October: The Month of the Rosary

Generally available Marian image created in the 1880s. The white circular text in the halo reads: "Je suis l'Immaculée Conception" (French for "I am the Immaculate Conception"). From Jtdirl's collection. Copyright long expired. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) October, the Month of the Rosary Praying the Rosary has the power to change the course of human history. It has indeed done so on several occasions. The renowned Battle of Lepanto is one obvious manifestation of the extraordinary power of this Marian prayer. In 1571, Pope St. Pius V called upon Western Christendom to pray the Rosary for victory over the significantly stronger naval fleet of the Muslim Turks, and specifically requested the Rosary confraternities to intensify their Rosary prayer in preparation for the October 7 naval battle. The sailors of the Christian fleet were likewise armed with the weapon of the Rosary. Read more...   The Rosary, My Favorite Prayer …I wish to draw your attention to the rosary. In fact, throughout the whole Church, October is the month dedicated to the rosary. The rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and in its depth. In this prayer we repeat many times the words that the Virgin Mary heard from the Archangel, and from her kinswoman Elizabeth. The whole Church joins in these words. It can be said that the rosary is, in a certain way, a prayer-commentary on the last chapter of the Constitution Lumen gentium of Vatican II, a chapter which deals with the wonderful presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church. Our recent article on the… Read more...   The Fifteen Promises of Our Lady to Those Who Pray the Rosary Faithfully The Blessed Virgin Mary promised to Saint Dominic and to all who follow her urgings that “Whatever you ask in the Rosary will be granted.” These are the fifteen promises she imparted to Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche, granted to all Christians who faithfully recite the Rosary. All that remains for us is to pray and to respond to the great graces she gives to us. –Assistant Ed. 1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God;… Read more...   The Rosary and the Family “Dear Children! You have helped me along by your prayers to realize my plans. Keep on praying that my plan may be completely realized. I request the families of the parish to pray the Family Rosary. Thank you for having responded to my call” (Our Lady of Medjugorje, September 27, 1984). The call to pray the Rosary is the principal form of prayer requested by the Blessed Mother, not only in the message of Medjugorje but in the overall Marian message to the modern world. I want to discuss this favored Marian prayer under three categories. First of all, I will discuss briefly the Rosary in this general Marian call to the modern world. Secondly, I will discuss a little bit of the origins, the history, and the nature of the Rosary. What is this prayer of the Rosary that Our Lady has called us to so regularly? Thirdly, and… Read more...   Madonna of the Rosary (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Prayer from the Heart: Praying the Rosary Well It is not so much the length of a prayer, but the fervor with which it is said which pleases Almighty God and touches His Heart. One single Hail Mary that is said properly is worth more than one hundred and fifty that are badly said. Most Catholics say the Rosary, the whole fifteen mysteries or five of them anyway or, at least a few decades. So why is it then that so few of them give up their sins and go forward in the spiritual life? It must be because they are not saying them as they should. It is a good thing to think over how we should pray if we really want to please God and become more holy. To say the Holy Rosary to advantage one must be in a state of grace or at the very least be fully determined to give up mortal sin. This… Read more...   The Power of the Rosary A Diabolical Possession When St. Dominic was preaching the Rosary near Carcassone (1) an Albigensian was brought to him who was possessed by the devil. St. Dominic exorcised him in the presence of a great crowd of people; it appears that more than 12,000 had come to hear him preach. The devils who were in possession of this wretched man were forced to answer St. Dominic’s questions in spite of themselves. They said that: 1. There were 15,000 of them in the body of this poor man, because he had attacked the 15 mysteries of the rosary; 2. They went on to testify that by preaching the Rosary he (Dominic) put fear and horror into the very depths of hell and that he was the man they hated most throughout the whole world, because of the souls which he snatched from them through devotion to the Holy Rosary; 3. They then revealed several… Read more...   Sister Lucia’s Rosary Meditations: The Joyful Mysteries The visionary and seer, Sr. Lucia of Fatima, provided the world with profound and inspired Rosary meditations in her book, “Calls” from the Message of Fatima. We begin this week by presenting her meditations on the Joyful Mysteries. – Ed. Having seen that the prayer of the Rosary is the one which God has recommended most for all of us in general, both by means of the Church’s Magisterium and through the Message which He sent to us by Our Lady, we will now look at the mysteries of our Redemption which this prayer leads us to recall and contemplate in each decade. For the majority of Christians who live in the corrupt atmosphere of the world, it is almost pointless to talk about mental prayer. Hence, what is most suitable for them is vocal prayer, in common or in private: the liturgical prayer of the Holy Mass and the recitation… Read More...   Detail of a stained glass window featuring St. Dominic receiving the rosary from the Virgin Mary by Franz Mayer in Carlow Cathedral (Photo credit: Wikipedia) St. Dominic and Daily Rosary for the Christian Family Excerpt From: Fausto Appetente Die Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St. Dominic Loving the Blessed Virgin as a Mother, confiding chiefly in her patronage, Dominic started his battle for the Faith. The Albigenses, among other dogmas, attacked both the Divine maternity and the virginity of Mary. He, attacked by them with every insult, defending to the utmost of his strength the sanctity of these dogmas, he invoked the help of the Virgin Mother herself, frequently using these words: “Make me worthy to praise thee, Sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies.” How pleased was the Heavenly Queen with her pious servant may be easily gathered from this, that she used his ministry to teach the Most Holy Rosary to the Church, the Spouse of her Son… That prayer which, being both vocal and mental, in the contemplation especially of the mysteries of religion, while the Lord’s… Read More... Rosary and scapular - rosary beads and Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. March 2009 photo by John Stephen Dwyer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)   Marian Devotion, the Rosary, and the Scapular The following article is an excerpt from a chapter in the recently published Marian anthology, Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons, Seat of Wisdom Books, A Division of Queenship, 2008. Fifteen international Mariology experts contributed to the text. The book features a foreword by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and has 17 chapters divided into four parts: 1. Mary in Scripture and the Early Church; 2. Marian Dogma; 3. Marian Doctrine; and 4. Marian Liturgy and Devotion. The book is now available from Queenship Publications. To obtain a copy, visit queenship.org. Visit books.google.com and search on "Mariology: A Guide" to view the book in its entirety, or simply click here. Asst. Ed. Introduction Veneration of the… Read More...   “Do Fight and Ask for this Dogma” In the April 4, 1954 message of the Lady of All Nations (ecclesiastical approval, May 31, 2002, see “Church Approves Apparitions of the Lady of All Nations” article), Our Lady makes a serious comment to theologians by stating, “from the outset the Handmaid of the Lord was chosen to be Co-redemptrix. Tell your theologians that they can find it in all their books!” The Mother then offers further explanation of her roles of Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate, establishing the foundation of these roles in her Immaculate Conception. In addition, she challenges theologians: “Theologians, I ask you, do you still have objections to this dogma?… I ask you to work for this dogma… do fight and ask for this dogma: it is the crowning of your Lady!” – Ed. I see the Lady standing with a serious look on Her face. She says to me, “Once more I am here. Listen… Read More...