Modern technology has seeped deep into one of the Church’s oldest traditions with the creation of a gadget which helps the faithful recite the rosary in Maltese.

Manufactured in China, the gadget already exists in several other languages, including Italian, French, German and English.

But the enterprising Ċentru Animazzjoni u Komunikazzjoni (ĊAK) of the Franciscan Conventuals came up with the idea to translate the rosary to Maltese to reach a wider audience, including the elderly.

Fr Paul Darmanin from ĊAK explained that the firm which manufactures the gadget is a Catholic company which immediately accepted the idea of having a Maltese version.

The recording was carried out in Malta and sent abroad for digitising. The Maltese version of the rosary comes on a sound card which is inserted into the battery-operated gadget. The rosaryin English is also available on a separate soundcard.

“There are several advantages of going digital. This is the Holy Rosary in MP3, a gadget that is so small it can be taken around with you everywhere. Now you do not have to wait for the rosary to be recited on the radio but you can recite it everywhere, even in the car,” Fr Darmanin explained.

The gadget comes with in-built speakers and can be recited at the touch of a button. It chooses the mystery automatically, according to the day of the week and has three recitation modes: the ‘follow me’ mode (where the faithful repeat the prayers from the electronic rosary); the ‘counting’ mode (which works like an electronic rosary bead and prompts the next prayer), and the ‘alternation’ mode (which acts like your prayingpartner).

The gadget also has a daily 3 p.m. alarm for the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. The €23 gadget comes with the soundcard, a wrist band, an instruction manual, a headset and two AAA batteries.

It is available from CAK’s Emmaus in Birkirkara and leading Christian bookshops.