ORIGIN OF THE FRANCISCAN
CROWN
Do not fear, Mary, for you have
favour with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Jesus. Luke
1:30-31
From the very beginning, Christians continued the Jewish tradition of praying and singing
the 150 psalms as part of their sacred routine of daily prayer.
By the Middle Ages, however, a largely
illiterate population could neither appreciate the historical events to which the psalms
referred, nor could they memorize and recite the psalms in Latin.
Therefore, in the early 13th century a
scriptural meditation was thoughtfully adapted for those who desired to participate in the
sanctification of daily life through a cycle of prayer meant to complement the Divine
Office chanted by the more educated monks and nuns.
What became known as the rosary was the
recitation of the Aves and Paters (the Our Father and Hail Mary) that were counted off on
a ring of beads numbering 150. The mysteries of the New Testament were meditated upon
within this "mirror" of the 150 Old Testament psalms. Hence, Salvation History
itslf permeated this simple method of prayer. The repetition allowed for a rhythmic
breathing, leading the participant to an inner realm of peace and calm. The rosary
eventually became a favoured personal devotion among many people, including the learned
laity and religious.
The name rosary was derived from the rose,
a flower having a great depth of symbolism. One of the spiritual titles given to the
Virgin Mary, Mystical Rose, referred to her womb as the developing flower of Christ the
Saviour. Moreover, the patient unfolding of the five concentric petals of the rose was
likened to our own patient mastery of the five senses, the integration of all the creative
and life-communicating energies of a human person. Yet the blossoming of the spiritual
life could only be achieved and maintained by the defensive "thorn" of daily
perseverance.
Through the centuries the Dominican Order
has been very influential in the promotion of the rosary as we know it today. Other
religious communities also developed and practiced their own particular form of this
prayer.
The Franciscan rosary, or as it is properly
called, The Franciscan Crown, dates to the early part of the 15th century. At that time a
young man who found spiritual joy in weaving a crown of wild flowers for a beautiful
statue of Mary decided to enter the Franciscan Order. After entering the community,
however, he was saddened when he no longer found the time to gather flowers for his
personal devotion. One evening, while feeling tempted to abandon his vocation, he received
a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mother encouraged the young novice to
persevere by reminding him of the joyfulness of the Franciscan spirit. She also instructed
him to meditate daily on seven joyful events from her own life as a new form of the
rosary. Instead of a crown of flowers, the novice would now weave a crown of prayers.
Before long, many other Franciscans began to pray the Crown and soon it spread to the
entire Order, becoming officially established in 1422.
In addition to developing this Marian
devotion, the Franciscans are credited with adding the final words to the Hail Mary, Holy
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. In 1263, Saint
Bonaventure, Minister General of the Order, encouraged liturgical devotion honouring the
mystery of the Visitation. Saint Bonaventure also popularized the daily triple recitation
of the Angelus which it is believed Saint Francis initiated after visiting the Holy Land.
Francis was deeply impressed by the Muslim practice of stopping to pray several times a
day, and desired to Christianize this pious custom. A Franciscan pope, Sixtur IV
(1471-1485), introduced the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Saint
Joseph as husband of Mary. He also issued the first papal pronouncement encouraging the
rosary as in invaluable instrument of personal and societal conversion.
Taken from The Franciscan Crown
a beautiful booklet available in most Catholic Book stores
Courtesy of The Franciscan Friars of Marytown
How
to say the Crown Rosary
A
Journey of Faith: The Seven Joys of Mary
By Father Thomas Bourque, T.O.R.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Province, USA - Loretto, PA.
1.
The Franciscan Crown consists of seven decades of Hail Mary's, each preceded
by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be.
2.
The Crown recalls the seven joys of Mary and how she responded to the grace of
God in her life.
3.
It begins with the sign of the cross which is then followed by seven decades, each
consisting of one Our Father, ten Hail Mary's and one Glory Be.
4.
At the end of the seven decades, there are two additional Hail Mary's, bringing the total
of Hail Mary's to 72 years.
5.
The Crown is concluded by praying one Our Father and one Hail Mary for the intentions of
the Pope.
Below
is presented a reflection and meditation on the Franciscan Crown, entitled, A JOURNEY OF
FAITH: THE SEVEN JOYS OF MARY. The reflection studies each of the joys of
Mary by beginning with one's openness to SCRIPTURE.
As the
joys of the Franciscan Crown are pondered, one is invited to listen to the Word of God and
to be open to the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For
each joy, a gift of the Holy Spirit has been given for study and reflection.
These
seven gifts challenge each individual to live a graced-filled and moral life. They allow
one to reflect on the grace and strength Mary had in responding to her call and
relationship with God.
The
reflection offers questions for meditation and ends with a prayer taken from the prayer of
the Church.
THE SEVEN JOYS OF THE FRANCISCAN CROWN
MEDITATIONS
& REFLECTION FOR THE CROWN ROSARY
| ENTER
HERE |
