Chaplet

CHAPLET. - This is the name of a particular form of prayer, in which the Our Father and the Hail Mary are recited, repeated over, with the guidance of certain beads joined to one another by a small cord or little chain, in the manner of a crown: so that "c." is used indifferently both of the particular form of prayer and of the material union of the beads.

The practice of reciting prayers with the aid of a c. is very ancient and goes back to the pagans. Among Christians, often preferred by anchorites and monks, it spread especially in the time of St. Dominic, when for the c. of the Rosary of the B. V. a special form and blessing were required: numerous c. that subsequently arose from the piety of the faithful were thus recognized by the Apostolic See, which, having established precise norms, enriched them with particular indulgences.

According to the canonical provisions in force, the beads of a c. must be made of solid material (mother-of-pearl, alabaster, marble, wood, solid and compact glass; and also of tin and lead, for which last materials the apostolic indulgences are not granted). Since the blessing refers only to the beads and not to the connecting little chain, the provisions do not concern the latter, which may be indifferently of iron, silver, leather or hemp threads.

The form must be that of a crown: and not of a band or belt or anything else that hangs. The beads must be joined to one another in groups of ten, seven or three, according to the use or purpose of the individual c., that is, to count the recitation of the established number of prayers. According to precise declarations of the Holy See it is not permitted to replace the beads of a c. with rings of carved or engraved silver or gold; nor to replace the beads of the Our Father with carved medals; nor in any way with bracelets, which, although they can be provided with indulgences, nevertheless do not serve to replace the c.

For the c. to obtain the indulgence it is necessary that it be blessed. The formulas that are in the Roman Ritual (and in its Appendices) are generally optional, except those of the c. of the Rosary and of the c. of the Seven Sorrows of the B. V. M., for which one of the two prescribed formulas is required, either the longer or the shorter. For the others, presented on the palm of the hands, a sign of the cross by the priest who has the faculty and the precise intention of granting the attached indulgence suffices. If in the course of time one or a few beads come to be missing or worn away, they can be replaced with others without the need to renew the blessing.

The principal c., besides that of the Rosary of the Madonna, formed of a larger bead for the Pater Noster and which divides five or ten or fifteen decades of smaller beads for the Hail Marys, are the following:

C. of the Crociferi: it has the same form and is recited in the same way as the Rosary, but without the obligation of meditating on the glorious, joyful or sorrowful mysteries. To the recitation of each Our Father and Hail Mary is attached the indulgence of 500 days even if the entire decades are not recited. The faculty of blessing it belongs to the Order of the Canons of the Holy Cross or Crociferi; but it can be granted by the Sacred Penitentiary to other priests, and it is one of the faculties of the priests of the Pious Union of the Clergy for the missions.

C. of the Lord: 33 Our Fathers in memory of the 33 earthly years of N. S. G. C., 5 Hail Marys in memory of the 5 wounds of the Divine Redeemer and a Creed in honor of the Sts. Apostles. This, which is proper to the Order of the Camaldolese monks, was enriched with special indulgences by Leo X (18 Feb. 1516) and subsequently by other pontiffs.

C. of St. Bridget: originally composed of 6 decades (each of 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Creed) followed by 1 Our Father and 3 Hail Marys, it was by concession reduced also to 5 decades. The indulgences granted by the pontiffs to both forms are reconfirmed by the Rescripts of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences (16 Jan. 1886 and 8 Dec. 1887). Once the Order of St. Bridget was extinct, the faculty of blessing passed to the abbots or superiors of the Order of the Regular Canons of the Most Holy Savior; nevertheless it is easily granted by the Sacred Penitentiary also to other priests.

C. of the Seven Sorrows of the B. V. M.: 7 decades (each of 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Marys) with 3 additional Hail Marys in honor of the tears of the sorrowful Virgin, of which the 7 principal sorrows must be meditated upon and pronounced with the recitation of the individual decades. It is enriched with indulgences recognized in the Summary of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences dated 18 July 1877. The faculty of blessing belongs to the Order of the Servants of the B. V. M., but it too is granted to other priests.

C. of the Seven Joys of the B. V. M.: like the preceding, divided into 7 decades (each of 1 Our Father and 10 Hail Marys) with the addition of two other Hail Marys to reach the number of 72 Hail Marys; a further Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be is recited according to the intentions of the supreme pontiff. With a brief of 4 Dec. 1906 Pius X united for the faithful numerous indulgences, tied however to the blessing of a superior or priest of one of the three Franciscan families to which the faculty of blessing this c. belongs.

C. Angelica, or in honor of St. Michael the Archangel and the 9 angelic Choirs: a larger bead that serves for the recitation of the Our Father divides 9 groups of three smaller beads that serve for the Hail Mary; there follow 4 other beads for a further 4 Our Fathers. Other special invocations to the individual angelic Choirs are required to gain the indulgences granted by Pius IX, dated 8 Aug. 1851. The faculty of blessing is common to all priests who can bless sacred objects with attached indulgences.

Massimiliano Brandys