Description

Anglican prayer bead sets consist of thirty-three beads divided into groups. There are four groups consisting of seven beads with additional separate and larger beads separating the groups. The number thirty-three signifies the number of years that Christ lived on the Earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion in the faith, the days of creation, and the seasons of the Church year. The groupings are called “weeks”, in contrast to the Dominican rosary which uses five groups of ten beads called “decades”. The beads between are usually larger than the “weeks” beads are called “cruciform” beads. When the loop of beads is opened into a circular shape, these particular beads form the points of a cross within the circle of the set, hence the term “cruciform”. Next after the cross on Anglican prayer bead sets is a single bead termed the “invitatory” bead, giving the total of thirty-three. Anglican prayer beads are most often used as a tactile aid to prayer and as a counting device. The standard Anglican set consists of the following pattern, starting with the Cross followed by the Invitatory Bead, and subsequently, the first Cruciform bead, moving to the right, through the first set of seven beads to the next Cruciform bead, continuing around the circle. He or she may conclude by saying the Lord’s Prayer on the invitatory bead or a final prayer on the cross as in the examples below. The entire circle may be done thrice, which signifies the Holy Trinity