Lenten Chaplet How-2

I'm wearing a necklace: sort of. I call it a "chaplet," the same word I use for the sequence of prayers I'm saying each day during Lent.


A card, outlining how to pray the chaplet, with the knotted cord and crucifix I've been wearing and using. March 9, 2011.

Or, more accurately, most days. I've already missed the daily routine: but got caught up. Which is another topic. ("Lenten Chaplet: Missed a Day, Caught Up" (March 18, 2011))

How to Pray This Lenten Chaplet

The words, exactly as printed on the card in that photo, are in an earlier post. (March 10, 2011) Here they are again, with a typo corrected:

"LENTEN CHAPLET

"Once you have received your cross, go back to your pew and start to pray. The first name that comes to mind is the person you will be praying for a deepening conversion of faith during these 40 days of Lent.

"Each day you will pray:
"Apostles' Creed - knot that ties the cross on the necklace.

"Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be (Around your neck are 21 knots, representing these three prayers to be said seven times).

"Any time after Good Friday, give your Chaplet to the person you have been praying for."

Sounds simple: and it is.

The trick, for me, is remembering to pray each day: occasionally praying twice in a day to get caught up.

Don't Remember the Words? No Problem!

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a "How to Pray the Rosary" page that includes text for all the prayers involved in this Lenten Chaplet:

• "How to Pray the Rosary"
  USCCB
  • Apostles' Creed
  • Our Father
  • Hail Mary
  • Glory Be
  • Hail Holy Queen

Not Your Usual Rosary Beads

The knotted cords we use to keep track of where we're at in this chaplet aren't your usual rosary beads.

For one thing, there isn't a single bead on them - not the ones I've used, anyway. Our cords have knots where beads could be.

For another, chaplet's prayers aren't the 1-1-3-1-10-1-10-1-10-1-10-1-10 sequence of prayers in the rosary, the sequence of beads (or knots) in a standard rosary set of rosary beads wouldn't be much help with this chaplet.

Making a Chaplet

Here's another picture of the card and knotted cord I'm wearing, mostly to give an idea of their size:



Another, showing the string/cord/necklace I'm using this year, and two I received after previous Lenten seasons.



Members of my family think I needed "a deepening conversion of faith." And they're right. Which is yet another topic.

I'm not the best go-to person for crafts - so here are links to how-2 guides you may find useful:

• "How to Pray the Rosary"
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• "How to Tie Rosary Knots"
  eHow
• "Make a Cord Rosary "
  Rosary Makers Guide

The list is repeated at the end of this post.

As someone who's prayed the chaplet for a few years, I'll share my experiences as a user - which may help folks who want to make their own.

I suggest that the clusters of three knots (or beads) be significantly closer together than the last knot in one cluster, and the first in the next.

The cord, when finished, needs to be long enough to fit over someone's head. The one I'm wearing is about 26 inches / 66 centimeters long. I can get it past my nose, but it's a snug fit. How long should the cord be when you start? That's more than I know: Maybe those resources will help.

The cord I'm wearing is a synthetic fiber, and the crucifix metal. The original chaplets were made from Venezuelan wood and leaf fibers - but as far as I know, all that matters is that whatever you use be flexible enough to wear, and durable enough to last at least 40 days.

Venezuelan?! There's a story behind that, which I'll get to in another post.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Lenten Chaplet: Missed a Day, Caught Up"
  (March 18, 2011)
• "Lenten Chaplet, and a How to Pray the Rosary Resource"
  (March 10, 2011)
• "Ash Wednesday, 2011: Smudge on My Forehead, Chaplet Started"
  (March 9, 2011)
• "Celebrating Mass, Flossing My Teeth"
  (October 20, 2010)
• "Superstitions, Catholicism, and a Really Bad Experience With the Ark"
  (July 13, 2010)

Resources:

• "How to Pray the Rosary"
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• "How to Tie Rosary Knots"
  eHow
• "Make a Cord Rosary "
  Rosary Makers Guide