Who invented the rosary?

The rosary is probably the most well-known of all Catholic prayer practices. Many Catholics grew up praying it as part of their family or community devotions. And the physical rosary itself, a string of beads or knots with a crucifix attached and sometimes a medal, is immediately recognizable as a Catholic object. Catholics might carry rosaries, wear them, drape them over statues, or dangle them on their rearview mirrors. In films and television, a rosary immediately signals “Catholic,” and popular artists such as Madonna and Lady Gaga have used rosaries in their music videos, to the consternation of some of the pious.  But where did the tradition of the rosary, and those prayers associated with it, come from? On this episode of the podcast, guest Damian Costello talks about the origins of the rosary, both the physical item and the prayers Catholics use. Costello is the director of postgraduate studies at NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community and the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. He has written extensively about Catholic devotional practices and the intersection of Catholic theology with indigenous spiritual traditions.  You can learn more about this topic and read some of Costello’s work in these links. “Lakota Catholic tradition gives new meaning to the rosary,” by Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202104/lakota-catholic-tradition-gives-new-meaning-to-the-rosary/ “Can praying a weekly rosary salvage fraying family ties?” by Molly Jo Rose https://uscatholic.org/articles/202109/can-praying-a-weekly-rosary-salvage-fraying-family-ties/ “The blue rosary,” by Brian Doyle https://uscatholic.org/articles/201805/the-blue-rosary-by-brian-doyle/ “Bring back the rosary,” by Father Daniel Berrigan https://uscatholic.org/articles/197810/35-years-ago-in-u-s-catholic-bring-back-the-rosary/ “Rosary origins,” by Father Johann Roten, S.M. https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/r/rosary-origins.php Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretians.org/