Protestant Prayer Beads

The rosary is a ancient and remarkable tool for prayer for millions of Catholic Christians around the world. But, for Protestants, a rosary can seem truly foreign and cumbersome. About 20 years ago, a female Episcopal priest solved the problem that the Reformation started -- she created Anglican or Protestant prayer beads.

Like prayer beads used by religions around the world, the Protestant prayer beads are imbued with symbolism. Each strand of prayer beads have 33 beads divided into four weeks of seven, four cruciform beads representing the cross, and an invitatory bead. The 33 beads represent the years of Christ's life; the four cruciform beads represent the seasons; and the seven beads in each "week" represent not only the days of the week but also the holy days and seasons in the church.

The use of Prayer Beads fosters contemplative prayer by bringing into use the whole of us – body, mind and spirit. The pressure of the fingers on each successive bead is an aid in keeping the mind from wandering, and the rhythm of the prayers leads one more readily into stillness.

Though no particular prayers are specified for the beads, there are many suggestions available online and in books. When I began to use these last year, I developed a complicated system for the prayers and consequently couldn't find my rhythm as much as I wanted to. Slowly, my own system evolved: I pray the Apostle's Creed at the cross; the Lord's prayer at the invitation bead; the Doxology at each cruciform; and an adaption of Psalm72:18-19 on each week bead: "Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be his glorious name forever. May his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and amen." I close with Psalm 19:14, which reads, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

When I finish a round of these prayers in the evening, I feel warm, grounded and aligned with the Holy Spirit. Then I'm ready to pray my own personal prayers with more focus and attention. And that has been an incredible blessing.

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Want your own Protestant Prayer Beads? There are many resources available online but I think the finest is Full Circle Beads. These beads are lovely and handcrafted in a wide variety of colors, stones, crosses and metals. They arrive packaged with utmost care. You can feel the love when you open the package. The photo above is a sample.