THE Carmelite BRIGITTINE ROSARY
The Brigittine Rosary was instituted and propagated by St. Bridget of Sweden. The six decade rosary, or Brigittine beads, is traditional in the Discalced Carmelite Order as part of the habit. The reason for its adoption is found in the explanation of these beads.
The Brigittine beads number seven "Our Father" in honor of the sorrows and joys, of the Blessed Virgin, and sixty three "Hail Mary's" to commemorate the years of her life." Besides the introductory "Our Father" and three "Hail Mary's" there are six mysteries or decades in each of the three parts or divisions. In the six Joyful Mysteries the first mystery is The Immaculate Conception, the sixth of the Sorrowful Mysteries is The Dead Jesus in the Arms of His Mother, the sixth of the Glorious Mysteries is The Patronage of Mary. The other mysteries are the same as in the Rosary in common use. At the end of each decade, the Apostle's Creed, not the Glory, is recited. (Fr. Kevin, OCD, Way of Perfection for the Laity (Dublin: M.J. Gill & Son).
The Brigittine Rosary was richly indulgenced by Pope Leo X in 1515, by Clement XI in 1716, and by Benedict XIV in 1743.
