The rosary, as we know it today, had a beginning in France in the 13th century when Saint Dominic had a vision of Our Blessed Virgin, who instructed him on its form, its mysteries, and the importance of meditating on the mysteries. Saint Dominic promoted the Rosary in his preaching from that moment on.
Next to the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the most powerful person in the universe. She was created without sin to be the mother of the God-man [Jesus], to be our Heavenly Mother, to guide and protect her children, and to defeat the Devil at the end of times. She knew that the Devil would try to lead her children into the darkness of sin and separate them from her and her Son. So she knew she had to give her children a divine weapon for protection, and that is the Rosary. Saint Padre Pio would hold up the rosary and say, “This is the weapon to defeat Satan.”
Our Lady appeared to the children at Fatima six times in 1917. Each time, she told them to tell her children to pray the Rosary daily because she knew the power of her Rosary and the good that it could do out in the world. Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the Fatima seers, said, “The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families … that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”
Our Lady conveyed the following to Blessed Alan de la Roche: “When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.” Our Lady also told Saint Mechtilde, “’Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!’ No creature has ever said anything that was more pleasing to me, nor will anyone ever be able to find or say to me anything that pleases me more.”
Quotes on the Rosary by some saints:
“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.” [Saint Louis de Montfort]
“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.” [Saint Dominic]
“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.” [Saint Josemaria Escriva]
“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God … and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.” [Saint Pope Pius X]
“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” [Saint Padre Pio]
The Battle of Lepanto. On October 7, 1571, one of the most famous (and bloodiest) naval battles in history took place on the Bay of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece. The opposing forces were Christians, made up of an alliance of fleets from Spain and Italy, against a far superior Turkish navy. The Muslim force was threatening to take over the Mediterranean Sea and hence be in a position to attack European countries. Pope Pius V, seeking a spiritual solution, asked the Christian faithful to pray the Rosary and seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother to defeat the Muslim navy. Despite being outnumbered, the Christian fleet prevailed.
How to Save Your Children. During one of the cenacles which Fr. Stefano Gobbi, founder of the Marian Movement of Priests, held in the U.S., he was urged by many concerned people to ask Our Lady specifically what can be done to save the youth from seductions of the world, which were leading many of them astray and causing them to leave the Church. Our Lady gave Fr. Gobbi this definitive solution to console the parents who are so concerned about the salvation of their children:
· Pray the Rosary!
· Every time you pray the Rosary say: “With this Rosary I bind all my children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
· In doing so, Our Lady promised “to see to their souls.”
What can we do? Peering out our window, we see that our nation and the world is in such chaos today that there is a great need for heaven’s intervention to help us. So please take advantage of this powerful prayer, and say the Rosary daily to reap Heaven’s blessings for our self, our family and friends, our nation, and the world.
Note: If needed, the instructions for saying the Rosary are located in the Prayers section on this website.