The Porziuncola Project
Rosaries & Chaplets to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O'Mary conceived without sin,
Pray for us who have recourse to thee.
The Franciscan Crown Rosary
(or the Chaplet of the Seven Joys of Mary)
The For centuries the Franciscan Order has carried and prayed a seven decade Rosary. The seven decades are for each of the seven joys of Mary. As ancient as the Dominican fifteen decade Rosary, the Franciscans have commonly prayed this form of the Rosary.
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The Franciscan Crown Rosary is prayed in the same way as the common Rosary except one begins directly with the first mystery. There is no introduction with the Creed, an Our Father and three Hail Marys. However, there is nothing to stop a person from so doing. It is traditionally believed that Mary lived on earth for seventy-two years. Once a person has prayed all seven decades he has prayed seventy Hail Mary prayers. At the end of the Rosary there are two more Hail Mary prayers prayed in honor of Our Lady's seventy-two years on earth.
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The Franciscan Crown Rosary is very similar to the familiar five decades of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Only, instead of the Fourth Mystery of Presentation there is the Adoration of the Magi. The two extra decades are the Appearance of Jesus to Mary after the Resurrection and the Assumption and Coronation of Mary.
The Mysteries of the Franciscan Crown Rosary
1. The Annunciation: In this mystery we contemplate how Our Lady's words "Fiat Mihi" or "Let it be done unto me", changed the world forever. She gave God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the permission to become man. Her yea to God changed the world forever.
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2. The Visitation: In this mystery we reflect upon Our Lady's visit to her cousin Saint Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. We reflect upon Our Lady's desire to bring Jesus to Elizabeth and how, through Mary, John lept in his mother's womb. It was here that Mary sang her Magnificat.
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3. The Nativity of Jesus: In this mystery we reflect upon the most amazing moment when Christ, the Eternal Son of the Father, was born among us as one of us. We reflect upon the poverty of Bethlehem and Mary's joy in giving birth to the Savior of the World.
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4. The Adoration of the Magi: This mystery reminds us that Jesus did not come for the few, but for the whole world. Led by the star of Bethlehem, the three Magi arrive at the stable in order to do Jesus just homage as the King of Kings. They present their gifts of gold; for the King, Frankincense, because He is God, and Myrrh; because He has come to suffer.
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5. The Finding of the Child Jesus: After three days of searching for Jesus, Mary and Joseph finally found Him in the temple. We can only imagine the complete joy of their discovering Him. We reflect upon the relief that must have come over them after having been so distraught over His disappearance.
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6. Jesus Appears to Mary After the Resurrection: It has long been a Franciscan belief that the reason why no one was finding the body of Jesus at the tomb, was because He was at His mother's house. It is only right that she, who believed He would rise, should be the first to behold Him. That she, who suffered so much should be the first to be consoled.
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7. The Assumption and Coronation of Mary: We reflect upon the Old Testament prefigurement of King Solomon sitting his mother on the throne and declaring his mother Queen. In this mystery we see how Jesus fulfills this prefigurement by assuming His mother into Heaven and declaring her Queen of Heaven and Earth.
The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
The Seven Founders of the Servite Order promoted devotion to Our Lady's seven sorrows. Each one of the seven sorrows is drawn, mostly, from Scripture and reflects upon the incredible suffering that the Blessed Virgin Mother endured for love of us.
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For some further reflections on Our Lady's sorrows, see Saint Alphonus Ligouri's book: "The Glory of the Martyrs". Near the end of the book he reflects upon each of her seven sorrows and helps the reader to understand the depth of her sorrow. Our Lady is called " The Queen of Martyrs" because, all the other martyrs looked to the cross for consolation, for our Lady, the Cross was the cause of her sufferings.
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The Chaplet of Our Lady's Seven Sorrows begins like the regular Rosary; Creed, Our Father and three Hail Mary prayers. However, instead of praying ten Hail Marys for each decade you pray seven. It ends like any other common Rosary.
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The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
1. The Prophecy of Simeon: The Presentation in the Temple begins with words of great joy. But in this first sorrow we see how that joy is turned into suffering as Mary is told by Simeon: "This child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel. A sign that shall be contradicted. And you yourself a sword shall pierce so that the thoughts of many may be laid bare."
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2. The Flight into Egypt: The angel of the Lord tells Joseph to take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt because Herod is seeking to kill the child. There is the sorrow of having to flee into a foreign land for the next seven years, but there is also the sorrow of knowing that every two year old boy and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding region was murdered so that He might escape.
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3. The Loosing of the Child Jesus for Three Days: It is hard for us to imagine the absolute and incredible horror that overcomes a parent that has a child missing. For three days Joseph and Mary searched for Jesus. What thoughts must have gone through their minds? Three days and three nights searching for their lost twelve year old child. In this mystery we spend time reflecting on their agony.
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4. Mary meets Jesus on His way to Calvary: Three years prior to this moment Our Lord had told Mary that His hour of suffering had not yet come. In her love for us and in her desire for our salvation she initiated the hour of His suffering. Here we contemplate this moment where they met along the path to Calvary. What did they say to each other?
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5. Mary beholds Jesus crucified and dying on Calvary: In this mystery we think about Mary standing at the foot of the cross and beholding her Son struggling to breathe, struggling to speak and His body so tortured. We think about the sufferings of her heart and how she, on the altar of her heart, is offering her Son to the Father for our redemption.
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6. Mary Receives Jesus Dead Body on Calvary: Many artists, sculptors and painters have tried to capture this moment. It is often referred to as the "Pieta". When Michaelangelo sculpted his Pieta, he made Mary's face very serene and said: "What expression but serenity could capture the sufferings of the Mother of God?"
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7. Mary Lays Jesus in the Tomb: The Blessed Mother told St. Bridgette that when they rolled the stone in front of the tomb that there were two hearts in the tomb; hers and His. She quoted Scripture: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be." Many of us have known parents who have had to bury their children, how great was the suffering of Mary as she burried the Son of Gof, her baby.
The Chaplet of the Seven Glories of Mary
The Chaplet of the Seven Glories of Mary is a relatively new devotion that is being promoted by what is known as "Marian Maximilists", those who believe that we should dive ever deeper into the truths about the person of Mary.
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The Seven Glories of Mary is a reflection about the seven privileges that were given to Mary and to Mary alone. In other words, only Mary received these seven singular graces. These particular gifts were given to her because she was to be the Mother of God, or secondly because she is the Mother of God.
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Meditation upon the mysteries of this chaplet help us to reflect upon Mary's part in our salvation. It reminds us of Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers. You will lie in wait for her heal and she will crush your head.". The Book of Genesis tells us that the child will save us, but not without the help of a "woman".
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The Seven Glories of Mary:
1. The Immaculate Conception: In this mystery we contemplate how, by a singular grace, with a view to our redemption, Our Lord, preserved His mother from the stain of Original Sin. The Angel Gabriel called her: "Full of Grace". A title that denotes that she had the fullness of all God's gifts. There was nothing lacking in her.
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2. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary: In this mystery we contemplate the Church's teaching, decreed in 649 ad. at the Vatican Synod, that Mary was a Virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. The mystery is Scriptualy based in Isaiah 7: "The Virgin shall be with child and bear a son. And they shall name Him Emmanuel; 'God with us'".
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3. The Divine Maternity: Mary has always been known as the "Theotokos" or "God Bearer". In this mystery we reflect upon the fact that Mary is the Mother of God. Even though Jesus pre-existed her, He was born among us in time as one of us. Mary gave birth to a person, and that person is the Second Person of the Trinity. She gave Him His Sacred Humanity through which He saved us.
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4. The Universal Motherhood of Mary: As we contemplate this mystery we reflect upon the truth that Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, but the Mother of us all. While dying on Calvary Jesus said to His beloved Disciple: "Behold your mother." He had said at the Last Supper: "I will not leave you orphans." And He hasn't. He gave us His Father and His mother as to be our own.
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5. Mary: Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces: These two great roles of Our Ladt refer to the important role that our Lady played in our redemption; not equal to Christ, but under and with Christ. It also refers to how she continually mediates all graces to us. In other words; Jesus came to us through her and so He continues to come to us through her. Every grace flows through her Immaculate heart.
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6. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Into Heaven: In this mystery we see how Jesus reverences His mother by fulfilling the Scripture; "The Lord will not allow His beloved to undergo corruption". Mary is the first to receive the resurrection from the dead. It is only right that she who gave, with pure love, so much to God should receive so much from Him.
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7. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: This seventh privilege of being crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth is granted to Mary because she is the "Queen Mother" prefigured by Solomon. From her place in heaven, like Queen Esther, Mary continues to intercede for her people, us, her children, that we make it safely home to heaven. The Mother of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
