October, the Month of the Rosary
There are different types of prayers. We may be used to praying a decade or a chaplet, but praying the entire rosary is less common. It is for this reason that the Church often proposes discovering or rediscovering the Rosary during the month of October. We can take time throughout the month to learn the origin of this Marian prayer and the various teachings of the saints or popes on this subject. John Paul II often said that the rosary was his favorite prayer, so let's follow in his footsteps in meditating on the mysteries of the rosary.
[community-card id=7668]
The Origin of the Month of the Rosary
In 1571, a battle was won at Lepanto by the Christian fleet. Pope Saint Pius V prayed and had the rosary prayed for this battle to be won by the Christians against the Ottomans. This victory was attributed to Our Lady on October 7, 1571. Since that day, we celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary on this date. Subsequently, the Church made the month of October a month dedicated to the prayer of the rosary. It comes in addition to another Marian month: the month of May.
Learn to pray the rosary in October
Praying a whole rosary is bold for those who are not used to this prayer. The rosary consists of 4 parts:
Let's be inventive and share with friends or family the discovery of the rosary to better know the Marian devotion of the month of October.
How to spend the month of the rosary?
To discover the full richness of the prayer of the rosary, it is necessary to take your time to quietly meditate and thus collect all the possible spiritual benefits of this devotion.
- If we are not used to praying the rosary, we can start by saying decade of the rosary, then two, then three and then a full rosary. By going gradually, the Virgin Mary accompanies everyone in this prayer.
- If we are used to saying the rosary from time to time, we can gradually continue by adding a rosary then a second and so on in our day.
There is no point in feeling guilty if we have some difficulties. The important thing is to entrust ourselves to the Blessed Virgin and let her spread the graces that she can transmit to us through the recitation of this prayer.
By offering us this approach to learning the rosary, the Church wants to encourage us to turn to the Virgin Mary and address her as our mother with confidence.
Supported in the prayer of the rosary following the saints and the popes
“To be a Christian is to be a Marian.” - Pope Francis
The rosary is recommended by the Saints and by the Popes. Since the canonicalization of this Marian prayer, the popes have never ceased to teach the benefits of this prayer. We can take the example of Pope Leo XIII with these 11 encyclicals on the rosary, Pope John Paul II with his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
But they are not alone, apostles of the rosary like Pauline Jaricot, Patrick Peyton or Bartolo Longo have encouraged many faithful in the practice of this prayer. We can ask for their intercession during the month of October in order to let our hearts be shaped by the Virgin through the Hail Marys recited.
“Reciting the rosary with the family is a moment of spiritual growth under the benevolent gaze of the Virgin Mary.” Benedict XVI. We can also offer the prayer to children by adapting it so that they discover the treasures of this prayer by offering them the example of the little shepherds of Fatima or that of Saint Bernadette.
Pray the rosary with two applications: Hozana and Rosario
To help you in your journey, you can sign up for different prayer communities on Hozana or download the Rosario app to pray the rosary according to your preferences.
On Hozana, you can participate in a community that recites the rosary live each night. You can also take part in a course that will give you instructions on how to use the rosary.
You can also discover the different mysteries of rosary with this community.
