In this post, Kelly McLellan gives a brief description of the practice of praying with beads and introduces the Protestant, or Anglican, Rosary. She concludes with sample prayer and meditation for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. If you are interested in learning how to make your own basic rosary with twine, or would like to receive a weekly meditation for praying with beads this Lenten season, you can find FREE resources here.

Introduction to Prayer beads

Through the ages, prayer beads have been used as a universal tool for meditation and prayer in most every culture and faith tradition. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Baha’i Faith all use some form of prayer beads to recite chants, prayers, or devotions. Judaism uses knotted fringes on the corners of a prayer shawl as a reminder for prayer.

The practice of pausing on each knot or bead during prayer helps us to center our hearts on God and to guard our minds against distraction.

Using beads during prayer in the Christian faith is believed to originate with the Desert Mothers and Fathers around the 3rd and early 4th centuries when they carried pebbles in pouches to be used for counting prayer. These pebbles eventually became knots in a rope or beads which were strung on a cord.

The Catholic rosary has been used for centuries with specific prayers prescribed for each bead. The Protestant Rosary, sometimes referred to as the Anglican Rosary, is a more recent invention which allows for freedom and creativity, as there is no one prescribed way to use the beads. The Eastern Orthodox Church generally uses ropes tied with knots rather than beads. Whether pebbles, knots, or beads, all of these tools share the common goal of meditating deeply on the mysteries of Christ and the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit. 

The Protestant, or Anglican, Rosary

As one who has found myself in the Protestant tradition of the Christian faith, I was delighted to be introduced to the practice of praying with beads through the Protestant Rosary. This style of rosary features 33 beads signifying the number of years Jesus Christ lived on earth. The circle is divided into four sections of seven beads each, which represents the seven days of creation, seven days in the week, and the seven seasons in the liturgical calendar. The four distinct beads inside the circle are called cruciform beads because they form an invisible cross. The large pendant is referred to as the invitatory bead and serves to invite us into a circle of prayer with God. Just above the invitatory bead is the resurrection bead which symbolizes the light of Jesus Christ, through whom we are invited into relationship with God.

Personally, I use the rosary as a way of enhancing my prayer life during different seasons of the liturgical year. Praying with beads during the season of Lent serves to set apart my time of prayer helps to move Scripture from my head to my heart. Here is a sample prayer for praying with beads this Lenten season. This prayer could be used with a Protestant Rosary or piece of twine tied with knots. If you’d prefer, you can download and print this practice.

Praying with beads: A Practice for Ash Wednesday

Sample prayer for the Anglican Rosary

Begin by getting still, take several centering breaths, and slowly read Isaiah 58:1-12. We will meditate on this Scripture in our practice.

When you are ready to begin, hold the invitatory bead and focus on the meditation assigned to it. After a few moments, move on to the Resurrection bead and do the same. Enter the circle of prayer with the first Cruciform bead and slowly work around the circle to the right.

Invitatory bead– Focus on God, Our Rock and our Redeemer

Resurrection bead– Focus on Christ, who has restored our relationship with God

1st Cruciform bead: You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

1st set of Weeks beads: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke

2nd Cruciform bead: You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

2nd set of Weeks beads: to set the oppressed free and break every yoke 

3rd Cruciform bead: You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

3rd set of Weeks beads: to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter

4th Cruciform bead: You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

4th set of Weeks beads: when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

1st Cruciform bead: Upon returning back to the 1st Cruciform bead, you may choose to continue around the circle again or exit your time of prayer.

Resurrection bead– “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed…Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Invitatory bead- Take a deep breath. Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you how you might “fast” this season of Lent. Ask the Spirit to highlight areas of injustice, oppression, hunger, and need in your midst and to show you how to spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry, needy, and oppressed. Take a moment to sit in silence with the intention to have ears to hear all the God wants to tell you. 

Interested in learning more about praying with beads?  Sign up for a self-paced study, Praying with Beads, check out Father Ryan’s new book Praying by Hand, Praying with Beads: A Universal Form of Prayer, or get FREE resources here.