The Rosary: An especially effective weapon

* October 4 – Our Lady of Loreto (Port Lesney, France) – Saint Francis of Assisi (d.1226) * An especially effective weapon  --- An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association October is the Month of the Rosary. This year A Moment with Mary has chosen to dedicate each daily meditation to the holy Rosary that Pope Benedict XII (d.1730) called: "The supreme remedy for errors and vices." October 4 – Our Lady of Loreto (Port Lesney, France) – Saint Francis of Assisi (d.1226) An especially effective weapon  Remember that Sister Lucia (one of the three visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima (1917 in Portugal) confided the following to Father Fuentes on December 26, 1957: "The Blessed Virgin has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." The earliest victory on record won by the Rosary was a victory against the Cathars. It took place on September 12, 1213, in Muret, France. This victory was fought by 800 French knights called by Pope Innocent III and led by Simon de Montfort. They faced an army of 34,000 Cathars assisted by Spaniards led by Peter II of Aragon. Throughout the battle, Saint Dominic prayed the Rosary in the church of Muret. The victory was spectacular: only 8 were reported killed on the French side against 10,000 on the Spanish and Cathar side, including Peter II. This victory brought back peace. www.fatima100.fr This portrays the story of a disputation between Saint Dominic and the Cathars (Albigensians), in which the books of both were thrown on a fire and St Dominic's books were miraculously preserved from the flames. Painting by Pedro Berruguete  [Wikipedia] www.mariedenazareth.com The month of October, a month when we especially like to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is traditionally called the Month of the Rosary. The holy Rosary is composed of twenty decades. Each decade is recited in honor of a mystery in the life of Christ and that of Our Lady. It is customary to recite five decades at a time while meditating on one set of mysteries. We usually pray one specific set on each day the week in the following way: - On Monday and Saturday we pray the Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation of Jesus, and The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. - On Tuesday and Friday we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries: The Agony of Jesus, The Scourging, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.  - On Wednesday and Sunday we pray the Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and The Coronation of the Virgin Mary. - On Thursday we pray the Mysteries of Light: The Baptism of Jesus, The Wedding at Cana, The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, The Transfiguration, and The Institution of the Holy Eucharist. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7th. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius V in 1573, to thank the Virgin Mary for the victory of Lepanto (1571).