Monday, 24 May 2010
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The Rosary: Gang Symbol or Spiritual Symbol?
I have never belonged to a gang, unless you count the Powerpuff Girls-inspired enterprise that I was briefly associated with in 2nd grade. I have never popped a cap in anyone and no one I know has been shot on the street in a drive-by. None of this apparently would matter to school administrators in Texas. It turns out that rosary beads are a gang-related symbol.Rosary beads are used by Catholics in the devotion simply referred to as the "Rosary", an 800-year-old prayer recited millions of times a day around the globe. The devotion consists of praying the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous mysteries, which are groups of five mysteries each. To a non-Catholic, the rosary may seem complex and the link between the prayer and the beads may be unclear. The beads simply act as a sort of counting tool during the prayer.
The rosary starts with one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. These five prayers of preparation are represented by the five beads connected to the end of the rosary nearest the cross. From there, you encounter five sets of ten beads called "decades." The prayer consists of praying to the five mysteries of each group. For example, the joyful mysteries consist of The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, and The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Traditionally groups of mysteries are assigned to a day of the week, so the joyful mysteries are recited on Mondays and Thursdays.
When praying the mysteries, we start with an Our Father, which is said on the large bead (sometimes this is also a small sort of medallion) at the start of each decade. Then 10 Hail Marys are said for each decade, or mystery. At the end of each decade, a Glory Be is said, before saying the Our Father on the next large bead or medallion. At the end of all the mysteries, the Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Queen) is usually sung (I sing it, quietly, in Latin) or the Rosary Prayer is recited. If you look at the rosary, you will see five large beads (or small medallions), and 55 small beads representing the total of all the prayers I described.
So why do Catholics do this? For practical purposes, if the rosary is prayed before the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it gains a plenary indulgence which is a remission of the punishment in Purgatory for sins that have been confessed and absolved but for which penance has not been completely exercised. More importantly, the rosary is participation in the life of Mary, a way of venerating the one who lived closest to Christ and who hears and assists us in heaven due to her special relationship with our Lord.
Rosary beads are not intended to be worn as jewelry; however there is no Church prohibition of doing so. I don't agree with these students wearing them as a devotion to anyone except Mary, but I can't judge their entire intentions nor can school administrators. What is important is that rosary beads represent an extremely important part of our prayer life and prohibiting them is a clear violation of the separation of Church and State, especially if non-Catholic Christian students are not also prohibited from wearing a cross or Jewish students from wearing a yarmulke, or Muslim students from wearing a hijab.
Do you pray the Rosary? Are schools right in determining rosary beads to be "gang-related" jewelry?
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- From: Megan
- About Me: I am a sophomore at Notre Dame. I'm afraid of dogs and driving. My cat is named Ricky, but he hates his name. Please send marriage proposals only through private message.
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Comments (36)
Well. I guess they could be either or both, depending on the gang you're in?
Also, Texas is apparently batshit insane.
You should be allowed to have them if others are allowed.
I'm not sure. I thought it wasn't right to ban rosaries until I read this post at beliefnet and the comments: http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2010/05/schools-treat-rosaries-as-gang-symbols.html
If gang members really are wearing rosaries without even knowing what they're supposed to do with them, that's pretty unfortunate.
On the other hand, we can't ban good things just because they're being misused by a few.
Since I don't know enough about what's going on in gang circles, I can't say. All I know is that I keep a rosary in my pocket when I go out, and it's nice and safe there.
Well I guess there are enough people who wear crosses just because they think they "look cool" (I've even met people who wear one and don't even know what it is). So I guess there's a possibility that a gang decided to use them. That's still really crazy though.
I hate that picture. You are NOT supposed to wear the rosary around your neck. It isn't supposed to be exposed. It's for prayer. It is special. I don't understand why you would say it is a "gang" symbol. This actually angers me.
It's just.. dumb.
I read this post and the article 3 times each, and I still don't understand how a rosary is considered a gang symbol. Did I overlook something?
Of course it's a gang symbol!
You're in a crew with JESUS CHRIST!
*bricked for bad joke*
what a i wonderful explination of the rosary. a friend of mine recently gave the beautiful analogy that the rosary is like a scrapebook that Mary put together so that we can get to know Jesus better. and that's the point of the rosary or any devotion to Mary or any saint: to grow in Christ.
as far as wearing a rosary, i agree with fading_roses. in fact i was always taught growing up that it was sacreligious to wear it. while it is true that wearing rosaries is not prohibited officially by the Catholic Church, we really ought to look at the heart of the issue, or rather the issue of the heart. is the rosary worn, as this picture would seem, for the wearer's glory or is ti worn for the glory of God? i think that when someone understands the meaning behind the rosary, they are more likely to not wear it as jewelry. however, there are plenty of other objects one can wear to glorify God.
personally, i try carry a rosary around with me all the time. i also have a cross, a crucifix, and a couple of medals that hang from my chain around my next. i do not wear them outside, because i extend the passage about praying in secret to apply to my sacramentals. my faith is something that is deeply important and personal that i keep those holy and blessed items close to my heart.
for more information about the rosary or sacramentals, please visit these links. feel free to message me with any questions on why we Catholics do what we do. i don't claim to have all the answers, but i can do my best to answer them and get you answers. thanks!
Who is that girl in the picture?
@SoapAndShampoo@xanga -
I love Deacon's Bench! That's where I saw this story, first.
I expected this to be much different.
@rusty0505@xanga - I heard that same explanation about the rosary from a friend who gave a sermon last week. Either it's a common analogy or perhaps we have the same friend?
@sarahzthoughts@xanga - well considering my friend is a 19 yr old female bio student, i don't think she's given any sermons recently. lol. i do think that it's a "God-wink". no coincidences.
"For practical purposes, if the rosary is prayed before the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it gains a plenary indulgence which is a remission of the punishment in Purgatory for sins that have been confessed and absolved but for which penance has not been completely exercised."
LOL.
Do you get a coupon for an extra host, too?
I'm not Catholic and I don't pray the rosary, but I plan on making myself one. ^_^ I like 'em.
*walks down the street with his fellow gang members, snapping his fingers*
I'm not Catholic, but I always get a little bit peeved when I see people wearing rosaries around their neck for their fashion.
Phoey. What idiocy. A gang adopts an item of clothing or a hand gesture, and some poor kid who is totally clueless gets blown away. The school has to do what it has to do to keep people safe--but geez
@Megan - Her name is Taylor Momsen, and she's only 16.
Yes, the schools are right in determining the rosary beads as gang jewelry. Your post is all about the rosary, and has zero information about how it is used as a gang symbol. For your lack of research, you get zero points for this blog. http://operationnogangs.org/signsgang.html
@Melosa@xanga - The rosary is not a gang symbol, that is the point. This post is intended to show what the rosary actually is, not what ignorant people think it is. Just because a gang member wears one, does not make it a gang symbol. To say so is DEEPLY offensive to me as a Catholic. You might be wise to notice that this is a Christian blog, not a blog about what secular society and secular schools think is acceptable.
@Megan - I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying. I am not saying that being a Christian means that you are a part of a gang. I am saying that gangs use the rosary as a symbol, and therefore it should be banned at schools where it could cause conflicts, and even violence. I don't understand why you would be offended.
@Melosa@xanga - Why should gangs get to take over a symbol of veneration of the Mother of Christ? I didn't say anything about being Christian having anything to do with being in a gang. So if gangs start wearing plain white polo shirts, should schools ban them? How about underwear? Do gang members wear underwear? Schools should ban underwear, then. You are saying that something that is highly revered within my faith should be banned because criminals have co-opted it. And you don't see how that is offensive? This is why Christians have a problem with secular society. Right there. Because you don't believe that our rights mean anything.
@Megan - Ok, then let's let all the gangs run amuck in the schools, would you rather that happen? You shouldn't wear it in school, point blank. I am saying that it should be banned because it is disruptive to the learning process, not because of its significance. I am deeply offended by your assumption that I am not a Christian because I don't believe that any sort of disruption should be tolerated in a school.
@Melosa@xanga - Haha, ok well that's both a red herring and a strawman argument. I honestly don't care what your secular public schools do; in my opinion, Christians should avoid them at all costs.
@Megan - Why? I don't remember Jesus avoiding the secular.