Rosaries & Chaplets: How are They Different?
Rosaries & Chaplets: How are They Different?
Both rosaries and chaplets have grouped beads for prayer. Yet, how are they different from one another? How are they similar?
8 Differences & Similarities Between Rosaries and Chaplets
The Same? Different?
While rosaries and chaplets are similar, they are distinctly different.
They do not have exclusive names. Sometimes they are both called rosaries. For example, The Seven Sorrows Rosary is, in fact, a chaplet. Single-decade rosaries can also be called chaplets which adds to the confusion.
One way to tell the difference is in the prayers. If the prayers are different from those of a rosary, they are chaplets.
We will further clarify more about what makes them different from one another.
1
The Bead Layout is Usually Different
Both use beads or knots to help identify the prayers. They free us to focus our hearts and minds instead of being concerned with which prayer is next. Yet, the groupings are different.
All rosaries have decades, which are groups of ten beads. They also have a group of three at the beginning. Single beads separate them. While they can also be 20 decades or a one-decade pocket rosary, they always have the same basic layout.
Chaplets have so many different groupings that there is no one way to describe them. I made a binder of patterns to keep them organized. Of note, some chaplets have the same bead layout as a rosary but with different prayers.
2
The Prayers are Different
The foundation of the rosary is the four different mysteries. They are biblical and based on the key events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. There are also a few prayers that have become familiar. For example, we pray the Our Father on the single beads. Other than some variation in the closing prayers, we have said it the same way for generations.
Chaplet prayers are unique or in different combinations. Some contain familiar prayers, along with others that we may not know. It can be tough to memorize all of them. That is why we provide a prayer card with each chaplet.
3
How & Where We Pray Them Varies
We can pray a rosary or chaplet privately or in a group. The two most common group prayers are the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Sometimes, groups sing the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Especially during May and October, parishioners will often pray the Rosary before Mass. Prayer groups typically include Rosary prayers at their meetings.
The Rosary is also a personal prayer. Most chaplets are private devotions. We can find free time in the day to pray on our own. For example, some enjoy a rosary walk. We can pray a rosary or chaplet anywhere when we find free moments in the day.
4
What We Call Them
A Rosary might have a descriptive name added to it, but it is always a Rosary.
A chaplet might have a different title. For example, some are called beads, a crown, a corona, or even a rosary. The difference is in the prayers. A 7 Sorrows Rosary is, in fact, a chaplet with different prayers from that of a Rosary. A Franciscan Crown looks like a Rosary, only with two extra decades and a different bead layout at the beginning section.
5
Chaplets Have Specific Themes
We can pray a rosary for different intentions or concerns. We can also pray it in thanksgiving or praise. The center medals often have an image of Jesus or the Blessed Mother or sometimes a saint or other theme. Yet it is always with the same prayers and mysteries.
Chaplets have countless themes. For example, the prayers can be specific St. Michael the Archangel prayers. We have over 150 different titles in our collection. A chaplet is for the nine days leading up to a feast day or anytime.
6
Church Approval Differs
In 1569, Pope Pius V approved the Dominican Rosary that we are familiar with today. It is an indulgenced prayer with special blessings. Popes and saints have encouraged the faithful to pray it often, even daily.
Some chaplets have official approval, and others do not. For example, Pope Pius IX approved The Saint Michael the Archangel Chaplet in 1851. Others contain approved Catholic prayers. There are also those based only on private inspiration, which we try to avoid.
7
Rosaries & Chaplets Can Both be Blessed
A priest, deacon, bishop, or the Pope can bless either a rosary or chaplet. Once blessed, the beads become a sacred object meant for prayer (a sacramental). They are no longer just beads that can be made into a bracelet or go in the trash once they break. We can get them repaired or donate them. When that is not possible, we can respectfully bury or burn them. We can also keep broken rosaries or chaplets on a prayer table.
8
Dual Benefits
In addition, approved prayers have blessings. Praying the Rosary or reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet with blessed beads in hand has dual benefits. The prayer beads are blessed and the prayers themselves also have blessings.
In Conclusion
The Rosary is an indulgenced prayer, carrying special blessings. It only takes about 15 minutes to pray.
Chaplets also enrich our prayer lives. There are chaplets for almost every need and devotion.
What is important is that we develop a routine of prayer. Prayer is at the root of our faith because it is our connection with God. St. Pio described it as the oxygen of the soul.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere in 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet resources. We ask that you use it as a starting point for your research so that you can verify facts and build a reference list.
IN REVIEW
Rosaries and chaplets are similar, but they are distinctly different.
- The bead layout is usually different.
- The prayers are different.
- The Rosary is both for group and personal prayer. Chaplets are usually a private devotion.
- What we call them is usually different, but it can be the same. Even if a chaplet is called a “rosary”, for example The 7 Sorrows Rosary, it has different prayers and bead groupings.
- Chaplets have specific themes.
- The Rosary and some chaplets or chaplet prayers have Church approval, while others do not. For example, the Rosary is an indulgenced prayer carrying special blessings.
- Rosaries and chaplets can both be blessed.
- Praying the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet (or other approved chaplet prayers) has the dual benefits of blessed prayers and blessed beads.