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Alex, I guess you can tell by now that I am not an "apparition oriented" person. I think everything we need to know has been revealed to us by the apostles. Other things may not take away from that, but they don't really add to it. So enjoy your Eastern devotions - it's always rewarding to hear that others prize them as the jewels that they are - and say your rosary, too, if it adds spiritual benefit to you. As Fr. Gregory indicated, it's the praying that's important.

MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS SAVE US!

Some of you may enjoy this. A history of the Rosary...and how throughout the centuries the faithful (both Eastern and Western peoples) have, with their prayers woven a 'garland of flowers' for the Mother of God.

Rosary History:

1st - 2nd CENTURY AD ~

~ AMEN ~ From the Hebrew verb �aman�which means �to confirm� or �strengthen�, it dates back to Old Testament times as a liturgical response in the synagogue. Used by Christ, (also�verily�or �truly�), in the New Testament, it was carried into the Christian Liturgy as a response and an ending to prayer.

~ SIGN OF THE CROSS ~ Tertullian writes, �... we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross� which stems from the Old Testament (Ezekial 9:4) comments on marking an X on the foreheads of the innocent and (Revelations 7:3, 9:4 and 14:1) the seal on the forehead of the chosen and is seen as a life giving symbol. (See Exodus 17:9-14)

~ APOSTLES CREED ~ Tradition tells us it is the teaching of the Apostles themselves and is an overview of the Christian faith. It is believed to be part of the baptismal prayer or rite of new Christians since the beginning. The earliest written form known is Tertullian in 200AD. The present form dates before 700AD.

~ 65 - 150 AD ~ SYRIA ~ The Didache, the Apostolic catechism for the new church, is formed. People are encouraged to say the Lord�s Prayer as commanded in Scripture (Matt. 6: 9-13). They are told, �Three times in the day, thus pray�. Still honoured at Mass and Liturgy of the Hours; Lauds and Vespers.

It also instructs them to baptise �In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,� �in living water�. If it is not available they are to use �other water,� ... and if the water is not �cold, then warm,� if neither available, they are to �pour water on the head 3 times� for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

NOTE~
Latter part of the 4th century, the OUR FATHER will become an official part of the Mass.

St. Benedict has a monastic rose garden called a 'Rosary'.

5th CENTURY ~

~ 430 AD ~ The prayer and the bead is connecting. They are mentioned by St. Augustine and adopted into the church as a counting device but have little resemblance to the Rosary of today. He is quoted as saying that when we devoutly say the Our Father, �Our venial sins are forgiven�.

~ 431 AD ~ TURKEY ~ The Council of Ephesus declares Mary as Theotokos (God-bearer). This is in response to heretics of the time who say Mary is, �Mother of Christ,� not God. The people of Ephesus riot. Taking to the streets and carrying torches they shout, �Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners ...�

7th CENTURY ~

~ 600s ~ IRELAND ~ Monks are keeping track of the Psalter (150 Psalms) on knotted cords. Those, generally the laity, who cannot read (Latin) say the Divine Office by setting 150 knots on a cord and use them to chant the Paternoster, which is also known as the �poor man�s breviary�.

~ 600s ~ RUSSIA ~ It is recorded that the Byzantine Church has embraced a knotted woollen prayer cord called a 'Chotki' chaplet). This Byzantine Rosary has varying numbers of knots (33-100 or 300, some with larger knot at the beginning of each decade). The mantra or prayer said on each knot varies but generally it is, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner' or 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner' Adapted from Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, in which the latter was 'justified through humility'). It is also know as the Jesus Prayer.

~ 600s ~ People in continental Europe are beginning to use the knots to count 150 �Ave�s�, but only saying the Angel�s greeting, �Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.� (Elizabeth�s greeting will become more universally used in the 12th century.)

~ 659 AD ~ BELGIUM ~The Abbess Gertrude of Nivelles is discovered with fragments of prayer beads in her tomb. It seems to be custom as many are found buried during this time with beads wrapped around their fingers.

8th CENTURY ~

~ 700s ~ The Apostles Creed is formed as we know it now. People pray the Psalter (150 Psalms) for the souls of deceased and there is a new written guide or rule book regarding penitents and how many Paters are to be said depending on sins confessed. Strings of beads helped the penitent to count. Many wear their beads as a sign of their sorrow.

~ 782 AD ~ It is traditional for the monks of St. Apollinaris to say 300 Kyrie Eleisons (Lord have mercy), Christe Eleison (Christ have mercy) twice a day in gratitude for the pope�s benefactors.

~ 11th CENTURY ~

~ 1000s ~ Regionally, the Ave prayer is beginning to replace the Paternoster. The Paternoster knots and beads are being integrated into a structural framework by spacing 150 Ave�s into decades or groups of 10. It is believed this prayer to Mary is imitating God�s love for her.

~ 1014 AD ~ GERMANY - Blessed Herman is born a cripple - deformed from birth. (1014 - 1054) The monks at Richneau Abbey take care of him from birth and he will become a Benedictine monk in 1034 at the age of 20. He will make musical instruments and when he becomes blind, he will write hymns. The Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) will be his best known. He knows well the suffering - as he writes ��to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears� It will be recited as a standard prayer at the conclusion of the rosary centuries later. (His feast day is 25 September.)


~ 12th CENTURY ~

~ 1100s ~ It is becoming more common to see people carry a �Paternoster cord� (50 count or �fifties� to be repeated 3 times instead of traditional longer strand of 150 (called �Na-tri-coicat�). By the second half of the century, the full scriptural half of the Ave is becoming a formula of prayer, adding �Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.� (The petition or second half is still not a formal part of prayer on beads.)

~ 1128 AD ~ The Knights Templar, (known for protecting pilgrims) if unable to attend the choir are to repeat the Lord�s Prayer (normally sung) 57 times. When one of the bretheren dies, they say the Pater Noster 100 times a day for 7 days. (This is called �two fifties�.)

~ 1140 AD ~ A contemporary of St. Albert�s, wrote how he (Albert), bent his knees in prayer 100 times a day and prostrated himself �raising his body by his fingers and toes� 50 times while repeating the Annunciation part of the Hail Mary. There are general instructions for various physical exercises or signs of devotion while praying. It is a familiar custom during this century.

~ 1160 AD ~ ITALY ~ Palermo - Saint Rosalia (Virgin - 1132 - 1166), a relative of Emperor Charlemagne, became a hermit in love of Jesus as a young girl. In 1625, her remains would be accidentally found by a hunter in the cave on Mt Palermo where she lived. She was found 'with a little string of little beads that ended in a cross'. Palermo was suffering under a terrible epidemic of the plague in 1625. Her remains were carried through the city and the plague disappeared that day. In thanksgiving, Palermo celebrates this event for 3 days, 13 to the 15th of July. It is said she would weave garlands of mountain flowers and wild roses, offering them to the Lord as she hung them on a terra cotta crucifix.

~ 1198 AD ~ Bishop Ordo of Siliac during the Synod, required the clergy make sure that not only was the Creed and the Pater being recited but to add the Ave. This created a new interest and soon it is being included in the councils of many other countries to do the same. It becomes very popular into the next century.


13th CENTURY ~

~ 1200s ~ The Psalter of Our Lady becomes the prayer as people pray 150 Ave�s. The term Rosary is applied.

A legend travelling through Europe tells of Mary taking rosebuds from the lips of a young monk as he recited the Ave�s. She wove them into a garland and placed it upon her head. This Rosary prayer is called �pneums�.

~ 1200s ~ Makers of prayer beads, called �Paternosters�, form craft guilds that specialize in beads of a particular material: i.e. they only work in amber or precious stones, metal or glass. Most common are wood and glass. A street in London is still named �Paternoster Row� and is where many guilds gathered and worked.

1208 AD ~ FRANCE ~ According to tradition, The Blessed Lady appears to St. Dominic with a Rosary in her hand, in response to his prayers to her for help during the Albigensian heresy which is destroying Christendom in the 12th and 13th centuries. She teaches him how pray the Rosary.

A contemporary of St. Francis, St Dominic is deeply loved as a man of God and for his good works which included encouraging all to pray the Rosary for the conversion of sinners and those who had left the faith. He is credited with the �Militia of Jesus Christ� in which members recite the Psalter of Our Lady, daily.


~ 16th CENTURY ~

~ 1500s ~ At the turn of this century, there are two Rosaries or chaplets popular with the people. One, the 5 decade Ave, is separated by larger beads. It is popular with the women and they take pleasure in adding small trinkets such as figurines, images and gemstones to their Rosaries along with scented dried fruit and flowers.

The second is the �tenner� and as the name suggests, is a short string or �chaplet� of 10 beads or one decade. They end with several Paternosters and an ornamental knot, tassel or special medal and is traditionally used by men. (Monks use them for the next 200 years).

~ 1500s ~ 'The Glory Be' and the second half of the 'Ave' are now part of the formal Rosary. But many other variations will co-exist for the next two centuries depending on local customs.

~ 1531 ~ MEXICO (Tenochtitlan) ~ Our Lady of Guadelupe visits Juan Diego and her exquisite image is set on the fragile cloth of his garment. Her bowed head tells the Aztecs that she is not a god as there is another. Castilian are called for by Mary. Growing on a barren hill in December, Juan Diego picks them and Mary arranges them in his tilma. He obediently carries them to the Bishop as a sign. When he opens his garment, the roses. like an unattached rosary - cascade out and her image forms on his tilma. Within this image of Mary lies the unborn child - Jesus. The life of Christ is in her - just as in the rosary today.

~ 1547 ~ Webster�s Dictionary dates the word Rosary at 1547.

~ 1550s ~ By mid century, a Rosary called the �Three Fifities�, is beginning to take shape. The longer Rosary, using 150 Ave beads, is divided into groups of 10 separated by 15 larger Paternoster beads. It is now attached to form a circle, called �the garden�. A pendant, hanging from one of the large beads has 3 small and 1 large bead and ends in a cross and is considered the �pathway or gateway to the garden�.

The Rosary receives official recognition by the Church through the work of the Rosary Confraternity.

~ 1568 ~ ITALY ~ The Rosary prayers - Ave - are now approved and incorporated into the reformed Roman Breviary by Pope Pius V. This followed their usage by the Mercedarians (1514), the Camaldolese (1515) and the Franciscans in (1525)

~ 1569 ~ ITALY ~ Pope Pius V officially establishes the fifteen mysteries as used today.

~ 1571 ~ ITALY ~ Admiral Doria carries a copy of the image of Our Lady of (Mexican) Guadelupe aboard ship into the sea battle of Lepanto .

Pope Pius V, a Dominican, also devoted to Our Lady, calls for a public recitation of the Rosary throughout Europe against the unbeatable Turks. The Christian ships (from Venice, Genoa and Spain) are surrounded by the Turks (Saracens) but the European fleet over run them, driving them back. Christian Europe is saved.

~ 1572 ~ ITALY ~ Pope Pius V commemorates an annual remembrance of the Battle of Lepanto in honor of �Our Lady of Victory�.

~ 1573 ~ ITALY ~ Pope Gregory XIII sets aside the first Sunday in October calling it the �Feast of the Holy Rosary�.

~ 1587 ~ Mary Queen of Scotts is beheaded while wearing a necklace of pomander beads. (scented Rosaries)

~ 1590s ~ More and more men and women are wearing Rosaries around the neck.


~ 17th CENTURY ~

~ 1600s ~ The Apostles Creed is added to the Rosary prayer. The overall configuration and prayer sequence of the Rosary is becoming more and more universally the same.

~ 1627 ~ FRANCE ~ King Louis the XIII orders public recitation of the Rosary against the rebellious Huguenots. Fifteen thousand Rosaries are distributed to the troops with set hours of prayer. The battle is won and France is saved.

~ 1673 ~ FRANCE ~ St. Louis DeMontfort is born in Brittany. He will be the founder of two religious orders and many of his sermons are now in book form. �True Devotion to Mary, ' The Secret of Mary� and the �Secret of the Rosary� are the most popular. Today these books guide those who choose to Consecrate their lives to Jesus through Mary.

~ 1683 ~ AUSTRIA ~ Again the Saracens tried to invade. Their navy is broken but their army is strong. They try to take over the Balkan area by going into Vienna. King Leopold turns to Our Lady of the Rosary and the city is miraculously saved.

~ NOTE ~

There are many records of Rosaries (made for European use) from the Orient, of amber, crystal, coral and fine, aromatic woods. Rosaries made in Portuguese India are highly prized from a �very early date�.


~ 18th CENTURY ~

~ 1700s ~ AUSTRIA and BAVARIA ~ At end of this century and into the next, a silver filigree rosary is popular. Very elegant, with the Paternosters of filigree beads and the Ave�s in coral, crystal and other precious stones. Small reliquary boxes from pilgrimages are attached and many have unidentified pieces of wood set into the crosses. Seven decades of Ave beads are popular. (These filigree Rosaries are still being made today.)



~ 19th CENTURY ~

~ 1826 ~ The �Living Rosary� is formed. Fifteen members create a circle of prayer, each agreeing to say a single decade each day. With this, each circle completes the whole Rosary.

~ 1834 ~ One Eustace Sirena authors hymns of the Rosary which are to be sung at 1st Vespers, Matins, Lauds and 2nd vespers. They include the mysteries and end with an invitation for one to �weave a crown of flowers� from the prayers of the Rosary for Mary.

~ 1846 ~ FRANCE ~ In La Salette, two children, Melanie (15) and Maximin (11) are asked by the Blessed Lady if they say their prayers well. �Hardly at all�, they replied, at which she firmly and lovingly suggests they say at least an �Our Father� or a �Hail Mary� at night and in the morning.

~ 1858 ~ FRANCE ~ When Bernadette of Lourdes sees the Lady - she reaches for her Rosary beads in fear, but is made motionless. Mary makes the sign of the cross with the Rosary she has in her hand and immediately, Bernadette is able to do the same. �Once I made the sign of the cross,... fear left� She said, and prayed the Rosary in the Lady�s presence. When Bernadette tells Abbe (Father) Peyramale that Mary says, �I am the Immaculate Conception� , this simple peasant girl could hardly pronounce it. (A term is known only to the hierarchy).

~ 1871 ~ FRANCE ~ The apparition of Mary in Pontmain is in fullness when pastor Abbe Guerin begins to recite the Rosary. �The stars on her navy blue gown grew larger and larger until she appears clothed in gold.� The result of her apparition is that the invading army of Prussia withdraws. Some Prussian soldiers on the outskirts of the city see the Virgin too, �... guarding the country and forbidding us to advance�.

~ 1879 ~ IRELAND ~ When Mary appears in Knock with St. Joseph and St. John, her silent mission gives hope and comfort to the people afflicted with the deadly potato famine and for a people who are often denied the right to attend Mass. During her visit, the people recite the Rosary, which they call the �Irish Catechism�.

~ 1883 - 1894 ~ Pope Leo XIII promotes the Rosary as the �most glorious and effective prayer� for those who want to reach Jesus through Mary. He encourages the Family Rosary and writes 12 encyclicals and many apostolic exhortations and letters on the Rosary, more than any Pope before him.

~ 1892 ~ NEW YORK (Ellis Island): becomes a center for immigration. Hundreds of thousands of Immigration Rosaries are entering the new country at an unprecedented rate in the pockets and hands of people from Germany, Italy, Spain, France and other countries. America is receiving a new blessing from these people.

~ 1898 ~ ITALY ~ Leo XIII issues a new charter of sorts, in the Apostolic Constitution on the Rosary Confraternity.


~ 20th CENTURY ~

~ 1900 ~ According to a vision given to Pope Leo XIII late in the 1800s, this century is given to the devil. We see two major world wars along with Korea and Viet Nam. Prayer is removed from school and following this there is a fast pacing breakdown of morality. Killing the unborn becomes commonplace. People are more and more confused by New Age practices and attitudes. The Rosary which is truly the prayer of peace, has fallen into disuse along with general prayer and the effects are overwhelming. Church attendance and family values suffer. Godless people commit horrendous atrocities against the people of Bosnia. This age will become known as the 'Culture of Death'

In this century, Mary visits her children more than ever before in history. Medjugorje becomes a major pilgrim site. The people of the war zone begin to understand why she came to their country.

And in this century there is an upswing in the activity of the Holy Spirit. Gifts become manifest in what are called the last days.

~ 1914 ~ BOSNIA ~ Arch Duke Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo, the capitol of the Austrian province of Bosnia. There is great unrest in Europe.

~ 1917 ~ PORTUGUAL - FATIMA

In Fatima, the aroma of roses is present. Mary has a Rosary in her hand and calls herself �The Lady of the Rosary� and encourages the children to �Say the rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world and an end to the war.�

The children, saddened by the anger their parents have shown over the story of the first apparition, decide not to take their usual short cut in saying only the titles �Our Father� and �Hail Mary - Holy Mary� on each bead of the Rosary any more. They agree to say the whole prayer on each bead in hopes of making things better.

~ 1953 ~ Syracusa Italy

In 1953 in a little village of Syracusa, Italy, The Weeping Madonna.

~ 1992 - ~ 2002. Medjugoria

Our lady is appearing in Medjugoria frequently to this day. As yet the Catholic Church has not made any recommendations or ruling on this phenomena.



Australia

There are a number of sites throughout Australia where Our Lady has appeared and miracles continue through her intercession. Some of these places are:

1998 Berrimah - NSW
1998 Bullsbrook - WA - Our Lady of the Revelations

In her service,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Charles,

If the Virgin Mary wants to appear among us to encourage us to follow Her Son . . . I, for one, won't presume to tell Her to be a "stay-at-home" Mother of God!

Alex

Bless, Father Gregory,

Oh, all right, you've convinced to pray the rosary already . . .

Alex

And no one said you should! The Church makes one of two pronouncements on apparitions - that is, when it makes any pronouncement at all. They are either declared worthy of belief, or unworthy of belief. No one is ever required to believe any apparition, since those are private revelations. And I understand that in the Latin Church, those pronouncement don't come from Rome. Their canon law requires the local bishop to investigate and rule on the apparition.

Dear Charles,

That's fine, but so much of our prayer life connected to the Theotokos is based on apparitions - approved by the Church of course.

The prayer "It is truly meet" was revealed by an apparition, so was the prayer "Most Holy MOther of God help us (save us, protect us)" and this to the Apostles after her Dormition.

The thousands of miraculous icons and their miraculous copies (the Pochaiv icon alone has more than 300 miraculous copies world-wide) - these are all based on miraculous interventions and apparitions.

The Rule of the Mother of God was, according to St Seraphim, also revealed to a monk in the 8th century, and St Seraphim himself experienced a few apparitions where, in one, the Theotokos referred to him as "one of our own kind."

So have many other Eastern Saints, as well as Western.

I think apparitions should be examined by the Church authorities, absolutely.

I know of one apparition that will probably never be made public for all kinds of reasons. I've seen the photograph with my own eyes - something I'll tell you that is really amazing and taken with a regular camera!

However, the place where it occurred has taken to doing outdoor processions with an image that comes closest to the photograph taken. I won't say more since I came across the photo quite by accident and the Church is officially remaining silent on the matter - the picture was on top of a priest's desk in his study where I was told to wait for him. I'm a natural born snoop . . .

The Mother of God has revealed herself thousands of times since her Dormition and apparitions of her are just part of devotion to her.

And who, of the devotees of the Theotokos, have not experienced their own sense of her Presence in their lives, at special times - something that is so profound and momentous that they KNOW she is communicating with them.

Although, yes, the Bollandists would have their say on the matter . . .

Alex

Indeed Alex I have heard that this is true.

Alice

I KNOW it is true

Anhelyna

Dear Anhelyna,

By the grace of God, I also know this to be true.

It is just that I once shared something like this on another board, and every once in a while, a nasty and arrogant Orthodox male would allude to it and mock me.

It is good to know that we are safe to share these type of things here because it is a loving and spiritual environment.

It is good to know that we have a wise and fair Administrator to look after us, and to chide us when necessary.

May our Lady Theotokos intercede for, protect, and comfort you and Alex always!
Alice

Father Gregory,
I always look forward to reading your prayer suggestions and hints. May you blessed for them.

Perhaps on another thread you might explain some of the scriptural background necessary to pray the psalms effectively.

Peace be with you,
Indigo

Thank and bless you for this thread. Neither the rosary nor Mary were part of my upbringing an they are still closed to me. I make simple wooden rosaries and know they bring solace to many I give them to, but I do not have the energy or concentration just now with this illness to pray it myself. That is fine; prayer, as you say, is prayer. And always the practice of the Presence of God is the "purpose". And He blesses me, all unworthily, mightily as I pray in my simple but constant way of solitude here. Much food for thought here....

Dear Irish Anchoress,

I welcome you to the forum!

Forgive my curiousity (and perhaps, my ignorance), but I am confused as to why you said that the Blessed Virgin Mary is "still closed to you"'? Is it because you are Protestant? Our Blessed Mother of God is open to hear the prayers and to intercede for all of her children, whether Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox. Martin Luther, infact, had great devotion to our Lady.

Your website is very beautiful... Are you an ascete, or part of a monastic community?

I just want to understand your post and your website better. Please forgive me if this has been discussed before or if I have missed something.

It is always nice to have people from other countries on our little forum community. I look forward to your holy contributions!

May God bless you,
Alice

Bless and thank you Alice, and it is fine to ask always. I was raised Church of England, when that was a very different Church from now; a strong and simple faith. I am now not a member of any denominational Church. And I am a Consecrated Anchoress/Nun in a Religious Order; Living Stream, Little Sisters, Sisters of Faith. My Vows and my vocation are in the safe-keeping of our Arch-Abbess. The Order is Old Catholic, founded in England in 1860; we are in Communion with the Byzantine Catholics in Canada - which is how I am here with you; and thus with Rome.
I go to RC Mass, when I am well enough which is not often; all my prayer and worship and praise are up here alone on God's Holy Mountain. It is a very "old" calling He has entrusted to me.
But we are autocephalous. And we embrace Sisters all over the world and from all Catholic denominations. We took in the small group of Byzantine Catholic Nuns in Canada, for example. we are Traditional Catholic Nuns; as the face of religious life changes beyond all recognition, Sisters come to us from other Orders. We wear the full Monastic Habit all the time as a witness and availability to all who see us. We are all Solitaries or small groups; either in very active ministries eg feeding homeless ones and aboriginal children, or hermits/Anchoresses. It is the only place I have found where my very unuusal Vocation is understood and cherished. And where the fact that I am semi-bedbound matters not.We know we are nothing without prayer, and my life here, totally apart from the world, is fully and wholly prayer now. I see no-one here who God does not bring to me. I trust all I have and all I am to Him. Mary; I wait on Jesus for this, simply as I do for all else now. I understand and accept all you say. These things cannot be forced ever. In His time, in His way always. How He brings us to where He wants us is the most humbling and fascinating thing! Abandonment to His will and His ways is all to me now.

PS. Forgive me; I omitted to thank you for your kindness about my website. And I do not do the technical part; that is Justin, a gifted and generous young Christian in New York. Please pray for him as he has lost his job in a takeover. Thank you.

Dear Sister, I am a bit confused. I was unaware of any Byzantine Catholic Churches being in communion with any Old Catholic or other communities who are not in communion with Rome; although I am aware of Byzantine Catholics informally sharing the Eucharist with certain Orthodox believers. Could you please elaborate?
I am also aware that there are a few vagante groups who style themselves "Byzantine Catholic" but who are not in communion with Rome, or for that matter, hardly anyone else...
-Daniel, puzzled