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By Michelle Schweickart

Each year, October is dedicated to the most holy rosary, also known as Mary’s Psalter, due in large part to the feast day for Our Lady of the Rosary being celebrated on Oct. 7. The word “rosary” refers both to the physical object of the rosary and to the rosary prayer. According to Blessed Alan de la Roche in his book De Dignitate Psalterii, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1214 and gave him the rosary in its current form. Up until the 15th century, hundreds of mysteries were associated with devotion to the rosary. In 1569, Pope Pius V established the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries — 15 in all. Nearly 600 years later, in 2002, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, added the five Luminous Mysteries.

A Collection Highlight 

While traditionally a rosary is made of a string of beads, a medal and a cross, The Holy Rosary artist book by Priya Pereira, created in 1998, provides viewers with a unique way to experience and pray the rosary. The book unfolds as a rosary, with the pages representing the beads; the pages are tied together with a thread cord and tassel. All five decades —  groupings of 10 Hail Mary prayers — are included within the 15 pages, with each one holding a prayer. The book starts with the Sign of the Cross and the Apostles’ Creed with the following pages alternating between the Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary prayers. A personal touch to the book is the mosaic-like background of each page, inspired by the tiles of the artist’s home in India.  

Pereira, a self-taught book artist, has created a collection of 40 books over the last 25 years. Her process starts with an idea, which she then researches and uses to plan out her design with input from her husband, Tony. She then creates a mock-up version to send to museums and art lovers. If they like it, she starts making them in limited editions, using materials such as cloth, handmade paper, plastic, stones and any other material that appeals to her for the project. The Holy Rosary is one of many unique examples in the Marian Library’s collection of rosaries and rosary-related art and ephemera. 

Learn More, Plan a Visit 

An exhibit case featuring Pereira’s artist book and a selection of rosaries and related materials from the Marian Library’s Art and Artifacts Collection will be on display in the Marian Library Reading Room throughout October. The Marian Library is open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and by appointment on Mondays. 

To learn more about the rosaries and other materials in the Marian Library collections, visit ArchivesSpace, a content management system that allows users to access finding aids and inventories for archives and special collections at the University of Dayton. It includes collections from the University Archives and Special Collections, the U.S. Catholic Special Collection and the Marian Library.