Anglican prayer beads
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Sometimes known as the "Anglican Rosary," Christian prayer beads", or "ecumenical prayer beads," Anglican Prayer Beads are a loop of strung beads which Anglicans and other Christians use as a focus for prayer. Anglican Prayer Beads were developed in the mid-1980s by an Episcopal priest, the Rev. Lynn Bauman.
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[edit] The Beads
Anglican Prayer Bead sets consist of thirty-three beads. Unlike Eastern Orthodox Prayer Beads which also have thirty-three knots or beads, these are divided into four groups of seven with additional single beads separating the groups. The number thirty-three signifies the number of years that Christ lived on the Earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion in the faith, the days of creation, and the seasons of the Church year.
[edit] Groupings
The groupings are called "weeks," in contrast to the Dominican (i.e. Catholic) rosary which uses five groups of ten beads called "decades." The four beads between and usually larger than the "weeks" beads are called "cruciform" beads. When the loop of beads is opened into a circular shape, these particular beads form the points of a cross within the circle of the rosary, hence the term "cruciform." Next after the cross on Anglican Prayer Bead sets is a single bead termed the "invitatory" bead, giving the total of thirty-three. Prayer may begin on either the cross itself or on the "invitatory" bead. The beads used are made of a variety of materials, such as precious stones, wood, dried and painted seeds, coloured glass, antique jewelry, or even buttons. Anglican Prayer Bead sets are made with a variety of crosses or, occasionally, crucifixes.
[edit] Prayer
Unlike the traditional Catholic rosary which is used to venerate the Virgin Mary and to focus on the seminal events in the life of Christ, Anglican Prayer Beads most often are used as a tactile aid to focus one's attention on a variety of types of prayers and worship. Despite the name, Christians of many different denominations have taken up the use of Anglican Prayer Beads as a prayer aid.
