October – Month of the Rosary

On 7th October we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary.  Hence, October is known within the Catholic Church as the Month of the Rosary.

Our Lady of the Rosary

The year 1208, in Prouille, France, Our Lady gave St. Dominic the devotion of the Holy Rosary in an apparition, to combat the Albigensian heresy that  was then wreaking havoc in the Church.

The rosary was to be used as a prayer and catechism tool to  teach the true Christian faith. So the Dominicans, the Order of Preachers, were given the special task to preach the rosary across Europe. Many claim that Our Lady giving the rosary to St. Dominic is a pious legend without historical basis. However, it is very well supported in our Church history, and the tradition has been documented by at least a dozen popes, so its authenticity as a gift from Our Lady to the Church through St. Dominic, is plausible.

Origin of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

In the 16th century, a war  broke out between the Church and the Ottoman Turks, who posed a great threat to Christianity.

On the  day of battle, the Rosary Confraternity of Rome recited the rosary for the special intention of the Christians at battle.

The Christians defeated the Turks in a spectacular victory and believed it was thanks  to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. Pope Pius V dedicated the day as one of thanksgiving to Our  Lady of Victory. Pope Gregory XIII later changed it to the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Text adapted from www.catholiccompany.com and www.loyolapress.com