Month of the Holy Rosary

October 7, 2022
Author: Hannah DeVivo

Peace be with you! Today, October 7th, is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! Moreover, the Church dedicates the entire month of October to the Holy Rosary.

Our Lady of the Rosary

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary came about through a celebrated Christian victory over the Turks in 1571. At the time, the Moslem Saracen Turks were invading countries all over Europe and forcing their Islamic ways on their captives. A small Catholic armada of naval forces from around Europe went to battle against the massive Turkish fleet. They were outnumbered and had little chance of victory. Every man in the Christian armada received the sacraments and knelt down to pray the Rosary before engaging the enemy. Pope Saint Pius V asked all of Europe to join them in praying the Rosary. On Sunday morning, October 7, 1571, the Christian fleet sailed out to meet the enemy. Later that day, the Pope, who was in a meeting at the Vatican, arose from his chair and declared with tears in his eyes: “The Christian fleet is victorious!” Indeed, hundreds of miles away, after a day of bitter fighting and miraculous intervention, the Christians vanquished the Turks, who fled, their ships ruined beyond repair.

After the conflict, known today as the Battle of Lepanto, Pope Pius V declared October 7th a feast day to Our Lady of the Rosary. In Rome, there was a great celebration that included a Rosary procession in Saint Peter’s Square. This victory against the Turks was extremely significant. Europe would be very different today if it had been totally invaded by the Islamic religion. It also shows the power of Mother Mary’s intercession. She does not turn away from the heartfelt cries of her children but will always bring our needs to God, accompanied by her astounding intervention. Indeed, Pope Benedict XV gave her the amazing title of Suppliant Omnipotence.



The History of the Rosary

The Rosary has been a potent prayer in our faith for many years. Tradition tells us that Our Blessed Mother gave the Rosary to Saint Dominic in a vision around the year 1200. Some say that the Rosary as we know it has been more of an evolution of praying with beads and adding in elements of the life of Jesus. The Rosary that we now have is a collection of beads on a string that meet in a circle and combine with five final beads leading to a crucifix. A crucifix is a cross with the crucified body of Jesus depicted on it. There are five sets of ten beads on which we pray the Hail Mary. Each set is called a decade. There are five individual beads separating each decade, on which we pray the Our Father. We pray the Glory Be at the end of each decade.

There are countless miracles associated with the Rosary. As far as spiritual warfare is concerned, it is one of the most powerful weapons that we have in our arsenal against the evil one. Regardless of which set of Mysteries we pray, each time we pick up our Rosary and pray the prayers, we have an opportunity to focus on the glory and wonder of our faith and the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Pope Pius XI stated, “The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…. If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors."



The Mysteries of the Rosary

While we may not know with complete certainty when the first official Rosary was prayed, we do know that there were originally three sets of Mysteries, or Events, from the lives of Jesus and Mary: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. The significance of this original number is that there are 150 Hail Mary’s, the same number of Psalms in the Bible. In 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted the Luminous Mysteries (the Mysteries of Light). These Mysteries recount times in Jesus’ ministry when the light of God shone with special radiance through His Son.

Here is a list of the Mysteries and the days to pray them:

Joyful Mysteries - Mondays, Saturdays
1. The Annunciation
2. The Visitation
3. The Birth of Jesus
4. The Presentation in the Temple
5. The Finding in the Temple

Luminous Mysteries - Thursdays
1. The Baptism of Jesus
2. The Wedding at Cana
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom
4. The Transfiguration of Jesus
5. The Institution of the Eucharist

Sorrowful Mysteries - Tuesdays, Fridays
1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning with Thorns
4. The Carrying of the Cross
5. The Crucifixion

Glorious Mysteries - Wednesdays, Sundays
1. The Resurrection
2. The Ascension
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit
4. The Assumption
5. The Coronation of Mary

If you would like to learn more about the Rosary, we have many helpful guides and resources to choose from—including hundreds of beautiful rosaries. Click here to view some of the many options from Autom Catholic!

I leave you with this heartfelt cry from Father Patrick Peyton, who founded the Family Rosary Crusade in 1942:

The family that prays together, stays together!


Before You Go

Did you know that October is the month of the Holy Rosary?

Have you felt the power of the Rosary at work in your life?

Did you learn anything new in this article?

I would LOVE to hear from you. Send me an email to Catholic-Living@Autom.com Be sure to follow and subscribe to the links below for more tips and information.