The rosary is a devotion consisting of twenty decades, where one meditates on the chief mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother. It is a combination of both mental meditation and repetitive vocal prayer. From its inception onwards, the rosary devotion was directly tied to the string of beads that came to represent it. Each decade contains ten Ave Marias (Hail Marys’) marked by small beads, preceded by a Paternoster (Our Father) marked by a larger bead. The beads add an aesthetic dimension, something tactile that you hold while praying, especially in times of trouble.