Every evening at 7:15 p.m. we all go out to the chapel for evening prayers. The Chaldeans have their own cross without a body on it. I will get my students to explain the symbolism, but I suspect the twelve points represent the apostles, the four points near the center the gospels, and the center Christ, but I may be way off.
The liturgy this evening was unusual in that we were asked to recite "Our Father" followed by 10 "Hail Mary"s four times. I now have the "Hail Mary" passage memorized:
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Having been raised in a Catholic family, what you were essentially doing was reciting the rosary. It isn't commonly done our part of the world (at least not in the churches I've been to) but is very common in more traditional settings. It could be compared to meditation, as you are to reflect upon the life and deeds of Jesus during the repetitious reciting of these prayers.
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