Chaplets Explained

– Answered by Father Johann Roten, S.M.

Q: What are Chaplets?

A: The chaplet is a special type of rosary in honor of the Trinity, of Jesus Christ, his Mother, of angels and of saints. Its purpose is to initiate or to revive a special devotion. Many chaplets can be recited with the ordinary rosary beads, others have their own number of beads and special format. A chaplet can be used as a novena or to highlight special days and special seasons. From the Little Chaplet of the Holy Ghost on Sundays to the Chaplet of Saint Raphael before traveling, the existing chaplets and the reasons for new ones constitute a sheer endless list.

Also see "Chaplets: Various Kinds" in All About Mary.

For more information, consult Patricia S. Quintiliani's My Treasury of Chaplets, Worcester, MA, 1998

In recognition of the Year of the Rosary, October 2002-October 2003