Faith-Full.com

The idea of the rosary came to St. Dominic in 1214 when he had a vision of Mary, as a powerful means to pray to her for special grace, especially for converting heretics. A 15 decade rosary is a devotional prayer of all the mysteries that Catholics pray to Mary. It includes three mysteries through five meditations which is 15. In 2002 Pope John Paul II added another mystery which makes a full rosary 20 decades. A rosary is also a garland of roses or beads as a method of keeping track of the recited prayers physically, so the mind can totally focus on the prayer. The history of a 15 decade rosary will depend on where it is made. Many monasteries make them and their inhabitants wear them.

The history of a 15 decade rosary goes back to Pope St. Pius V in the 16^th century where the custom began to group the mysteries into three sets: the joyful, the glorious and the sorrowful mysteries. The form of the rosary beads began in the 15^th century with a chain of beads with five decades or set of 10 beads with one larger oval bead between the decades. There are also a few beads representing the introductory prayers with a cross or crucifix on the end.

Another history of a 15 decade rosary is, rosaries made by Carmelite nuns. They are made from genuine crushed flower petals, rose petals and also jasmine petals. There is a process where the crushed petals are made into beads and harden. The fragrance stays with them for years. This can also be done at home. Instructions can be found online. It is also possible to custom make your own rosary. Online there are sites where you can order the size of rosary you want as well as the type of beads, colors, medals and crucifixes and the metal, usually sterling silver or gold.

Fifteen decade rosaries are quite long, between 30 and 48 inches, usually, and are more expensive because there are more beads. If your beads are semi-precious gem stones or Murano glass, the cost could go much higher. Franciscan corded wood beads will be less expensive, but quite heavy to carry or pack and you may want to consider making your own. There are sites online where you can get correct instructions for making your own rosary. If you make one and hand it down for generations the history of a 15 decade rosary will continue in your family.

When Pope John Paul II introduced the luminous mysteries in 2002 he made history of a 15 decade rosary. Today for a Roman Catholic to recite the full rosary he needs a 20 decade rosary. This is very long and can also be quite heavy. Some people prefer to use a five decade rosary several times and some use the ancient method of knots in twine, which is the first way rosaries were counted by monks. This you can make yourself and is easy to keep with you.