In 1571, before going into war, Pope Pius V asked all of the faithful to say the rosary and implore our Blessed Mother’s prayers, under the title Our Lady of Victory, that our Lord would grant victory to the Christians. Although the Muslim fleet outnumbered that of the Christians in both vessels and sailors, they were defeated at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571 .

The following year, Pope St. Pius V established the Feast of the Holy Rosary on October 7, where the faithful would not only remember this victory but also give thanks to the Lord for all of His benefits and remember the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother.

In the 13th century, Mama Mary appeared to St. Dominic and instructed how to pray the Rosary. With it are many promises, five of which are as follows:

• I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
• The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
• Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
• You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
• 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 death.

With everything that is happening in the world and in our surroundings, let us hold on to the power of prayer.

Fr. Patrick Peyton once said, “the family that prays together, stays together”. May we go back to a tradition two generations ago of the family praying together. This is happening with Zoom.

In closing let me share a quote from St. Pope Pius X, who said, “If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.”