Contemplation

The Rhythms of the Rosary

Counted prayer is older than any one tradition. Here are the three forms as they are prayed today — each with its beads, its history, and a step-by-step guide you can follow beside your own rope or chaplet.

Anglican prayer beads with four cruciform divisions and a wooden crossAnglican

The Anglican Rosary

A contemplative set of beads shaped for scripture and the collects, counting the thirty-three years of Christ's earthly life.

33 beads — 4 weeks of 7, with 4 cruciform beads and an invitatoryWooden Catholic rosary beads and crucifix on pale linenCatholic

The Holy Rosary

Five decades of Hail Marys, each meditating a mystery of the life of Christ: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous.

59 beads — five decades with the crucifix and the introductory beadsBlack knotted wool Komboskini prayer rope with a tasselOrthodox

The Prayer Rope (Komboskini)

A knotted wool rope for the unceasing Jesus Prayer, tied by monastics and prayed with the breath.

33, 50, 100 or 300 wool knots with a tassel