Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

II Class

In its present form the Rosary (according to the accepted tradition) is due to St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, his objective being to stem the flood of the Albigensian heresy, then spreading far and wide throughout Europe. He propagated this form of prayer in obedience to a revelation received from the Blessed Virgin, to whom he had recourse for this purpose, about the year 1206, and to him we owe the spread of a devotion, which for many centuries has produced the most marvelous results in the Christian world. The decisive defeat of the Turks at the famous battle of Lepanto (1571) and at Belgrade (1716) gave occasion to the institution of this feast and to its extension to the Universal Church.

(Paulo Veronese, Battle of Lepanto, c. 1572)

Be sure to have a look today at G. K. Chesterton's very short and very excellent poem entitled simply Lepanto. After the Holy Rosary itself, the recitation of this poem is perhaps the best way to mark such a great feast day. For spiritual reading during this month dedicated to the Rosary, by the way, I recommend Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical on the Rosary: Fidentem piumque animum. It is quite brief at only seven paragraphs, and is linked permanently under the picture on the sidebar of Mary handing rosaries to Ss. Dominic and Catherine.

In more mundane news, Maria has taken lately to calling her stuffed cow, Uncle Vince. Either because he is the one from whom she received it, or just because she misses him, or...

She was also talking today about her grandparents, and was delighted that they are all coming to visit her this year. She is particularly interested in taking Grandpa to the Café-Konditorei / Bäckerei down the street where they have some excellent pastries. Nana she said could come too, but not Mommy and Daddy.