The soaring popularity of rosary beads among Britain's fashion conscious has provoked the Roman Catholic Church to issue a leaflet stressing their religious significance.
Christian bookshops and other suppliers have been overwhelmed by demand from teens since celebrities such as David Beckham and Britney Spears began wearing the beads.
Catholic authorities have expressed "regret" about the way the beads are being trivialized, and the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has now produced guidance on their use as prayer aids.
The Rev. Allen Morris, the secretary of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, said jewelry shops were reporting record sales of rosaries and the leaflet was a response to concern that they were seen as mere secular fashion items.
'Selling like hot cakes'
"We have sold more than 100 rosary beads in the past six weeks," said Shirley Nicholls, manager of the Revelations Christian Bookshop in Ipswich. "We normally sell about three dozen in April and May, when people have their first communion, and then the odd one during the rest of the year.
"But during the summer, they have been selling like hot cakes and the children just keep coming in and asking me to order more."
Although most of the demand is from teens, children as young as 9 have been buying rosaries. The beads of the rosary stand for prayers: The large beads represent the Lord's Prayer, and small ones represent the Hail Mary.