CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

the Rosary, which are the subject of
meditation, are: (1) Joyful — the
Annunciation to Mary that she was to be
the Mother of Christ, her visit to
Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus, the
presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the
finding of Jesus in the Temple. (2)
Sorrowful — Christ’s agony in the Garden
of Gethsemani, scourging at the pillar,
crowning with thorns, carrying of the cross
to Calvary, and crucifixion. (3) Glorious —
the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ,
the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles, Mary’s Assumption into heaven
and her crowning as Queen of angels and
men.
The complete Rosary, called the
Dominican Rosary, consists of 15 decades.
In customary practice, only five decades are
usually said at one time. Rosary beads are
used to aid in counting the prayers without
distraction. The Rosary originated through
the coalescence of popular devotions to
Jesus and Mary from the 12th century
onward. Its present form dates from about
the 15th century. Carthusians contributed
greatly toward its development;
Dominicans have been its greatest
promoters. The fifteen mysteries were
standardized by Pope Pius V in 1569.
In 2002, Pope John Paul II added five new
mysteries dedicated to chapters from Jesus’
public life. Titled the Mysteries of Light,
they are: Christ’s baptism in the Jordan
River; Christ’s self-revelation at the
marriage of Cana; Christ’s announcement
of the kingdom of God with the invitation
to conversion; Christ’s Transfiguration,
when he revealed his glory to his Apostles;
and the institution of the Eucharist at the
Last Supper as the sacramental expression
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of the paschal mystery. The pope asked
that the Mysteries of Light be recited
especially on Thursday.
S
Sabbath: The seventh day of the week,
observed by Jews and Sabbatarians as the
day for rest and religious observance.
Sacrarium: A basin with a drain leading
directly into the ground; standard
equipment of a sacristy.
Sacred Heart, Enthronement of the: An
acknowledgment of the sovereignty of
Jesus Christ over the Christian family,
expressed by the installation of an image or
picture of the Sacred Heart in a place of
honor in the home, accompanied by an act
of consecration.
Sacred Heart, Promises: Twelve promises
to persons having devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, which were communicated
by Christ to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
in a private revelation in 1675.
Sacrilege: Violation of and irreverence
toward a person, place or thing that is
sacred because of public dedication to
God; a sin against the virtue of religion.
Personal sacrilege is violence of some kind
against a cleric or religious, or a violation
of chastity with a cleric or religious. Local
sacrilege is the desecration of sacred places.
Real sacrilege is irreverence with respect to
sacred things, such as the sacraments and
sacred vessels.
Sacristy: A utility room where vestments,
church furnishings and sacred vessels are