The Holy Rosary
A Scriptural Guide to deep, quiet contemplation. Let the mysteries of Christ and the intercession of His Blessed Mother draw you into the silence of His presence.
A Scriptural Guide to deep, quiet contemplation. Let the mysteries of Christ and the intercession of His Blessed Mother draw you into the silence of His presence.
According to pious tradition, the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic in the 13th century by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself to combat the Albigensian heresy. It is a profound meditation on the Gospel, a "compendium of the entire Gospel" as Pope John Paul II called it. Through its rhythmic recitation, the mind is freed to contemplate the great mysteries of our salvation.
When the Christian Holy League faced an overwhelmingly massive Ottoman fleet, Pope Pius V called upon all of Europe to pray the Rosary. Against all odds, the Christian fleet was victorious, saving Western civilization. The Pope subsequently established the feast of Our Lady of Victory, later renamed Our Lady of the Rosary.
At Fátima, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children, urging the world to pray the Rosary daily to obtain peace. During the final apparition, tens of thousands of people witnessed the sun "dance" in the sky, turning colors and hurtling towards the earth before returning to its place—a miraculous confirmation of her heavenly message.
When the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima, a small rectory belonging to eight Jesuit priests stood only eight blocks from ground zero. While everything around them was entirely vaporized, the priests and their home survived completely untouched. They attributed their miraculous survival to living the message of Fatima and praying the Rosary daily in that home.
