Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

October 7, 2019

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

During this month of October all Catholics are encouraged to grow in devotion to the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary! For a time after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) the practice of praying the Holy Rosary waned among many Catholics around the world. Such a falling away from praying the Holy Rosary was not part of the Second Vatican Council. Rather, it was part of a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of true devotion to the Virgin Mary and the real Second Vatican Council.

Thankfully, there has been a resurgence of devotion to the favored practice of frequently praying the Holy Rosary. Many have written about the great blessing of praying the Rosary. Here is an account of the history of the Holy Rosary as we know it today, as written by St. Louis Marie de Montfort:

“Since the Rosary is composed, principally and in substance, of the prayer of Christ and the Angelic Salutation, that is, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, it was without doubt the first prayer and the principal devotion of the faithful and has been in use all through the centuries, from the time of the apostles and disciples down to the present. It was only in the year 1214, however, that the Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St. Dominic, who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners. I will tell you the story of how he received it, which is found in the very well-known book De Dignitate Psalterii, by Blessed Alan de la Roche. Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, where he prayed continuously for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma. At this point our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" "Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "you know far better than I do, because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation." Then our Lady replied, "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter." So he arose, comforted, and burning with zeal for the conversion of the people in that district, he made straight for the cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together, and Saint Dominic began to preach. At the very beginning of his sermon, an appalling storm broke out, the earth shook, the sun was darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when, looking at a picture of our Lady exposed in a prominent place, they saw her raise her arms to heaven three times to call down God's vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of the holy Mother of God. God wished, by means of these supernatural phenomena, to spread the new devotion of the Holy Rosary and to make it more widely known. At last, at the prayer of Saint Dominic, the storm came to an end, and he went on preaching. So fervently and compellingly did he explain the importance and value of the Rosary that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Blessed Virgin as well as by his own experience, Saint Dominic preached the Rosary for the rest of his life. He preached it by his example as well as by his sermons, in cities and in country places, to people of high station and low, before scholars and the uneducated, to Catholics and to heretics. The Rosary, which he said every day, was his preparation for every sermon and his little tryst with our Lady immediately after preaching. (by St. Louis Marie de Montfort)

Through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, St. Joseph, and St. Columbkill, may we be led to a deeper love for prayer, especially the Holy Rosary!

In Christ through Mary, 

Fr. Kasel

Please reload

Featured Posts

Dear Parishioners,

 

I write from Kitui, Kenya. The first week has been ver hectic. I stayed this past weekend with a priest, Fr. Richard Ngutu, in the...

From Kitui, Kenya

October 10, 2014

Growing in our devotion to the Holy Angels

October 5, 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

 

First, I want to thank you for your prayers while I was on a mission trip to Kitui, Kenya! I think of m...

Thank you for your prayers

October 19, 2014

1/3
Please reload

Recent Posts

Relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

November 15, 2020

Parable of the Ten Virgins

November 8, 2020

Holy Souls in Purgatory

October 31, 2020

Seeking the Peace of Christ

October 25, 2020

St. Theresa of Avila

October 17, 2020

Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary

October 10, 2020

Please reload

all souls day

angels

bible study

fall festival

holy souls

kenya

kitui

purgatory

revelation

sacrament of confession

solemnity of all saints

youth retreat

Please reload

Search By Tags

November 2020 (2)

October 2020 (5)

September 2020 (3)

August 2020 (5)

July 2020 (4)

June 2020 (4)

May 2020 (5)

April 2020 (4)

March 2020 (4)

February 2020 (5)

January 2020 (1)

December 2019 (5)

November 2019 (3)

October 2019 (4)

September 2019 (4)

August 2019 (5)

July 2019 (4)

June 2019 (5)

May 2019 (4)

April 2019 (4)

March 2019 (5)

February 2019 (4)

January 2019 (4)

December 2018 (5)

November 2018 (4)

October 2018 (4)

September 2018 (5)

August 2018 (4)

July 2018 (4)

June 2018 (5)

May 2018 (4)

April 2018 (4)

March 2018 (5)

February 2018 (4)

January 2018 (4)

December 2017 (5)

November 2017 (4)

October 2017 (4)

September 2017 (5)

August 2017 (4)

July 2017 (5)

June 2017 (4)

May 2017 (4)

April 2017 (5)

March 2017 (4)

February 2017 (4)

January 2017 (4)

December 2016 (5)

November 2016 (4)

October 2016 (5)

September 2016 (4)

August 2016 (4)

July 2016 (5)

June 2016 (4)

May 2016 (4)

April 2016 (5)

March 2016 (4)

February 2016 (3)

January 2016 (5)

December 2015 (4)

November 2015 (4)

October 2015 (5)

September 2015 (4)

August 2015 (5)

July 2015 (4)

June 2015 (4)

May 2015 (5)

April 2015 (3)

March 2015 (4)

February 2015 (4)

January 2015 (5)

December 2014 (4)

November 2014 (4)

October 2014 (5)

Please reload

Archive

Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

  • Home

  • About our Parishes

  • Parish Life

  • Worship

  • Sacraments

  • Faith Formation

  • Ministries

  • Contact

  • Blog

  • More

    Sponsors

    749 South Main Street

    Zumbrota, MN 55992

    Parish Office: (507) 732-5324

    Fax: (507) 732-5347

     

    Locate Us