Prayer Beads

Prayer beads are a tool that can be used to help ground us and engage in meditative prayer. The practice of using beads in prayer dates back to early Christianity. The set of prayer beads we use was developed on the 80s for Protestant communities to connect to God in prayer. There is no wrong way to pray with prayer beads. Often times even holding them while you pray can be a reminder of God presence with us. There are however some suggestions to use the pattern of the beads to help focus us. Below are some resources to help you pray with beads. If you don’t have prayer beads, email Pastor Haley (haley@campustocity.org) and she will send you a set!

Resources:

Books:

Vincent, Kristen E. A Bead and a Prayer: A Beginner's Guide to Protestant Prayer Beads. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2013.

Doerr, Nan Lewis & Owens, Virginia Stem. Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year. Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans, 2007. 

Doerr, Nan Lewis. Praying the Psalms with Beads: A Book of Daily Prayers. Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans, 2020.

Winston, Kimberly. Bead One, Pray Too: A Guide to Making and Using Prayer Beads. New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2008.

Ryan CSP, Thomas. Praying by Hand, Praying with Beads: A Universal Form of Prayer. New York: Paulist Press, 2019.

Podcast:

Chisholm, Debbie & Heath, Kendall. "Episode 40 - Spiritual Healing & Prayer Beads with Author, Kristen Vincent."