Lives Of The Saints
October 7
Our Lady of the Rosary
The Rosary leads Christians through the saving mysteries of Christ with Mary. Its feast joins contemplative prayer to the Church's gratitude for Our Lady's intercession.
Our Lady of the Rosary, Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Brief life
In the Rosary, Christians walk through the mysteries of Christ with His Mother. The familiar rhythm of the Our Father and Hail Mary quiets the heart so that the mind can dwell on the Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection, and glory of Jesus.
The feast also gives thanks for Our Lady's intercession. After the Christian victory at Lepanto in 1571, Pope St. Pius V established a feast of Our Lady of Victory, and Gregory XIII continued it under the title of the Holy Rosary. The observance later spread throughout the Church.
The Rosary developed over centuries, and the Dominican Order gave it powerful and lasting promotion. The exact history of its present form is more gradual than later accounts sometimes suggest. That question does not diminish the devotion itself: a simple, deeply Catholic school of prayer that keeps Christ's saving mysteries before the soul in Mary's company.
Historical note
The Dominican Order played a central role in spreading the Rosary. Its present form developed over time, so later claims that St. Dominic devised every element exactly as now prayed should be treated with care.
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