The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted to honour Mary as an act of thanksgiving for the great naval victory over the Turks at the battle for Lepanto on October 7, 1571. With a very strong Marian devotion, Pope St. Pius V and all Christians prayed the Rosary for in a plea for victory. For many centuries, the feast was also known as “Our Lady of Victory.
In modern times successive popes have urged the faithful to pray the rosary. It is a form of contemplative prayer, mental and vocal prayer, which brings down God’s blessing on the Church. It is a biblically inspired prayer that is centered on meditation on the salvific mysteries of Christ in union with Mary, who was so closely associated with her Son in his redeeming activity.
In a recent meeting with the Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Pope Francis insisted that “there is a need for more prayer, for conversion, and an end to the conflict. He called on all to dedicate October, the Month of the Rosary to the achievement of “peace and reconciliation in Ukraine.”
