Memento Mori – Five Decade Rosary

Description

Remember you will die.

This is an ancient Catholic phrase, even used as a greeting between monks and nuns. Remember you will die.

It’s recorded that some Saints would have a human skull on their desks to remind themselves of their Earthly death and as a reminder that any moment can be our last – so do not waste your days. At some moment, that moment will be our last moment. Are you ready? Is what you are doing right now bringing you closer to Heaven or closer to Hell?

Memento Mori it’s a reminder that when we are followers of Christ we must die to ourselves. As St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). We don’t live selfishly for ourselves (we shouldn’t), we must live for others as Christ lived for us.

But lastly, it is a joyful reminder – it’s not all doom and gloom because at the end of our days, if we have lived fully for Christ in accordance with His Church, we will get to Heaven – and only joy and laughter will be our lot.

So remember you will die. And pray often for the grace of a holy death.

In this rosary, the Hail Mary beads are an earthy brown mixed with spots of rust red, maize yellow, sage green, and sand brown as a reminder that we were formed from earth and we will return to the earth – you are dust and to dust you shall return as we say every Ash Wednesday.

The center piece is the St. Benedict medal. Besides being a symbol of protection against demons and temptation, St. Benedict is also the patron of a happy death.

Around the outside of the front (the side with St. Benedict who is holding a cross and his Rule for monastic life which he wrote) it says in Latin, “Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur!” which means “May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death!”

On the reverse it has the initials of the Latin exorcism inscribed around the outside – “Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself”, and in the arms of the cross, the initials stands for “May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my guide!” also in Latin.

Taken all together, it’s the perfect centerpiece for a Memento Mori rosary.

The crucifix is a scrolling, highly detailed Gothic style copper crucifix that accents the Benedict medal perfectly and adds an air of ancient mystique.

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At 17 inches long, with 8mm beads, this rosary is roughly the same size as your standard rosary, but the cross is rather larger than normal. The rosary is assembled with 49-strand steel beading wire, crimping beads, and wire protectors, so it is super strong and will last a lifetime of use. While I do strength test every rosary, it is still a handmade piece and prone to human error. So, should it break, simply gather all the beads you can find and contact me and I’ll gladly repair it for you for free sans shipping and the replacement of major parts (if you loose the spacers, don’t even worry about it).

The beads are stone and have a weight to them, which I always find helps me really focus when I’m praying. They also take on the ambient temperature of the room- so in winter I usually find my rosary to be a little chilly- just another reminder that you’re praying! But they also quickly warm up from your body heat.

The beading wire stretches slightly as it is used (this is normal – it wears in like good leather boots) so you will still be able to slide the beads along as you pray.

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Features of the rosary:

Center piece: 3/4″x3/4″ pewter copper tone Benedictine Medal

Crucifix: 2-3/8″x1-3/8″ large copper tone Crucifix

Hail Mary beads: 8mm matte red creek jasper stone beads

Our Father beads: 9mm magnesite carved skulls

Spacers: 3mm round copper beads and black czech glass seed

— Have a particular devotion, size, color, or style of rosary that you are looking for? Send me a message at outpouringoftrust@gmail.com and I’d be happy to make a custom rosary just for you. —