I came home today and opened the mailbox to find a package inside from Brother Nathan-James, an Anglican brother in Buranda, Australia. When I opened it up, inside was this lovely Anglican rosary he made just for me.
I first connected with Brother Nathan-James more than year ago when I was researching Bead One, Pray Too. A Google search for “Anglican rosary” turned him up and the fact that he teaches workshops in making and using them in Australia. We started up an email correspondence, and his writing to me in no small way informed what I eventually wrote in the book.
A couple of weeks ago, he emailed me to tell me he had started his own blog on the subject of Anglican prayer beads and wanted to talk a little “blogging shop.” And out of his kindness, he asked if he could send me a set of prayer beads he made.
And you all know – I NEVER turn down a set of prayer beads!
Along with the beads he sent this very cool booklet he wrote that he gives to people who take his workshop. It is called “The Anglican Rosary: Contemporary practice of the ancient tradition of prayer and meditation using prayer beads.” Inside, it has a history of prayer beads, a description of the Anglican rosary, how to pray it and how to make it. It also has some wonderful suggestions for personalizing your Anglican rosary (like picking a theme for the prayers you will use) and a really great section on conducting a group session with the Anglican rosary. There are also lots of prayers and space to write your own.
Here’s a prayer from the booklet I particularly like:
“A Night Prayer”
On the Cross
Our help is in the name of the Lord; who made heaven and earth
On the Invitatory Bead
The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end
On the Cruciform Beads
Holy God, Holy and strong, Holy and immortal; have mercy on us.
On the Weeks Beads
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
On the Invitatory Bead (at the conclusion of 3 rounds)
Now Lord let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation; which you have prepared in the sight of every people.
A light to reveal you to the nations; and the glory of your people Israel.
On the Cross
Let us bless the Lord, thanks be to God.
So, I hope you all visit Brother Nathan’s new blog – http://www.anglicanrosary.wordpress.com. In a note he enclosed with my beautiful gift, he asks if any of you have an anecdote to share about your use of the Anglican rosary, please consider sharing them on a special page on his blog. I am going to add his blog to my blogroll, so you should be able to just click on it and get there from here.
Please drop into Brother Nathan-James’s blog and tell him what you think! THANK YOU, Brother Nathan-James!
While serving as a hospital chaplain, as a Lutheran, I learned how to make prayer beads and three or four years later, I am still making them and encouraging other Lutherans to adopt them.
I buy most of my beads locally which is somewhat limiting and I wonder how you go about determining color combinations. Sometimes, I think that what I think looks good might not be shared.
Also, I tend to use two spacer beads between the week beads. Of course, this adds another color decision.
I’d appreciate any suggestions which you might have.
Hi Kimberly. Great to see the package arrived safe an sound. I really enjoyed making the rosary for you. Also thanks for sharing you thoughts with folk here.
I thought I’d just also update you to let you know my rosary website now has its own offical address http://www.anglicanrosary.net. I have moved on from the wordpress blog to be able to have more flexibility with how I put my site together.
And yes, I certainly do encourage folk to come on ‘down under’ and have a look and your thoughts and experiences of making an using the anglican rosary would be most welcome.
Pax
Nathan
i love making prayer beads.i have alot of pictures up on epage.comim working on alot of prayer beads with tassels
This spring I led a retreat and part of it was praying the Anglican rosary together. I made 18 rosaries to give, none with beads but only knots, using a small cotton twine, then among rosary prayers I found in my search on the Internet, I formed some using the Book of Common Prayer…it is a rich resource of familiarity and depth.. making rosaries has become a meditation, giving them with the prayers has become a practice…