Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Happy feast day!
“Ave Maria! Welcome to October, the month of the Holy Rosary. Do you pray the Holy Rosary? If not, today is a great day to start,” wrote Bishop Earl Boyea in his latest weekly Friday Memo, October 1.
“Why, though, should we pray the Rosary? Because of Mary. She who knew Jesus best and loved him most. She who always leads us in prayer to her beloved son.”
Today’s feast was instituted by Pope Saint Pius V (1504 – 1572) in thanksgiving for the great naval victory of the Catholic Holy League over the Muslim Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean on this day in the year 1571, a favor ascribed to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. This victory almost certainly saved Europe from being overrun by the forces of Islam.
“I want to give you some advice: Never abandon the Rosary. Never abandon the Rosary. Pray the Rosary,” said Pope Francis on October 13, 2017, in a video message to pilgrims gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.
“Never be afraid, God is infinitely greater than all of our problems. He loves us very much. Go forward in your journey without losing sight of the Mother, like a child who feels safe when close to his mother, we too are safe when close to Our Lady.”
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
• Don’t know how to pray the Holy Rosary but want to start today? Click here to find out more: https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary
• To sign up for Bishop Boyea's weekly Friday Memo go to: https://dioceseoflansing.flocknote.com/FridayMemo