What is the Life of Christ Rosary?
Dom. Dominic of Prussia (1384-1460) was a Carthusian hermit of the Charterhouse of St. Alban in what is now southwest Germany. Somewhere between 1409 and 1415, he composed a set of 50 meditations on the life of Christ which were to be added to each of 50 Hail Marys said using the Rosary beads. St. Louis De Montfort in his The Secret of the Rosary relates the following on Dom. Dominic’s vision of the heavenly realities associated with the prayer of the Rosary:
“Father Dominic, a Carthusian, who was deeply devoted to the holy Rosary, had a vision in which he saw heaven open and the whole heavenly court assembled in magnificent array. He heard them sing the Rosary in an enchanting melody, and each decade was in honor of a mystery of the life, passion, or glory of Jesus Christ and his holy Mother. Fr. Dominic noticed that whenever they pronounced the holy name of Mary they bowed their head, and at the name of Jesus they genuflected and gave thanks to God for the great good that he had wrought in heaven and on earth through the holy Rosary. He also saw how our Lady and the Saints present to God the Rosaries which the Confraternity members say here on earth. He noticed too that they were praying for those who practice this devotion. He also saw beautiful crowns without number, which were made of sweet-smelling flowers, for those who say the Rosary devoutly. He learned that by every Rosary that they say they make a crown for themselves which they will be able to wear in heaven.” (Secret of the Rosary, no. 94)
The primary difference between the Life of Christ Rosary and the Dominican with which most are now more familiar is in the structure of the mysteries. The Dominican has 20 mysteries, divided into four sets of five, with each mystery meditated upon while repeating a decade of ten Hail Marys. These sets are often prayed one set per day on different days of the week, so that over the course of four days one has gone through all 20 mysteries. In contrast, the Life of Christ Rosary has a total of 50 mysteries, each of which is prayed once in conjunction with the 50 Hail Mary prayers. Thus, one is walked through the life of our Lord each time one prays it.
Original text Copyright 2012 by Daniel A.C. Frattarelli
Dom. Dominic of Prussia (1384-1460) was a Carthusian hermit of the Charterhouse of St. Alban in what is now southwest Germany. Somewhere between 1409 and 1415, he composed a set of 50 meditations on the life of Christ which were to be added to each of 50 Hail Marys said using the Rosary beads. St. Louis De Montfort in his The Secret of the Rosary relates the following on Dom. Dominic’s vision of the heavenly realities associated with the prayer of the Rosary:
“Father Dominic, a Carthusian, who was deeply devoted to the holy Rosary, had a vision in which he saw heaven open and the whole heavenly court assembled in magnificent array. He heard them sing the Rosary in an enchanting melody, and each decade was in honor of a mystery of the life, passion, or glory of Jesus Christ and his holy Mother. Fr. Dominic noticed that whenever they pronounced the holy name of Mary they bowed their head, and at the name of Jesus they genuflected and gave thanks to God for the great good that he had wrought in heaven and on earth through the holy Rosary. He also saw how our Lady and the Saints present to God the Rosaries which the Confraternity members say here on earth. He noticed too that they were praying for those who practice this devotion. He also saw beautiful crowns without number, which were made of sweet-smelling flowers, for those who say the Rosary devoutly. He learned that by every Rosary that they say they make a crown for themselves which they will be able to wear in heaven.” (Secret of the Rosary, no. 94)
The primary difference between the Life of Christ Rosary and the Dominican with which most are now more familiar is in the structure of the mysteries. The Dominican has 20 mysteries, divided into four sets of five, with each mystery meditated upon while repeating a decade of ten Hail Marys. These sets are often prayed one set per day on different days of the week, so that over the course of four days one has gone through all 20 mysteries. In contrast, the Life of Christ Rosary has a total of 50 mysteries, each of which is prayed once in conjunction with the 50 Hail Mary prayers. Thus, one is walked through the life of our Lord each time one prays it.
Original text Copyright 2012 by Daniel A.C. Frattarelli
