October: Month of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. Although the feast was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Christian victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7,1571, the feast has more significance for us today than ever before.

It was Pope St. Pius V together with all Christians who had prayed the Rosary for victory. And it was Pope Gregory XIII who instituted the feast of The Holy Rosary to commemorate that historic victory.

In the days of faith, the Church fought against those who would impose their false religion upon Catholics. She fought even with the sword because She recalled the words of Her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ: “Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the earth; I have come to bring the sword, not peace.” (Matt. 10, 34).

At the battle of Lepanto, the Christians defeated the Turks and from 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves used as rowers on the Turkish galleys were freed.

Although our Lord did reveal Himself to chosen souls, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s visits seem to be more frequent.

The last officially recognized apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary was at Fatima in Portugal. That was in 1917. Since then, there have been numerous alleged-apparitions that have seduced many people of all walks of life. Among such deceived are to be found many clergymen who should know better. On the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima, October 13, 1846, the Blessed Virgin identified herself to the children who had asked her identity. She told them: “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” The Mother of God commanded: “Continue to pray the Rosary every day.”

What kind of spiritual guidance can be expected from clergymen who, as reported, mount the pulpit on Sunday and before the astonished people proceed to tear a Rosary to pieces saying: “Finally, we’re finished with this thing!” What kind of future priests could seminarians become who abandon their Rosaries? These abandoned Rosaries were found on the floor of a seminary in Dunkirk, NY, between the choir stalls in the seminary chapel. Rosaries galore were being thrown out as the ‘liberated Catholics’ gladly listened to their apostate clergymen.

The Mother of God said: “Continue to pray the Rosary every day.” But, the clergy told the people to throw their Rosaries away!

The Church, through Her highest authority (Namely, legitimate Popes) praised and urged the recitation of the Rosary. Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical Letter dated September 1, 1883, Supremi Apostolatus, stated: “There is none among you, Venerable Brethren, who will not remember how great was the trouble and grief that God’s holy Church suffered at the close of the twelfth century from the Albigensian heretics, the offspring of the later Manicheans, who filled the south of France and other portions of the Latin world with their pernicious errors, and carrying everywhere the terror of their arms strove far and wide to rule by massacre and ruin.”

So much for those misguided prelates and priests who now sit in the same pew with the lying enemies of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ and apologize to those against whom the Church had to defend herself. What outrageous hypocrisy! The victim apologizes to the robber! What a strange justice!

Our ‘sword’ against the massed hordes of heretics today cannot be a physical one because they are too many and we are too few. Our only effective weapon is that given to St. Dominic : the Holy Rosary. St. Dominic dauntlessly attacked the enemies of the Catholic Church not with the force of physical arms, but with that heavenly weapon called the Holy Rosary and of which the Mother of God said to him: “This is my precious gift to you.”

In yet another Encyclical Letter (Magnae Dei Matris, September 8, 1892) this same Roman Pontiff stated: “Now, to appease the offended majesty of God and to bring that health of soul so needed by those who are sorely afflicted, there is nothing better than devout and persevering prayer, provided it be joined with love for and practice of Christian life. And both the spirit of prayer and the practice of Christian life are best attained through the devotion of the Rosary of Mary.”

This same learned Pontiff urges: “This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven has never shone forth with such brilliance as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of widespread heresy, by intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies.” (Ibid.)

Pope Leo XIII recalls the different papal tributes to the Rosary:

“Since, therefore, it is clearly evident that this form of prayer is particularly pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, and that it is especially suitable as a means of defense for the Church and all Christians, it is not at all surprising that several others of Our Predecessors have made it their aim to favor and increase its spread by their urgent admonitions. Thus, Urban IV testified that `every day the Rosary obtained fresh blessings for Christianity.’ Sixtus IV declared that this method of prayer ‘redounded to the honor of God and the Blessed Virgin, and was well suited to ward off impending dangers,’ and Leo X that ‘it was instituted to oppose pernicious heresiarchs and heresies’; while Julius III called it ‘the glory of the Church.’ St. Pius V said that `with the spread of this devotion the meditations of the faithful have become more ardent and their prayers more fervent, and they have quickly become different men; the darkness of heresy has been dissipated, and the light of Catholic faith has broken forth in renewed glory.’ Lastly, Gregory XIII in his turn pronounced that ‘the Rosary has been instituted by St. Dominic to appease the anger of God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Everywhere and in every time, Popes have praised and encouraged the recitation of the Rosary. But it must be remembered that the Rosary has no efficacy outside the Catholic Church, since its purpose is to foster the Christian life. The Rosary separated from a love for and practice of Christian life becomes an empty repetitious mumbling of words.

Virgo Sacrata

VIRGÓ SACRÁTA is a Christian mission-driven online resource and shop inspired from the beauty of Catholic faith, tradition, and arts. Our mission is to “Restore All Things to Christ!”, in continuing the legacy of Pope St. Pius X under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?” O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.