An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association November 26 – Our Lady of the Remedies (The Philippines) The Rosary kept unity and faith among the Filipinos Detail of right east window in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Glengarriff, showing how the rosary was given to St Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214. Created by Messrs. Watson and Co. Youghal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The Philippines welcomed its first missionaries in 1565. In the Devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Philippines: Studies on Mary, Vol.5, the author, J. Riou reports: "We can affirm that a decisive factor of the rapid spread of Christianity in the Philippines was Marian devotion... Because of their sensitive heart, the Filipinos were immediately won over by the love of the Blessed Virgin, and this opened the way to a general acceptance of the truths of the Catholic faith." In the year 2000, Catholics accounted for 83% of the population of the Philippines. The practice of the Rosary is what preserved unity and faith among the Christians in the northern islands of the Philippine archipelago, which had not had missionaries for many years. There is no denying that the Rosary is of major importance in the Philippines. Since 1974 "Rosary blocks" have been constituted. Those are groups of families who pray the Rosary together in private homes. The Mary of Nazareth Team Rosary (Photo credit: Wikipedia) www.mariedenazareth.com Let’s pray together Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.