* October 1st – Church Slavonic: Our Lady of Pokrov (“Protectress”) - Saint Romanos the Melodist (6th century)  * Why pray the Rosary? (I) --- 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 1st – Church Slavonic: Our Lady of Pokrov (“Protectress”) - Saint Romanos the Melodist (6th century)  Why pray the Rosary? (I) October is the month of the Rosary. Pope Benedict XVI explained why we should pray the Rosary: "The Rosary is not a practice relegated to the past, like prayers of previous eras we might think of with nostalgia. On the contrary, the Rosary is enjoying a new springtime." "The Rosary is undoubtedly one of the most eloquent signs of love that the young generations nourish for Jesus and his mother Mary." "In today's world, which is so fragmented, this prayer helps us to place Christ at the center, as did the Virgin who meditated interiorly about everything that was said about her Son, and about what He said and did." "When reciting the Rosary, we relive the important and meaningful moments of salvation history; we visit anew the stages of Christ's mission." "With Mary, we turn our heart to the mystery of Jesus. Jesus is placed at the center of our life, of our time, of our cities, through the contemplation and meditation of his holy mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory." Excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI speeches for the opening and closing of the month of Mary (May 2009) Source: Radio Maria Rosary (Photo credit: 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).