October 2, 2022
Dear Parish Family:
This Friday, October 7, is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Saint Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto – a victory attributed to the praying of the Rosary. Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716.
The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus’ life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary’s giving the rosary to Saint Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of Saint Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as “the apostle of the Rosary.” He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious). In 2002, Saint John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.
The purpose of the Rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pope Pius XII called it a compendium of the Gospel. The main focus is on Jesus—his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus’ Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glory Bes remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.
The Rosary appeals to so many. It is simple. The constant repetition of words helps create an atmosphere in which to contemplate the mysteries of God. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in hope that God will bring us to share in the glory of Jesus and Mary forever.
Our late and great Saint John Paul II, said this:
The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christ- centered prayer. It has all the depth of the gospel message in its entirety. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb…It can be said that the rosary is, in some sense, a prayer-commentary on the final chapter of the Vatican II Constitution Lumen Gentium, a chapter which discusses the wondrous presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church.
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. May we pray the Rosary with renewed trust and devotion. May Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
Love and prayers,
Father Neil Sullivan