Happy Feast of St. Francis

What a lovely way to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis in a special way.....

The Franciscan Crown Rosary
The Franciscan rosary, or as it is properly called, The Franciscan Crown, dates to the early part of the 15th century. At that time a young man who found spiritual joy in weaving a crown of wild flowers for a beautiful statue of Mary decided to enter the Franciscan Order. After entering the community, however, he was saddened when he no longer found the time to gather flowers for his personal devotion. One evening, while feeling tempted to abandon his vocation, he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mother encouraged the young novice to persevere by reminding him of the joyfulness of the Franciscan spirit. She also instructed him to meditate daily on seven joyful events from her own life as a new form of the rosary. Instead of a crown of flowers, the novice would now weave a crown of prayers. Before long, many other Franciscans began to pray the Crown and soon it spread to the entire Order, becoming officially established in 1422.
-Taken From The Franciscans

How To Pray the Franciscan Crown Rosary

1. The Franciscan Crown consists of seven decades of Hail Mary's, each preceded by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be.

2. The Crown recalls the seven joys of Mary and how she responded to the grace of God in her life.

-The Angel announces to Mary the birth of the coming Redeemer

-The Blessed Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth

-The Savior is born of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem

-The Magi Adore the Infant Jesus

-The Child Jesus is found in the temple

-The risen Savior appears to the Blessed Virgin on Easter morning

-The Blessed Virgin Mary is assumed into heaven and crowned Queen of the Universe

3. It begins with the sign of the cross which is then followed by seven decades, each consisting of one Our Father, ten Hail Mary's and one Glory Be.

4. At the end of the seven decades, there are two additional Hail Mary's, bringing the total of Hail Mary's to 72 years.

5. The Crown is concluded by praying one Our Father and one Hail Mary for the intentions of the Pope.