What hath God wrought? The talking rosary

A Florida newspaper has details, and a video:

The so-called Freedom Rosary, developed by a Vero Beach couple, talks a devotee through the prayers with a tiny speaker in its cross. Like the Confession app, the device is meant to aid Catholic tradition rather than replace it.

“People are confused about how to say [the rosary]. They haven’t been taught,” says Rae DelVecchio, who developed the device along with husband Gary Graham. “We hope this will bring them closer to Christ.”

The device has the five “decades,” or sets of 10 beads, familiar to Catholics who pray the rosary. Press the larger beads between the decades, and the cross recites a “mystery,” or incident from the life of Mary or Jesus, such as his baptism. You can pick either a male or female voice.

Between each electronic beads, you can go through the usual 10 “Hail Mary” prayers, touching each bead as you go. After the final mystery, press the final bead to hear the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer.

Once the rosary’s calendar is set, the clever circuitry keeps track of which of the four “mysteries” to pray on any given day. That eliminates confusion about timing, which DelVecchio believes is a major reason more Catholics don’t pray the rosary.

The couple has patented the design, saying that no one else has created an electronic string of prayer beads. They’ve also trademarked the names “Freedom Rosary” and “Our Lady’s Freedom Rosary.”

“There’s nothing original, technologically,” Graham says. “What’s different is putting them in a rosary.”

Check out the rest. And visit the rosary’s website for information on ordering one.