How many beads are on a Catholic Rosary?

Answer 1

The answer is, "it varies." The Rosary is a class of prayer forms within a larger class of prayer forms. It is not fixed across history or location. Even in my small locality you can probably find four or five forms using at least three bead structures.

The Dominican Rosary is the Rosary traditionally thought of as a Rosary in the United States. That is partly historical accident and partly because of its strength, durability and power as a form of prayer. It has, as was mentioned above in its standard form, 59 beads. In its longer form it has 169 beads and with John Paul II's addition of the five mysteries of light, then it could potentially have 224 beads. However, since it is modelled off the book of psalms having more than 169 beads (150+4+15) is unlikely.

The Franciscan Rosary has 81 beads and can be found under the Franciscan Crown.

Chaplets have as few as 10 beads and as many as 11.

Tchotki's, which are in the same class of prayers as the Rosary, have 33,34,100,101, 150 or 151 knots on a rope. In koine Greek they are called a komvoschinion. There are never beads. Unlike the Rosary which is over when you get to the last bead, the tchotki is over when it is time for it to be over (not clock time but rather spiritual time). You might also find it under the "Jesus Prayer," or in Protestant circles under "Centering Prayer."

A good book on this is "Praying by Hand," by M Basil Pennington.

The earliest of the broad class of prayers I believe is mentioned as ancient and in passing by Abba Paul, one of the desert fathers.

So, the answer is, it depends. The prayers said vary, the beads vary, the meditations vary and even the mechanics vary. The tchotki is said as an aspiration prayer with "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God," said while breathing in and "have mercy on me a sinner" while breathing out. Likewise, the Rosary is even said in rounds with the scriptural "Hail O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you" being said by the leader and the response being "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death," in the dominant North American English form being said by the group. It is interesting that this is not really structured to be a group prayer.

Answer 2

A rosary has 59 beads.

53 Ave (Hail Mary) beads and 6 Pater (Our Father) beads.

On the circle, there are
five sets of ten Ave beads [50]
separated by four single Pater beads [4].

On the pendant, there is
one Pater bead at each end [2]
of a set of three Ave beads [3]

With love in Christ

Answer 3

5 groups of 10 beads plus 9 beads in other places on the rosary.
59 beads total.

Answer 4

Says the book, "Symbols of Catholicism." The rosary is a religious exercise in honor of the Virgin Mary. The term also refers to the string of beads used to count prayers. “Five sets of ten beads, separated by an individual bead,” explains the same book, “are an invitation to fifty recitations of ‘Hail Mary’, five of ‘Our Father’, and five of ‘Glory be to the Father.’”

Answer 5

59

53 Meditative Bead

6 Beginning Decade Bead

1 crucifix Not a bead