Yreka, California
Home of St. Mary Magdalene's Church
Symbolism of the Color
of the Anglican Prayer Beads
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Yreka, California Home of St. Mary Magdalene's Church Symbolism of the Color
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Symbolism of the Color of the Beads
[ Black ] +
[ Red ] +
[ Rose-Pink ] +
[ Orange ] +
[ Yellow ] +
[ Green ] +
[ Turquoise ] +
[ Blue ] +
[ Violet ] +
[ White-Ivory ]
Other Information
[ Cause Bracelets ] +
[ Restringing ] +
[ Sample Prayers ] +
[ Customer Comments ] +
[ Payment & Shipping Information ]
| BLACK ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Black, the color of death and mourning, represents both the brevity of life and our sinful nature. It is the liturgical colour used for rememberances of those who have gone before us and reminds us that we live in a fallen world and need Christ to bring light to our lives. Black, when paired with any other colour, tempers our joy, our hope, and our fire because we know that, without God, we cannot attain his gifts. |
| RED ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Red is the colour used to represent both fire and blood. It symbolizes Christ's Passion and the shedding of his life's blood to atone for the sins of mankind. Red also represents the fire and burning of the Holy Spirit. In the church it is used on the feast days of the Holy Spirit and on days commemorating the Christian martyrs. Red is also used for confirmations and ordinations where the Holy Spirit is moving and present. Red, when paired with black, the color of death and mourning, it is a reminder that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was done to compensate for our sinful nature. |
| ROSE or PINK ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Rose or pink is used to symbolize rejoicing. It is the color used for the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent when these traditional seasons of repentence and introspection are lightened with the anticipated arrival of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. During Advent we remember Mary's joy at Jesus's expected birth and, today, our joy as we await his coming again. During Lent we reflect on Christ's sacrifice, but also rest in faith in his resurrection and triumph over death. |
| ORANGE ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Although neither orange nor yellow are liturgical colours that are used in the church, they both symbolize God's goodness and bounty.
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| YELLOW ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Yellow, the color of the sun and of ripened grain, represents God's unconditional love to mankind through the yearly cycle of sowing and reaping. |
| GREEN ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Green, the color of new growth, represents life. It is the most commonly used liturgical color and is used during 'ordinary' time or the season following Pentecost. Green symbolizes our personal growth as we daily study the scripture, expand our knowledge and grow in faith. Green, when paired with black, represents the discipline we must exercise to overcome our worldly sins of sloth, laziness, and procrastination to continue our pursuit of spiritual growth. |
| TURQUOISE ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Turquoise, a variation of blue, is the symbolic color of sea and sky. Again, it represents the eternal changelessness of God and the manifestation of God in nature. |
| BLUE ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Blue is used to symbolize hope and the eternal changelessness of God. It is also used to represent the Virgin Mary and is the traditional liturgical color used for the Marian feasts during the year. Blue was used as the 'ordinary' color, instead of green, in the early English church and is experiencing a comeback in sacramental churches, particularly those with roots in Anglicanism, as the preferred color for the season of Advent. Many refer to the season of Advent as Mary's season since the gospel readings revolve around the events leading up to the birth of Christ which is not actually celebrated until Christmas. |
| PURPLE ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
Purple was a very expensive dye and, as a result, became associated with royality and the symbolic color for wealth and power. In the church it is used during the seasons of Advent and Lent as we wait for the coming of the King. It has become associated with penitence and inward reflection. Purple when coupled with blue it reminds us of Mary and represents the hope we feel as we await the coming of our Saviour which is celebrated during the seasons of Lent and Advent. |
| WHITE or IVORY ANGLICAN PRAYER BEADS
White, the color of light, represents innocence and purity. It is the liturgical color used for the joyous feasts of the Church such as the seasons of Christmas and Easter. White is also the color used for weddings, baptisms, funerals, and most saint's days. If the saint is a martyr, however, red, the color for blood, is used. White when paired with black it reminds us that our innocence and purity is always tainted with our baser nature which only God can help us overcome. |
Under normal use your rosary prayer beads should provide years of service, but accidents do happen. If, for some reason, your beads break or come undone we will restring them free of charge. Just return the beads and cross to us in a padded envelope along with a pre-printed address label and return postage and we will restring them for you at no charge. We do have a supply of spacer beads available in case you are not able to find all of them. We do have some of the cruciform and week beads floating around, but many of our sets are one-of-a-kind using beads that church members have donated so no guarantees on the cruciform and week bead replacement.
St. Mary Magdalene's is finally finished with the roof, however, we need to make up for the money we borrowed from the general fund to complete the roof project. To come up with the last of funds we are selling Christian Cause Bracelets. There are three styles to choose from. The green ones, size large, say BE A TESTIMONY. The red ones, size medium, say LIVE FOR HIM. The nylon friendship bracelets are size large and sayings vary. The friendship bracelets say "Got God?" (hot pink), "ASAP Always Say a Prayer" (hot pink), "I have Jesus in My Heart" (white with pink hearts), and "P.U.S.H." which stands for 'Pray Until Something Happens' (variegated spectrum). Please check on availability.
Bracelets can be purchased by check or money order or through PayPal. Bracelets alone are $5 each plus $1 shipping for any size order. Add a bracelet to your order for prayer beads and shipping for your bracelet is FREE!
"The Rosary I ordered was waiting in my mailbox when I arrived home from the office today. It is beautiful and exceeded my expectations. The missionary rosary which was included as a gift with my order is also lovely. Imagine my delight when I noticed that the the gift rosary was color coordinated with the rosary I ordered. The cruciform beads are so beautiful. Your attention to detail is amazing and appreciated."
~Sally L., Louisville, Kentucky
"The prayer beads were received in good condition, and on time...thank you very much. And a BIG thank you for the free beads and other material that you sent as well. These will be given to some of the kids in the church school classes to promote prayer focus for them.
The graduation dinner is this evening, and I'm excited to see the reaction to these gifts."
~David Smith, EfM Co-mentor, St. Matthias Episcopal Church, East Aurora, New York
"The rosaries came today. I'm looking forward to sharing two or three with fellow pilgrims. An unexpected blessing is the glossy pamphlet [from The Community of Christ the Sower at ChristTheSower.org]. I was looking for a more traditional approach (Anglo-Catholic). Thanks and please keep me in your prayers."
~Rev'd John Searcy, Cartersville, Georgia
"Greetings! Yes, I did indeed receive the [mountain jade] rosary. I just pulled it out of my shirt pocket. I like it VERY, VERY MUCH. It never leaves my sight, and I go to sleep with it twined in my fingers. It has, in many ways, revolutionized my prayer life. Why? I don’t know, because I have about 10 other sets---some designed by myself. But this one? I love the size of the beads. Large and heavy. I’m diabetic (type 2), so sometimes the feeling in the tips of my fingers isn’t that great, and this is one of the reasons why I like the larger round [10mm] beads. The materials and craftsmanship are great!!!!! Your rosaries are not to be missed, and are to be treasured. Real quality stuff. Take it from one who knows, and knows well.
~Fr. Stephen Donahue, The Episcopal Missionary Church, Maryland
"Just to let you know that the prayer beads arrived safely on Friday and were waiting for me when I got home from work. I am delighted with them. I have prayed with the dyed fossil beads and am particularly taken with them on account of their feel, scale and rich deep colour. Also, for focus, I had the round art wood beads with the San Damiano cross on the lecturn when I was preaching yesterday. The beads are such a wonderful aid and focus for prayer and devotion to our Lord at all times and in all places.. Also many thanks for the complimentary mission beads and prayer leaflets.
~Alan Meighen, Licensed Lay Reader, Church of England, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
HOW TO CALCULATE SHIPPING AMOUNT:
Prayer beads are sent via First Class or Priority mail. Shipping is $2.00 for the first rosary and $0.50 for each additional rosary purchased. Please do NOT include the free mission rosary when calculating the number of prayer beads to be shipped, just use the number of rosaries actually purchased. Please refer to the chart below for a quick calculation.
HOW TO CALCULATE INSURANCE (OPTIONAL):
Please include additional funds for insurance, if requested. We are not responsible for loss or damage to uninsured items. For insurance up to $50 add $1.65, from $50.01-$100 add $2.05, and from $100.01-$200 add $2.45.
CAUSE BRACELETS:
If you are interested in purchasing one or more of the "cause" bracelets, please add them to your order for prayer beads at no additional shipping charge.
IF PAYING WITH PAYPAL
We do not have a shopping cart so if you are paying with PayPal you will need to calculate the GRAND TOTAL due including including shipping and optional insurance and enter the TOTAL AMOUNT into the box that appears on the first page. In the Payment For box enter 'Prayer Beads' and complete the information that PayPal requests. On the second page it will show only 1 item purchased, but further down the page there is a box called Message to Seller where you may itemize exactly which sets of prayer beads you want and how many of each. This is a small operation so if we have any questions about your order, we will shoot you an email.
IF PAYING BY CHECK/MO:
We are temporarily unable to process payments by check, cash or money order.
Donations to St. Mary Magdalene's Church are tax deductible.
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This page last updated on 6-apr-2009
Yreka, California
orders@stmarymagdalenes.org