Editing Rosary (section)

==Rosary beads==
{{See also|Prayer beads}}

Rosary beads provide a physical method of keeping count of the number of Hail Marys said as the mysteries are contemplated.{{sfn|Ball|2003|pp=485–487}} By not having to keep track of the count mentally, the mind is free to meditate on the mysteries. While most rosaries contain five groups of ten beads, called "decades", some other rosaries, particularly those used by [[religious orders]], contain fifteen decades and since the early 20th century twenty decade rosaries have been manufactured.

Rosaries normally take the form of a loop from which hangs a short strand holding a crucifix or cross. The loop contains all the decades, the beads of which may be called Hail Mary beads as they are used for reciting the Hail Mary prayer, as well as one fewer Our Father beads, used for saying the Lord's Prayer, than there are decades. To make them stand out to the user's touch, Our Father beads are often larger, made of a different material, or spaced further apart from the Hail Mary beads. The pair of decades that do not have an Our Father bead between them instead have an attachment to a shorter strand of beads. This shorter strand has five beads on it and may connect to the main loop by a center medal, a knot or a large bead. The five beads are one Our Father bead, three Hail Mary beads, another Our Father bead then and finally a cross or crucifix.{{sfn|Ball|2003|pp=485–487}}<ref>Garry Wills, ''The Rosary'', Viking Press 2005, {{ISBN|0-670-03449-5}} p. 13</ref> A five-decade rosary consists of a "total" of 59 beads.<ref>Richard Poe, [http://www.chanttherosary.com/appendices/rosary-parts/ "Parts of the Rosary"], ''TheChantRosary.com'', 2-4-2018</ref>

Although counting the prayers on a string of beads is customary, the prayers of the Rosary do not require beads, but can be said using any type of counting device, by counting on the fingers, or by counting mentally.{{sfn|Ball|2003|pp=485–487}}

===Single-decade rosaries{{anchor|Single}}<!--This is linked from [[Rosary ring]]-->===

[[File:Bernsteinrosenkranz.JPG|thumb|A single-decade rosary]]

Single-decade rosaries can also be used: the devotee counts the same ring of ten beads repeatedly for every decade. During religious conflict in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland severe [[Penal Laws (Ireland)#Ascendancy rule 1691–1778|legal penalties]] were prescribed against practising Catholics. Small, easily hidden rosaries were thus used to avoid identification and became known as [[Irish penal rosary|Irish penal rosaries]].{{sfn|Ball|2003|pp=485–487}} Sometimes rather than a cross, other symbols of specific meanings were used: a hammer to signify the [[Nail (relic)|nails of the cross]], cords to represent the [[Flagellation of Christ|scourging]], a chalice to recall the [[Last Supper]], or a crowing [[rooster]] signifying the [[denial of Peter]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

===Materials and distribution===

[[File:Coronilla san miguel.jpg|thumb|A [[Chaplet of Saint Michael|Saint Michael Chaplet]]]]
The beads can be made from any materials, including wood, bone, [[glass]], crushed flowers, semi-precious stones such as [[agate]], [[jet (gemstone)|jet]], [[amber]], or [[jasper]], or precious materials including [[Coral (precious)#Coral as a gemstone|coral]], crystal, [[silver]], and [[gold]]. Beads may be made to include enclosed sacred relics or drops of [[holy water]]. Rosaries are sometimes made from the seeds of the "[[Abrus precatorius|rosary pea]]" or "[[Adenanthera pavonina|bead tree]]." Today, the vast majority of rosary beads are made of glass, plastic, or wood. It is common for beads to be made of material with some special significance, such as jet from the shrine of [[St. James the Greater|Saint James the Greater]] at [[Santiago de Compostela]], or olive seeds from the [[Garden of Gethsemane]]. In rare cases, beads are made of expensive materials, from [[gold]] and [[silver]], to [[mother of pearl]] and [[Swarovski]] black diamonds. Early rosaries were strung on thread, often [[silk]], but modern ones are more often made as a series of chain-linked beads. Most rosaries used in the world today have simple and inexpensive plastic or wooden beads connected by cords or strings. [[Italy]] has a strong manufacturing presence in medium- and high-cost rosaries.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

There are a number of rosary-making clubs around the world that make and distribute rosaries to missions, hospitals, prisons, etc. free of charge. [[Our Lady's Rosary Makers]] produce some 7 million rosaries annually that are distributed to those deemed to be in economic and spiritual need.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.olrm.org/| title = Our Lady's Rosary Makers, access-date: 15 May 2008.}}</ref>