Catholic rosary beaded necklace?

Question

My fiance is Catholic and has a lovely silver and white beaded necklace with a cross on the bottom (with an image of Jesus hanging on it). On the other sign there is a church symbol with the letter M on it. On another part of the necklace there are the letters TOTUS TVVS engraved on the silver.

What does all of this mean, and where should I store these beads? I have them hanging from a light on our computer desk, but want to make sure this is respectful.

Answer 1

Sounds like a Rosary, but not sure.

the Totus tws could be Totus Tuis, which means Totally Yours.

Most likely it is blessed and should not be treated with dis-respect, but you do not have to keep it under glass or anything either, the Rosary is a set of Prayers to God asking our Holy Mother to intercede to Jesus on our behalf.

(We do not worship Mary) but ask her to pray for us.

I am glad that you are respectfull of her faith, that shows maturity on your part!

If your relationship progresses, please try to learn as much as possible about her faith. That will make things much easier if you eventually get married and have kids. Who knows, you may even join yourself!

Answer 2

Hi, totus tous(totus tvvs) literally means=totally yours/ all yours.
The Catholic Rosary Beads are in fact a devotion that when prayed recalls episodes of the life of Jesus from the Gospels,and are called mysteries, there are 50 beads which relate to the Hail Mary prayer and 5 beads relating to the Our Father.
Their are many websites dedicated to this and you can do a search on the Rosary for more in depth info.

Answer 3

Sure, nobody's going to come and tell you to take them off. I guess some may assume you are Catholic if you are wearing them, but you can just say you aren't, and that you just like them, and nobody will care. I am not Catholic but I went to a Catholic school, and I was never left out of anything except for participating in the Holy communion, but that's quite different than wearing rosary beads. I was always invited and accepted and if I ever wanted to become Catholic, they made it very easy to do so, so I would think if anything, they may think you are a potential convert. After all, Christians are known as missionaries, so if anything, you may seem like a potential new convert to them if you like their "stuff" if you get what I mean... I loved the Catholic religion (other than political crap) but generally, I chose the school I went to because I value Catholic's devotion to community service and helping the poor. And although I didn't want to become Catholic, I wasn't totally against it, if I were to have met a Catholic guy I were to marry. I didn't like how they didn't accept certain things (like not being very progressive) but that's their way -- they're very conservative, and they mean well. And they have beautiful art, and are known for it, in fact so much so, that was part of why Luther broke away from Rome -- because the Church was spending too much money on fancy churches and expensive artwork, than the poor. However, Catholics (at least the ones I know) make up for it by volunteering their time to the poor and contributing to charity, and helping the sick -- which is why so many Catholic universities have nursing programs and why so many hospitals are called "Saint ____" because that is part of their whole mantra -- to repent for their sins. Pretty swell, even if you don't like the institution itself.

Answer 4

The proper place for a rosary is somewhere where it will not get damaged, and a place where you will see it often to remind you to pray. You are supposed to treasure it as a valued tool in your faith.The small beads are meant to be held as you say outhe Mother Mary prayer, and you hold the next one as you say it again. In this way work around the chain. Large separating beads or gaps are the prayer Our Father, with the crucifix and other large parts being other parts of the doctrine. To get a more info try asking a priest in a church. Most are quite happy to answer any questions for you.

Answer 5

No disrespect to my brothers and sisters in Christ who are under the covering of Catholicism. Mary is not an intercessor for us, but the Holy Spirit. Jesus is whom through salvation comes, not Mary. Mary was special, but she needed salvation also. Open your Bible and read the Gospels thoroughly and see the truth, and know the truth. The rosary beads derive from a pagan practice that is still used in some pagan cultures and was transferred along with the utilization of statues to pray for a person by the Emperor Constantine. When he had a vision of Christ on the cross, he converted all the pagan practices and priests to Christian and these practices have been passed down through the generations. God loves us and desires relationship, not religious practices. God Bless. Your sister-in-Christ.

Answer 6

The Rosary, named for the Rose that was Mary, mother of Christ is one of the most important relics of the Church. The M on the other side is for Mary. The prayer spoken while committing to the Rosary starts with "Mary Mother of God, have mercy........." or "Blessed Mary, she who intercedes in the name of God......." as for the TOTUS TWS I confess I am not aware of those letters.

The proper place for a Rosary is either in a case or small box. That said, there is no firm rule as to whether or not having them on a light is disrespectful.

Answer 7

I am a Catholic also, and I think the rosary should be kept in a safe place so it can't get broken. And im pretty sure the "TOTUS TVVS" is Latin because they used to preach in Latin.

Answer 8

I think you can put a rosary anywhere you will see it and be reminded to give thanks to God. I am Episcopalian but say the Rosary, usually just repeat The Our Father and Hail Mary throughout the day, because I like to keep it in my pocket and feel it there and meditate with my hand on it.

Answer 9

I would keep it wherever it gives you the most comfort such as by the entrance to your home.

"TOTVS TVVS" is Latin for "all yours" and is considered an expression of piety and devotion to The Holy Trinity.

M - the Roman numeral for 1000

In this case, it sounds as though you are describing a coin worth 1000 lire.

You can see one that is similar on ebay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/POPE-JOHN-PAUL-II-GOOD-SAMARITAN-VATICAN-SILVER-COIN_W0QQitemZ220038629035QQihZ012QQcategoryZ546QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Answer 10

Only to the devout is there any meaning. To a non catholic these reminders should call for what God thinks about them.
He hates repetitious prayers. They are mechanical to him, and meaning-less. It is doubtful the recitation of these prayers is heard by God. Would you stand and listen to someone saying the same thing to you, over and over?
Try it with someone like a traffic cop!
Besides the catholics, beads are used in many religions. In Tibet they use a prayer wheel that is swung about in a circle over one's head. Make any sense to you?