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The Spiritually Power Packed 8 Way medal explained in detail!

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When you make a lot of paracord rosaries you need to cut a LOT of paracord:

Here is how we do it at the Rugged Rosaries rosarium.

Triple Threat Crucifix and Rosary

In 2016 we began to carry this beautiful crucifix from Italy.  We call it the Triple Threat Crucifix because it combines 3 of the most powerful sacramentals of the Church into one piece!  Attached to this Indulgence Pardon Crucifix is also a Miraculous Medal and a St Benedict medal!  It is die-cast in Italy with a beautiful silver oxidized finish which gives a richly detailed, 3-dimensional finishing touch as only the Italians have perfected. This large crucifix is 2-1/8 inches tall and wonderfully detailed.

As you  can see, we also carry the standard type of Pardon Crucifixes as well and both in several color choices.

The Pardon Crucifix

The word indulgence originally meant kindness or favor. In this instance, an indulgence is given to remit the temporal punishment of sin that has been forgiven. These indulgences have been declared upon the Pardon Crucifix by Pope St. Pius X in 1905, and have been approved in the pardon of the living and the souls in Purgatory in 1907.

1. Whoever carries on his person the Pardon Crucifix, may thereby gain an indulgence.

2. For devoutly kissing the Crucifix, an indulgence is gained.

3. Whoever says one of the following invocations before this crucifix may gain each time an indulgence: "Our Father who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." "I beg the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray to the Lord our God for me."

4. Whoever, habitually devout to this Crucifix, will fulfill the necessary conditions of Confession and Holy Communion, may gain a Plenary Indulgence on the following feasts: On the feasts of the Five Wounds of our Lord, the Invention of the Holy Cross, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Immaculate Conception, and the Seven Sorrows (Dolors) of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

5. Whoever, at the moment of death, fortified with the Sacraments of the Church, or contrite of heart, in the supposition of being unable to receive them, will kiss this Crucifix and ask pardon of God for his sins, and pardon his neighbor, will gain a Plenary Indulgence.

The Front of the Crucifix: Above the cruciform figure, the familiar I.N.R.I. has been inscribed with the words "Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum. "  Latin uses I instead of the English J, and V instead of U (Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm). The English translation is "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." The Reverse of the Crucifix: On the transverse arms are the words, "Father, forgive them." On the vertical beam of the Cross are the words, "Behold this heart which has so loved men." An image of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is shown in the center.

The crucifix also features a St. Benedict and a Miraculous Medal, front and back.

St. Benedict Medal

The St. Benedict medal is one of the oldest and most honored medals used by Christians and due to the belief in its power against evil is also known as the "devil-chasing medal".  On the back of the St. Benedict medal is a cross, containing the letters C S S M L - N D S M D, initials of the words Crux sacra sit mihi lux! Non draco sit mihi dux! ("May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my overlord!").  The large C S P B stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti ("The Cross of [our] Holy Father Benedict"). Surrounding the back of the medal are the letters V R S N S M V - S M Q L I V B, in reference to Vade retro satana: Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! ("Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!") and finally, located at the top is the word PAX which means "peace".

The Miraculous Medal 

During her evening meditation on Nov. 27, 1830, Sister Catherine Laboure has a vision of Mary standing in a position similar to the depiction on the medal. Later, the vision changes to include the inscription found on the front side of the medal.

Mary speaks to Catherine, saying, "Have a medal struck upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around their neck."

Iconic Attraction
It was as Mary said. The medal's effects were immediate.

The first medals were made in 1832 and distributed throughout Paris. According to the Association of the Miraculous Medal, the blessings that Mary promised "began to shower down" on wearers of the medal. The devotion spread rapidly. In 1836, a Church investigation declared the apparitions to be genuine.

Since Mary asked Catherine to have the medal struck, devotion to the Miraculous Medal has spread the world over, the image having achieved iconic stature.

But what does the medal mean? In answering that, one discovers why it works.

The Front Side
• Mary stands on a globe, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Describing the original vision, Catherine said the Blessed Mother appeared radiant as a sunrise, "in all her perfect beauty."
• Rays shoot out from Mary's hands, which she told Catherine, "... symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them."
• Words from the vision form an oval frame around Mary: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."
Seen as a matrix, the elements of the front design encapsulate major Marian tenets:

Quality of Our Lady As Illustrated by the Medal
• Mother Her open arms, the "recourse" we have in her
• Immaculate The words, "conceived without sin"
• Assumed into Heaven She stands on the globe
• Mediatrix Rays from her hands symbolizing "graces"
• Our Protection Crushes the serpent (Gn. 3:15)

The Reverse Side
• A cross-and-bar surmounts a large, bold "M"
• 12 stars disperse around the perimeter
• Two hearts are depicted underneath the "M," the left lapped with a crown of thorns, the right skewed by a sword. From each, a flame emanates from the top. Again, employing a grid analysis, we can see how the reverse-side design contains great symbolism reflecting major tenets of the Catholic faith.

Design Element and its Catholic Meaning
• The large letter "M" — Mary as Mother, Mediatrix.
• Cross and bar — Jesus' cross of Redemption.
• 12 stars — 12 Apostles, who formed the first Church.
• Left Heart — The Sacred Heart, who died for our sins.
• Right Heart — The Immaculate Heart, who intercedes for us.
• Flames — The burning love Jesus and Mary have for us.

The Association of the Miraculous Medal, in Perryville, Mo., notes that there is no superstition or magic connected with the Miraculous Medal, nor is it "a good luck charm." Rather, it is "a testimony to faith and the power of trusting prayer. Its greatest miracles are those of patience, forgiveness, repentance, and faith."

** Information about the Miraculous Medal is from the website of Marians of the Immaculate Conception Organization at http://www.marian.org/news/The-Meaning-of-the-Miraculous-Medal-2942.

Triple Threat Rosary™

CLICK HERE to see our Triple Threat Paracord Rosary™.  Its a Triple Threat against evil.

The Memento Mori Skull Rosary

 We sometimes get questions on the meaning of rosaries with skulls. Is it sacrilegious or is it anti-Catholic? Surprisingly, it’s quite opposite to that. The skull bead on a rosary is meant to provide a focus for contemplating one’s mortality. A memento mori rosary reminds us of our mortality and that we will one day die and stand before the Lord Jesus, our soul awaiting His judgement. The Latin phrase Memento Mori means “Remember your death”, and it is a spiritual practice of acknowledging your mortality and thus a reminder to live your life on earth virtuously. Certainly, a skull rosary is not for everyone as some people may find it morbid. 

The use of symbolic skulls in rosaries and chaplets dates all the way back to the late middle ages (1050 - 1500). They were particularly popular in Italy, Germany, and Mexico with priests, nuns, and monks.  But, skulls on rosaries have been used for hundreds of years, and historical art and doctrine supports the use of skulls on the rosary.

The Skull used in Religious Art

There are many depictions in paintings of Saints with skulls. Some crucifixes depict a skull at the bottom, to signify Christ’s victory over death. Some rosaries feature a skull bead to serve as a “Memento Mori,” or a reminder that one’s life is not infinite.

There are also depictions of the crucifixion that show a skull at the base of the cross. The Hebrew name of the location Christ was crucified was “Golgotha” and it’s meaning is “Place of the Skull”.  It is believed that Adam was buried in that same location, so some use the symbolic skull to signify the first man created by God and Christ's gift to mortal man.

References to the "Memento Mori" in Catholic writings

The Latin phrase "Memento Mori",  meaning “Remember you must die”,  was influential in art and religious life dating back to Medieval Europe. It is a reminder both of our mortality and of the judgment that will follow our death.  

From the Canticle of the Sun written by  St. Francis of Assisi:

And St. Benedict of Nursia calls us to:

And finally,  in our “Hail Mary” prayer, there is a reference to our mortality: