October is the month of the Holy Rosary. We challenge all parishioners to pray the rosary every day this month. “The family that prays together stays together!” As the eminent spiritual writer, Fr. Royo-Marin, OP, would recommend, try to stay focused on each decade in order to pray the rosary well.
3 Hail Mary’s—Think of the mystery (imagining the scene)
4 Hail Mary’s—Desire ardently one of the many virtues
represented therein
3 Hail Mary’s—Ask Our Lady for that virtue and grace,
focusing on the words of the Hail Mary
Pope Leo XIII asked that we pray the following prayer to St. Joseph, Protector of the Universal Church, at the end of the rosary during the month of October. We pray especially for our nation and our Church.
To thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction,
and having implored the help of thy thrice holy Spouse, we now,
with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg thee also to take
us under thy protection. By that charity wherewith thou wert
united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that
fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, we
beseech thee and we humbly pray that thou wilt look down with
gracious eyes upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ
purchased by His blood, and wilt succor us in our need by thy
power and strength. Defend, O most watchful guardian of the
Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us,
O most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us
from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the
powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the
Child Jesus from the peril of His life, so now defend God’s Holy
Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.
Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, following thine example
and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy
death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen.
Compilation of Rosary resources, including scriptural excerpts and reflections
I. Rosary and Sacred Scripture
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/in-sacred-scripture-13647
Excerpt:
Luke 1:28 “And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” The Greek kecharitomene means favored by grace, graced. Its tense suggests a permanent state of being ‘highly favored,’ thus full of grace. Charity, the divine love within us, comes from the same root. God is infinite Goodness, infinite Love. Mary is perfect created goodness, filled to the limit of her finite being with grace or charity.
II. THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY IN PICTURES
https://www.catholictradition.org/Children/mysteries-rosary.htm
III. The Beads that Vanquish Goliath – from Blessed Columba Marmion, Christ the Ideal of the Priest
https://fssp.com/the-beads-that-vanquish-goliath/
Excerpt:
Here is an example to help you understand the efficacy of the Rosary. You remember the story of David who vanquished Goliath. What steps did the young Israelite take to overthrow the giant? He struck him in the middle of the forehead with a pebble from his sling. If we regard the Philistine as representing evil and all its powers: heresy, impurity, pride, we can consider the little stones from the sling capable of overthrowing the enemy as symbolizing the Aves of the Rosary. The ways of God are entirely different from our ways. To us it seems necessary to employ powerful means in order to produce great effects. This is not God’s method; quite the contrary. He likes to choose the weakest instruments that He may confound the strong. (1 Cor 1:27)
IV. Understanding the Rosary By Fr. Basil Cole, O.P.
https://rosarycenter.org/blog/understanding-the-rosary
Excerpt:
All of us can reflect on the various virtues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that we contemplate in the Gospel story, and strive to apply these lessons to our own lives. Pope Pius XII stated how efficacious this can be. “From the frequent meditation on the mysteries,” he said, “the soul draws and imperceptibly absorbs the virtues they contain, and becomes strongly and easily impelled to follow the path which Christ Himself and His Mother have followed.” For this reason, he declares, “the Holy Rosary will form the most efficacious school of Christian life.”
V. Honoring Mary (according to the early Church)
https://web.archive.org/web/20051126051758/http://www.catholicapologetics.net/35.htm
Excerpt:
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, early Church Father:
“Consequently, then, Mary the Virgin is found to be obedient, saying, `Behold, O Lord, your handmaid; be it done to me according to your word.’ Eve, however, was disobedient, and, when yet a virgin, she did not obey. Just as she, who was then still a virgin although she had Adam for a husband–for in paradise they were both naked but were not ashamed; for, having been created only a short time, they had no understanding of the procreation of children, and it was necessary that they first come to maturity before beginning to multiply–having become disobedient, was made the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race; so also Mary, betrothed to a man but nevertheless still a virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.. Thus, the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith” (Against Heresies 3:22:24 [A.D. 189]).
VI. “Do Catholics Pray the Rosary in Vain Repetitions?” [NO!] By Victor R. Claveau,MJ
https://evangelizationstation.com/do-catholics-pray-the-rosary-in-vain-repetitions/
Excerpt:
“…that the liturgy of the synagogue was (and is) filled with repetition and formalized prayer. Christ said, ‘Use not vain repetitions, as the heathens do.’ Were the Jews heathens? They prayed (and still pray) the sh’ma twice daily and, in their liturgy, the Shemoneh Esrei, the Kaddish, the morning blessings, the Aleinu, etc. Examine a Jewish siddur (missal) sometime; does it appear more typically Protestant or Catholic?”
VII. The Rosary Dissected By T. L. FRAZIER
https://www.catholic.com/profile/t-l-frazier
Excerpt:
The title “Mother of God” (Greek, Theotokos, “God-bearer”) is an ancient one. A piece of papyrus found in Egypt and dating to 250-270 invokes the intercession of the Theotokos. [Papyrus 470 in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, England]. Catholics maintain that the person born of the Virgin Mary is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the divine Word (Greek, Logos), and is therefore God (John 1:1, 14). As Jesus is God, humanity and divinity fully united in one Person, the mother of Jesus is therefore the mother (but not the originator or creator) of God; she is the Theotokos. [If one should look at the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, who looks at Mary and exclaims, “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord (Greek: ha mater tou kyriou mou) should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). As anyone familiar with the Bible is aware, the title “Lord” is practically synonymous with the God of Israel (Ps. 110:1-4). Indeed, whenever the translators of the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) found the word “YHWH” (the Tetragrammaton, “Yahweh”) in the Hebrew text, they translated it as Lord (kyrios), though kyrios is really the Greek translation of Adonai, the Hebrew word for Lord. Thus what Elizabeth exclaimed could be reworded, ‘But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my God should come to me?”].
VIII. Is The Catholic Rosary A Form Of Blasphemy? By CatholicShare Contributor
https://www.catholicshare.com/is-the-catholic-rosary-a-form-of-blasphemy/
Excerpt:
… meditation on scriptural moments, such as the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) or the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10). Critics argue that dedicating prayers to these mysteries, especially those involving Mary, diverts attention from Christ. However, the mysteries are Christocentric, with Mary’s role always pointing to her Son’s mission. For example, the Visitation mystery (Luke 1:39-56) highlights Mary’s humility and Jesus’ presence in her womb.
IX. Is the Rosary Contrary to the Bible? [No! ]https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/mary-rosary.php
Excerpt:
The very first Protestant in history, reformation [revolt] leader Martin Luther wouldn’t agree with this “modern” criticism of the Rosary. He said: “Our prayer should include the Mother of God . . . What the Hail Mary says is that all glory should be given to God, using these words: “Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Christ. Amen!” You see that these words are not concerned with prayer but purely with giving praise and honor . . . We can use the Hail Mary as a meditation in which we recite what grace God has given her. Second, we should add a wish that everyone may know and respect her ” (Personal Prayer Book, 1522).
X. The 8 Benefits of the Rosary by Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort Source: The Secret of the Rosary (Twenty-Seventh Rose: Benefits) https://www.ecatholic2000.com/montfort/rosary/rosary.shtml
1. it gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;
2. it purifies our souls, washing away sin;
3. it gives us victory over all our enemies;
4. it makes it easy for us to practise virtue;
5. it sets us on fire with love of Our Blessed Lord;
6. it enriches us with graces and merits;
7. it supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow men, and finally,
8. it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God.
XI. Rosary Is Anchored in Holy Scripture By Pope Benedict XVI
Excerpt: If Christian contemplation cannot leave the Word of God out of consideration, if it is to be a contemplative prayer, the Rosary must always emerge from the silence of the heart as a response to the Word, after the model of Mary’s prayer. Seen clearly, the Rosary is completely interwoven with scriptural elements. First of all there is the enunciation of the mystery, preferably made, as it has been today, with words taken from the Bible. The Our Father follows; by giving the prayer a “vertical” orientation, the soul of who recites the rosary is opened to the correct filial attitude in accordance with the Lord’s invitation: “When you pray say: Father . . . ” (Lk 11: 2). The first part of the Hail Mary, also taken from the Gospel, lets us listen again each time to the words that God addressed to the Virgin through the Angel and to the words of her cousin Elizabeth’s blessing. The second part of the Hail Mary resounds like the answer of children who, in addressing supplications to their Mother, do nothing other than express their own adherence to the saving plan revealed by God. Thus the thought of those who pray remains ever anchored to Scripture and to the mysteries presented in it. (Benedict XVI, Pope. “Pastoral Visit to the Pontifical Shrine of Pompeii.” https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2008/october/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20081019_pompei.html, 19 Oct. 2008.)
XII. The Rosary In History: From The Beginning To The Consolidation Of Its Actual Structure By Rev. Riccardo Barile (L’Osservatore Romano, 2003)
https://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourcetype=1&catlabel=author&catid=1238
Excerpt:
The contribution of St Pius V was principally in the Bull Consueverunt (17 September 1569), where one reads that “the Rosary or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin” is a “method of prayer” through which we” venerate Mary with the Angelic salutation repeated 150 times according to the number of David’s psalms, and before every set of ten Hail Mary’s we say the prayer of Our Lord with meditations that illustrate the entire life of the same Lord Jesus Christ”. For a correct interpretation one should note that there is no list of mysteries; no mention of the phrases to be added to the Hail Mary, but it does mention the Psalter; the meditation seems linked to the Our Father (according to the formula of Alberto Castellani) and is extended to the “whole” life of Christ.
XIII. “Consueverunt Romani” – Encyclical on the Rosary by Pope Saint Pius V, released on September 17, 1569
Excerpt:
Prompted by their example, and, as is piously believed, by the Holy Ghost, the inspired Blessed founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, (whose institutes and rule we ourselves expressly professed when we were in minor orders), in circumstances similar to those in which we now find ourselves, when parts of France and of Italy were unhappily troubled by the heresy of the Albegenses, which blinded so many of the worldly that they were raging most savagely against the priests of the Lord and the clergy, raised his eyes up unto heaven, unto that mountain of the Glorious Virgin Mary, loving Mother of God. For she by her seed has crushed the head of the twisted serpent, and has alone destroyed all heresies, and by the blessed fruit of her womb has saved a world condemned by the fall of our first parent. From her, without human hand, was that stone cut, which, struck by wood, poured forth the abundantly flowing waters of graces. And so Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord’s Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church.
XIV. There’s Something Fishy about that there Rosary by Fr. William Rock, FSSP
https://fssp.com/theres-something-fishy-about-that-there-rosary/
Excerpts:
On the first Sunday in October in 1571, the seventh day of the month, a Christian fleet, commanded by Don Juan of Austria, engaged a Turkish fleet in the Gulf of Lepanto. The resulting Christian victory – which preserved Christendom from a Turkish sea-invasion – was in large part due to the prayers of the Rosary Confraternities and the intervention of Our Lady. In commemoration, a feast was instituted, that of “Our Lady of Victory,” which was later renamed “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Because of the prominence of this feast, the entire month became dedicated to the Holy Rosary.
In his Fifth Method for Saying the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort associates the 153 Hail Marys with the 153 fishes which were caught in John 21 when Our Lord appears to the Apostles as they are fishing on the Sea of Galilee. The saint expressed that the Rosary’s “fruitfulness [is] shown in the net that St. Peter by order of Our Lord threw into the sea and which though filled with 153 fish did not break.”
XV. Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! Published in The Missive October 7, 2019
https://fssp.com/happy-feast-of-our-lady-of-the-rosary/
Excerpt:
A happy and most glorious feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! This feast day has its origins in the famous victory at Lepanto on October 7th, 1571, when the Christian naval forces led by John of Austria defended Catholic Christendom from the invading Moslem Turks of the Ottoman Empire when the Rosary was prayed for victory. St. Pius V subsequently commanded that this feast, first called Our Lady of Victory, be kept on October 7th in commemoration of Our Lady’s intercession through her Most Holy Rosary.
XVI. Mary’s Fifteen Promises by John Roskoski
https://www.catholic365.com/author/john-roskoski/
Excerpts:
The benefits of what Pope St. John Paul II called “an exquisitely contemplative prayer” were enumerated in a special way by a 15th century Dominican friar. According to the tradition, Alanus de Rupe received the following 15 promises to those who pray the Rosary devoutly, from the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, through a private revelation. According to the Dominicans, there are 15 blessings one receives from regularly saying the Rosary.
1. Those who faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. The recitation of the Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God. It will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
6. Those who recite my Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. In His justice, God will not chastise them; nor shall they perish by an unprovided death, i.e., be unprepared for heaven. Sinners shall convert. The just shall persevere in grace and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Those who have a true devotion to the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who faithfully recite the Rosary shall have, during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plenitude of His graces. At the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. By the recitation of the Rosary you shall obtain all that you ask of me.
12. Those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of their death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my beloved children and the brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion for my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Videos on this topic
I. Did Jesus Condemn Praying the Rosary
https://youtu.be/vkcTwl6Wo1U?si=LwS5czazZqJ1G4n
II. a. The Rosary: Not Vain, but Biblical (Part 1) – Explaining the Faith By Fr. Chris Alar
https://www.youtube.com/live/RwUHmYNaCxY?si=sYcLowggcTgC_gPv
II. b. The Rosary: Proof the Rosary is From Heaven(Part 2) – Explaining the Faith By Fr. Chris Alar
https://www.youtube.com/live/-k606SkRxTs?si=FU6HmmyEZ7dZEDhL
III. Did Jesus Really Warn Against Repetitionin Prayer? By Fr. Mike Schmitz
https://youtu.be/GBKRuNjWTXw?si=TpJpqZFJn1mpskBEIV
IV. Is the Rosary worshipping Mary? Vain Repetition? By Dr Taylor Marshall
https://youtu.be/avwaY3Hs5dA?si=rhAbQ4R7kqycl3A1
V. Sermon of Fr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP., on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 23, 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/live/oC3SkeYPX8I?si=MQxqS7qX5TK-xsZr
VI. Low Mass of October 7, 2020: Our Lady of the Rosary
https://www.youtube.com/live/QVN1FxLRYYQ?si=7OYU57J4_rnkKqc7
VII. The Mysteries of the Rosary By Fr. Thu Truong, FSSP. March 28 -30, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiI1Lw0OjlIA5OrC-jjCyfcSuY9j-B9SW
© 2025 [Kevin D. Dello Iacono, M.A. in Biblical Studies]. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction of this commentary is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
