Ever since the Rosary became popular around the 15th or 16th century, Catholics have developed a variety of similar devotions that also use a string of beads.
One such devotion is known as the "Franciscan Crown," or the "Seraphic Rosary," or the "Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary." Her seven joys are celebrated each year on August 27.
History of the Franciscan Crown
According to one story, this crown developed when the Blessed Virgin appeared to a young Franciscan novice in the 15th century and “instructed him how, by reciting daily a Rosary of seven decades in honor of her seven joys, he might weave a crown that would be more pleasing to her than the material wreath of flowers.”
The seven joys that are meditated on during the Franciscan Crown closely resemble the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.
- Annunciation
- Visitation
- Nativity of Jesus
- Adoration of the Magi
- Finding of Jesus in the Temple
- Resurrection of Jesus,
- Assumption of Mary (and/or the Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven)
It is a simple devotion and can be prayed with an existing rosary or a special Franciscan Crown rosary that has seven sets of 10 beads.
How to Pray the Franciscan Crown
The Franciscan Crown begins with the Sign of the Cross, followed by an opening prayer:
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Then you go right into the Our Father before praying 10 Hail Marys. Each decade similarly ends with a Glory Be prayer.
After praying through seven decades, there are two extra beads where you say two Hail Marys that complete Mary's 72 years of life (according to tradition).
There is then a final prayer:
O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that by meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Last of all you conclude with the Sign of the Cross.
