Confraternity of the Rosary
Encyclopedia
The Confraternity of the Holy Rosary is a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity
or spiritual association, under the care and guidance of the Dominicans, the members of which strive to pray the entire Holy Rosary
weekly.
in 1474 by Fr. James Sprenger
. It is known that there were Dominican
guilds or fraternities, but they may not have been connected with the Rosary
, itself being ancient, and the origins of which shrouded in the mists of time. Traditionally it is believed that both the rosary and the confraternity which bears it were founded by St. Dominic, an opinion voiced up until Pope
Leo XIII (The Rosary Pope) who wrote a series of 12 Encyclicals and 5 Apostolic Letters
on the Holy Rosary: "Its origin is distinguished by its antiquity, for St.Dominic himself is said to have been its founder."
is under the administration of the Dominican order, as is the Confraternity of the Holy Name
. Thus no new confraternity may be erected without the sanction of the Dominican general. Throughout the world, the Archconfraternity is administered by the different Provinces of the Dominican order. In the United States, the Eastern Dominican Province (Province of St. Joseph) has its Confraternity based in Columbus, Ohio. The Rosary Confraternity of the Western Dominican Province (Province of the Holy Name) is based in Portland
, Oregon
at their Rosary Center. It is probably the largest organization of its kind within the Catholic Church.
on the benefits of the Rosary, and a share of the merits and prayers of the saints and the Dominican order ) and social (in the form of group prayer
and a newsletter.
) and to be inscribed on the general register of the confraternity. Members are also required to include fellow members in their prayers. This obligation is often carried out by saying the Confraternity Prayer.
Since Pope John Paul II
promulgated his Apostolic Letter adding a group of five additional rosary mysteries (increasing the number from a total of fifteen to twenty) it is recommended that they be recited. This extra group (the Luminous Mysteries) is, as yet, not required by the confraternity, and those who only recite the fifteen mystery Rosary
(consisting of the Joyful, Sorrowful & Glorious Mysteries).
The "Living Rosary" or "Association of the Living Rosary" was begun in 1826 by Pauline Marie Jaricot. While it is independent of the confraternity it is also under the administration of the Dominican Order and its goals coincide. It consists in a number of circles of fifteen members who each agree to recite a single decade every day and who thus complete the whole Rosary between them. In the year 1877, the pope Pius IX subjected all Associations of the Living Rosary to the general of the Dominican Order. However recently the care of the Association has given to the local Bishops.
Because of the close relation of the Rosary
to the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Our Lady of Fatima
, Rosary confraternities are often closely tied to the Confraternity
of the Brown Scapular and the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
whose goals are linked.
Archconfraternity
An archconfraternity is a Roman Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its indulgences and privileges.-Status and operation:...
or spiritual association, under the care and guidance of the Dominicans, the members of which strive to pray the entire Holy Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
weekly.
History
The history of the rosary confraternity stretches back over 500 years, and its origins are shrouded in obscurity. It may be that no Rosary Confraternity existed before the last quarter of the fifteenth century, which saw such associations erected through the preaching of the Rosary by Bl. Alan de Rupe aka Alan de la Roche (†1475). One of the first was erected at CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1474 by Fr. James Sprenger
James Sprenger
James Sprenger was a German priest. He was born in Rheinfelden, Further Austria.-With the Dominicans:...
. It is known that there were Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
guilds or fraternities, but they may not have been connected with the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
, itself being ancient, and the origins of which shrouded in the mists of time. Traditionally it is believed that both the rosary and the confraternity which bears it were founded by St. Dominic, an opinion voiced up until Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Leo XIII (The Rosary Pope) who wrote a series of 12 Encyclicals and 5 Apostolic Letters
Apostolic Letters
The term Apostolic Letters has two uses in Roman Catholicism:# The letters of the Apostles to Christian communities or those in authority, i.e. the Pauline Epistles, the Letter to the Hebrews, together with the seven General epistles of the other Apostles.# various documents issued by the Pope or...
on the Holy Rosary: "Its origin is distinguished by its antiquity, for St.Dominic himself is said to have been its founder."
Organisation
This archconfraternityArchconfraternity
An archconfraternity is a Roman Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its indulgences and privileges.-Status and operation:...
is under the administration of the Dominican order, as is the Confraternity of the Holy Name
Society of the Holy Name
The Society of the Holy Name, formally known as the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is a Roman Catholic confraternity of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order...
. Thus no new confraternity may be erected without the sanction of the Dominican general. Throughout the world, the Archconfraternity is administered by the different Provinces of the Dominican order. In the United States, the Eastern Dominican Province (Province of St. Joseph) has its Confraternity based in Columbus, Ohio. The Rosary Confraternity of the Western Dominican Province (Province of the Holy Name) is based in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
at their Rosary Center. It is probably the largest organization of its kind within the Catholic Church.
Benefits & Obligations
The benefits of membership to this organisation are largely spiritual (in the form of indulgences, the fifteen Promises of Our LadyFifteen rosary promises
A Roman Catholic legend states that through Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan de Rupe the Blessed Virgin Mary made fifteen specific promises to Christians who pray the rosary. The fifteen stated promises range from protection from misfortune to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven...
on the benefits of the Rosary, and a share of the merits and prayers of the saints and the Dominican order ) and social (in the form of group prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and a newsletter.
Indulgences
Rosarians (members of the confraternity) are privy to several indulgences:- For members of the Rosary Confraternity, a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, is granted:
- on the day of enrollment. (When application is made, a certificate of membership is sent, indicating the day of the enrollment.)
- on the following feast days: ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, AnnunciationAnnunciationThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, Purification, AssumptionAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
, Our Lady of the RosaryOur Lady of the RosaryOur Lady of the Rosary is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the rosary....
, and Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
.
- For those who pray the Rosary, a plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions, when the Rosary is prayed in ChurchChurch serviceIn Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
, or in a Public Oratory, in a family (family Rosary), Religious Community, or Pious Association. Otherwise a partial indulgence is granted.
Obligations
Rosarians are obliged to strive towards reciting the Rosary weekly (although this is not under the pain of sinSin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
) and to be inscribed on the general register of the confraternity. Members are also required to include fellow members in their prayers. This obligation is often carried out by saying the Confraternity Prayer.
Since Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
promulgated his Apostolic Letter adding a group of five additional rosary mysteries (increasing the number from a total of fifteen to twenty) it is recommended that they be recited. This extra group (the Luminous Mysteries) is, as yet, not required by the confraternity, and those who only recite the fifteen mystery Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
(consisting of the Joyful, Sorrowful & Glorious Mysteries).
Activities of the Confraternity
The "Perpetual Rosary" is an organization for securing the continuous recitation of the Rosary by day and night among a number of associates who perform their allotted share at stated times. This is a development of the Rosary Confraternity, and dates from the seventeenth century. It is continues in various convents which exist for the purpose as well as in lay societyThe "Living Rosary" or "Association of the Living Rosary" was begun in 1826 by Pauline Marie Jaricot. While it is independent of the confraternity it is also under the administration of the Dominican Order and its goals coincide. It consists in a number of circles of fifteen members who each agree to recite a single decade every day and who thus complete the whole Rosary between them. In the year 1877, the pope Pius IX subjected all Associations of the Living Rosary to the general of the Dominican Order. However recently the care of the Association has given to the local Bishops.
Because of the close relation of the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
to the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
, Rosary confraternities are often closely tied to the Confraternity
Confraternity
A confraternity is normally a Roman Catholic or Orthodox organization of lay people created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy...
of the Brown Scapular and the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima is a public international association of the Christian faithful that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents...
whose goals are linked.
See also
- ArchconfraternityArchconfraternityAn archconfraternity is a Roman Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its indulgences and privileges.-Status and operation:...
- Holy Name Society
- Blue Army of Our Lady of FatimaBlue Army of Our Lady of FatimaThe Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima is a public international association of the Christian faithful that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents...
- Brown Scapular
- Order of Preachers
- Rosary devotions and spiritualityRosary devotions and spiritualityDevotion to the rosary is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality. Pope John Paul II placed rosary devotions at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."From a historical...
Links and Resources
- Rosary Afresh The Rosary Confraternity in the Dominican Province of the Assumption (Australasia & Oceania)
- The Rosary Confraternity Home of the Rosary Confraternity, UK
- Confraternity of the Holy Rosary Home of the Confraternity of the Rosary, Eastern USA
- The Rosary Centre Home of the Confraternity of the Rosary, Western USA
- Beads & Prayers The Rosary in History and Devotion