“I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic Psalter* which is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter.” Our Lady to Saint Dominic
The above words of Our Lady make it pretty clear just how she feels about this devotion! And, just to drive home any doubt about the rosary's importance, our Lady of Fatima told the children seers to pray the Rosary daily for peace, the conversion of sinners and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
The month of October is dedicated to the Queen of the Holy Rosary. October 7th is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (a second class feast), and also falls on a First Friday.
This beautiful feast was instituted by Pope St. Pius V in 1571 to commemorate the Christian victory at the Battle of Lepanto over the Ottomans which took place on the same day. The Pope directly attributed the victory to the outpouring of prayers and rosaries offered to Our Lady by the population for success in warding off the Muslim attack.
In 1569 Saint Pius V, a Dominican, by the way, officially approved the Rosary in its current form with the issuing of the Papal Bull, Consueverunt Romani Pontifices (read part of the encyclical here). Talk about great timing! Was it divine providence that St. Pius V issued this Bull, making it so popular in Europe only to be so instrumental in saving it from the Turks two years later? This writer doesn't believe in coincidences.
Why not use this month to either begin or renew our dedication to this most efficacious of prayers and meditations which are most pleasing to Our Lady and bestow many graces upon those who practice this beautiful devotion?
Below are prayers dedicated to the Queen of the Holy Rosary. Cross and Shield Insider subscribers get a free downloadable PDF version of these devotions. Not a subscriber? It's simple! Just enter your email address in the box at the bottom of this page or the homepage. No spam! Promise! PAX+
~ October ~
~ The Queen of the Holy Rosary ~
Antiphon. The holy Mother of God is become beautiful and amiable in the delights of her virginity: whom, on seeing her flourishing among the roses and the lilies of the valley, the daughters of Sion declared most blessed, and queens praised.
V. Thou art become beautiful and amiable.
R. In thy delights, O holy Mother of God.
Let us Pray
O God, Whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating on the mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary
O Virgin Mary, grant that the recitation of thy Rosary may be for me each day, in the midst of my manifold duties, a bond of unity in my actions, a tribute of filial piety, a sweet refreshment, an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path of duty. Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary, that the study of thy fifteen mysteries may form in my soul, little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding, my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being. So shall I acquire the habit of praying while I work, without the aid of formal prayers, by interior acts of admiration and of supplication, or by aspirations of love. I ask this of thee, O Queen of the Holy Rosary, through Saint Dominic, thy son of predilection, the renowned preacher of thy mysteries, and the faithful imitator of thy virtues. Amen.
O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, in these times of such brazen impiety, manifest thy power with the signs of thine ancient victories. From thy throne whence thou dispense pardon and grace, mercifully regard the Church of thy Son, his Vicar on Earth, and every order of clergy, religious, and laity, who are oppressed in this mighty conflict. Thou who art powerful, the vanquisher of all heresies, hasten the hour of mercy, even though the hour of God's justice is everyday provoked by the countless sins of men, the sons and daughters of Adam.
Obtain for me, the least of men, kneeling before thee in supplication, the grace I need to live righteously upon earth, in order to be numbered among the just in heaven. In the company of all faithful Christians throughout the world, I salute thee and acclaim the as Queen of the Most Holy Rosary.
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary pray for us. Amen.