that is repeated as one meditates on or contemplates what was just read on the previous Cruciform. This is the time to listen and allow the Holy Spirit to interact with us.
When we first start praying in this way, we might catch ourselves judging the experience instead of meditating on the Word. If that happens, simply redirect your focus back to the scripture and listen to the Holy Spirit.
Time is key when praying with a Rosary. It’s essential to set aside a quiet place and to dedicate time for prayer. Once we’re familiar with using a Rosary, that prayer time might be as short as ten minutes. However, those ten minutes of focused listening can be far more beneficial and rewarding than twenty minutes of distracted, rushed prayer and scripture reading. Learning to be present with the Rosary prepares us to be present with God throughout each day, no matter what state we find ourselves in.
An Example: Morning Prayer
In my book, I discuss several forms of prayer we can use with the Anglican Rosary. Among these are ways to pray through the Daily Offices. For example, here is one of the Rosary forms for Morning Prayer:
- Cross: Psalm 29:41
- Invitatory: Vinite (Psalm 95:1-7)
- Cruciform 1: Te Deum (“We Praise You, O Lord…”)
- Week: “Lord, show us your love and mercy, for we put our trust in you.”
- Cruciform 2: The Suffrages (“O Lord, show your mercy upon us…”)
- Week: Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
- Cruciform 3: Collect for Guidance
- Week: “The Mercy of the Lord is everlasting: O come, let us adore him.”
- Cruciform 4: The General Thanksgiving
- Week: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us: O come, let us adore him.”
- Cruciform 1: The Lord’s Prayer
- Invitatory: Romans 15:13
- Cross: Gloria Patri (“Glory be to the Father…”)
An Anchor for Prayer
The Anglican Rosary is a sacramental tool that engages our entire being in prayer, worship, and meditation. Over time, it becomes an anchor, helping us stay aware of God’s presence in our lives. Praying with beads keeps our hearts open to the Holy Spirit and allows us to see the world through God’s eyes. His strength, guidance, and peace are always available to us.
Editor’s Note
Besides the many great forms Jenny outlines in her book, there are additional forms that are very simple and can provide a great place to start. Here is one I’ve used for years:
- Cross: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
- Invitatory: “O God, make speed to save us; O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”
- All Cruciforms: “Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us.”
- All Weeks: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
- Invitatory: The Lord’s Prayer
- Cross: “Let us bless the Lord” (or “I Bless the Lord”). “Thanks be to God.”
Photo by Karolina Kaboompics from Pexels.
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