The Rosary Collector's Guide

The Rosary Collector’s Guide
By Helen Hoffner, Ed.D.
 
            How many decades are in a rosary?  Most Catholics would probably answer five.  Although the five decade rosary is the most popular, the church has approved variations with seven, fifteen, and twenty decades as well as rosaries or chaplets that have beads organized in sets of three rather than ten. My mother and I have a collection that includes all of them.
 
            Growing up in Philadelphia in the 1930s and 1940s, my mother, Gloria Brady Hoffner, enjoyed the Sunday mornings when missionary priests would visit her parish and sell rosaries to raise money for their work overseas. Fascinated by the beautiful beads and tales of far-away lands, she purchased several rosaries and began a collection that has grown throughout her life. 
 
            One day my mother visited an antique shop and saw a rosary with seven decades instead of five. It sparked her curiosity so she bought it and invited me to join her in researching its meaning.  That single purchase started a journey that has taken us to churches, shrines, museums, and flea markets around the world to gather and learn more about rosaries. Together we now investigate the meaning behind each rosary’s center medal, crucifix, and beads.  We wonder whose hands have held it and what their special prayer intentions might have been.
 
            Among the most unique in the collection are our wedding lasso rosaries.   A wedding lasso consists of two complete five decade rosaries which are joined at the center medal and share the traditional pendant of three Hail Mary beads, an Our Father bead, and a cross or crucifix.  During a nuptial mass, the priest places one branch of the lasso around the neck of the bride and one around the groom. The pendant hangs between the couple as prayers are said for a happy marriage. 
 
            The brass pull chain rosaries which chaplains gave to United States military personnel during World Wars I and II are among our most honored religious articles. These strong rosaries could withstand the rough treatment they received as soldiers carried them into battle zones. They have also been called pull chain or plumbers’ rosaries because the beads and chains resemble the pull chains that were used on sink stoppers of the era. Many of the pull chain rosaries that surface today at flea markets and antique stores have lost their gleam because soldiers dulled them on purpose. The shine of a brass rosary could have revealed a soldier’s location to an enemy and put lives at risk. 
 
      As they pray, Catholics are encouraged to reflect upon the mysteries of the rosary, significant events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.  There are four sets of mysteries: the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous.  Each set includes five events, one for each decade of the traditional rosary. Rosaries with fifteen decades were most likely made before 2002, the year in which St. Pope John Paul II introduced the luminous mysteries as the fourth set. Rosaries with twenty decades honor the four sets of mysteries.  
 
 
            The Stations of the Cross Chaplet has fourteen groups of three beads each, with a medal to honor every station.   It is recommended that the three beads in each group be used to say an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be prayer while reflecting upon the Stations of the Cross.
 
            The seven decade example that motivated my mother and I to begin our rosary research is called the Franciscan Crown Chaplet.  Also known as the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chaplet, it is based on the legend that Mary appeared to a Franciscan novice named James circa 1422 and encouraged him to meditate upon the seven most joyful events in her life. 
 
            As my mother and I gathered rosaries, we searched for books that would help with our research.  The stores and libraries were filled with beautiful rosary prayer books but nothing that explained the origin of each type or the materials used in making them.   We decided to fill this need by compiling the notes we had gathered and conducting more research to write, The Rosary Collector’s Guide, a 152 page book with over 200 color photographs.  The rosary variations shown and describe in the book range from historical pieces such as the one decade “tenner” owned by England’s King Henry VIII to new twenty decade rosaries honoring the work of St. Pope John Paul II.   The Rosary Collector’s Guideis sold in bookstores and online.  We enjoy answering questions from readers.  Our goal is to help them understand the symbols that appear on their family rosaries and estimating the time and place in which they were made.    
 
            Every rosary, old or new, is an aid to prayer.  Learning the meaning behind each variation gives us a deeper understanding of the role that the rosary can play in everyone’s life.