The Pater Noster cord (also spelled Paternoster Cord and called Paternoster beads) is a set of Christian prayer beads used to recite the 150 Psalms, as well as the Lord's Prayer.[1][2] As such, Paternoster cords traditionally consist of 150 beads that are prayed once or 50 beads that are prayed thrice. One end of the Paternoster cord has a Christian cross and the other end has a tassel.[2][3] The Pater Noster cord was used in Gaelic Ireland, often sung in the form of Celtic chant. In the medieval era, persons who were illiterate simply recited the Lord's Prayer (known as the Pater Noster in the Ecclesiastical Latin liturgical language) 150 times instead of the 150 Psalms, hence giving these Christian prayer beads the name of the Paternoster cord.[4]
- ^ Doerr, Nan Lewis; Owens, Virginia Stem (28 August 2007). Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. viii. ISBN 978-0-8028-2727-2.
- ^ a b Karras, Ruth Mazo; Kaye, Joel; Matter, E. Ann (11 February 2013). Law and the Illicit in Medieval Europe. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-8122-0885-6.
- ^ Pater Noster Cord. Santa Anna: Solitaries of DeKoven. 2015. p. 1.
- ^ "Pater Noster Cords". Solitaries of DeKoven. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
Monks and clergy recited or chanted the Psalms as a major source of hourly worship. People living near the monasteries/abbeys realized the beauty of this devotion but unable to read or memorize the lengthy Psalms, the people were unable to adapt this form of prayer for their use. It was suggested that the people might substitute 150 Our Fathers in place of the Psalms.