When a rosary has been blessed by a bishop or priest, throwing it away can be an issue. In this case, you may not want to throw away an old, worn-out, or broken rosary.
You should treat it with care even if it has not been blessed. Hence, you have to come up with unique ways of throwing it away.
The sacramental rosary bead should be treated with care, and this guide will detail how to do that.
Throwing Away a Broken Rosary
There are several external items we use to deepen our relationship with God. One such item is a rosary.
They are an excellent item to use to help enhance our focus while praying. They help us keep track of prayers and maintain concentration.
The rosary beads come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and types. They are also used across different religions.
However, through excessive use, the rosary does face the test of time. The knots can come loose, and the thread may not be as strong.
The beads may detach, and even the cross can break. When a rosary is broken, there are tons of beads that can accumulate in your drawer.
You might be tempted to throw these beads away in the trash. But this is strictly not recommended at all.
You have to show respect to it regardless of whether it has been previously blessed or not.
Can I Throw Away a Broken Rosary?
In simple terms, you should not throw away a broken rosary in your trash can. This is because it is a religious item, and you should treat it with absolute respect.
When the rosary is broken or disintegrated, it is no longer considered to be blessed. However, you should still treat it with honor regardless.
Don’t throw it even if your rosary is broken or damaged, or is not usable. So, what can you do if you can’t throw away a broken rosary?
This guide will provide all the information you need to know regarding discarding the rosary. Keep reading to learn more.
Some Accepted Ways to Dispose of Broken Rosary
Throwing away your broken rosary in the trash should be avoided at all costs. There are other options to explore if you want to get rid of your broken rosary.
Before you take up any of these options, you must prepare your rosary for disposal. The proper preparation procedure is to destroy it so that it is unusable.
For example, you should first cut it into several pieces. This can be done with a wire cutter or scissors.
Then, you have to crush the beads to make them unrecognizable. Do this with a hammer.
Once this is done, you can get rid of your broken rosary. Here are some options you can explore to dispose of a broken rosary:
Bury It on Church Grounds
Once you have properly cut the thread and beads of the rosary, you can bury it. It is essential for the rosary to be destroyed completely before burying it.
It is also strictly recommended to bury them on sacred grounds. This is why the best option is to bury it on church grounds.
Doing so can serve as a kind of remembrance to the Lord. To bury the destroyed rosary beads, you must dig a hole in the ground.
You could use a sledgehammer or a shovel for this. However, before going ahead with the burial, talk to the church management.
You should take their permission and inform them that you are burying a religious item on their ground. Once you have made a hole, fill it up with water.
Put the beads in the water and then cover them with the dirt. This way, you will have respectfully disposed of the rosary beads.
Burn It
Many people assume it is a sin to burn the rosary beads, but it is certainly not. In fact, when the rosary has been rendered useless, this is an excellent disposal method.
This is a great option for people who cannot attend or live far from the church. It is also a good option, especially if a priest or bishop has blessed the rosary.
Most people tend to burn their items of religious devotion. You should destroy the rosary first when you plan to burn it.
Once burned, you have to bury the ashes on the church grounds. However, it should be noted that burning the rosary can be hazardous.
You should do it through a proper procedure and with supervision. Moreover, many people find this option to be time-consuming and tedious.
Most people find burning the rosary to be hard. Hence, they simply explore other options instead.
Get It Repaired
If your rosary is not in terrible condition, repairing it could be an option. When the rosary is not entirely worn out or damaged, people consider repairing it.
Moreover, people also repair the rosary when it is an heirloom or holds immense meaning. If that is the case with you, you can consider this option.
It is a great way to extend the life of a rosary, especially if it’s important to you. This will also avoid rendering it useless.
You can take up the task yourself if the thread is worn out. For example, you can remove all the beads and put them in a new thread.
Even if some of the beads are missing, you can get new ones from the store. Once repaired, you can also have the rosary blessed by the priest.
And if the repairing work is more extensive, get it done by a professional. In some cases, a jeweler or collector can do it for you.
You can also check online and see if there are any services that are willing to repair the rosary. There are often repair shops that provide this service for a fee.
Give It Away
You can consider this another option if the rosary is not in bad condition. Perhaps someone else might find the rosary more useful and would benefit from it.
However, you should only do this if the rosary is in a usable condition. Otherwise, it would be a waste for them as well.
A religious person would love this gift. In fact, if the rosary is many years old, it could be a valuable and meaningful gift.
If giving away a rosary is inappropriate, simply consider destroying and disposing of it.
Leave It at the Church
Lastly, leave the rosary at the church if you cannot follow the aforementioned options. This is a good option even if your rosary is too damaged.
For this reason, leaving the rosary at the church is the most popular disposal method. In most cases, churches set up boxes where they accept rosaries.
Even if they don’t have these specific boxes, they would still accept damaged and broken rosaries. If you can’t go to the church, you could also mail it to them.
You should first call and speak to the church management to do this. Additionally, some churches have a leave and take policy.
In this policy, you can leave a rosary with them and take a new one. This is a great idea for religious individuals looking for a replacement.
Once you give the rosary to the church, they will handle the rest. The church would then dispose of the rosary themselves.
They would either destroy, bury, burn, or repair it. Either way, you should rest assured that the rosary will be in good hands.
Reuse the Rosary
Lastly, you can also consider simply reusing the broken rosary. There is no requirement to get rid of your rosary if it is broken, since you can repurpose it.
If you cannot repair it, consider keeping it in a holy corner of your house. Place the rosary or the beads in a bowl, and then keep it in your room.
The beads still hold religious value and thus are quite useful. Even when you cannot use them for prayer, their presence would be helpful.
The Bottom Line
In no circumstance is it recommended for us to throw away a broken rosary in the trash. Avoid doing this regardless of how religious you are, and whether it has been blessed or not.
Religious items like a rosary must be treated with the utmost respect and honor. This is why you should consider the aforementioned options for disposal.
If you cannot give it to someone or reuse it, consider burning or burying the rosary. However, before doing either of those, you must destroy the rosary.
The main aim of destroying the rosary is to render it completely useless. Once done, you can bury the rosary on church grounds or burn it.
If you plan to burn it, make sure to bury the ashes on sacred grounds as well. Good luck!
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