Rosary devotions and spirituality
Encyclopedia
Devotion
to the rosary
is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality
. Pope John Paul II
placed rosary devotions at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."
From a historical perspective, the growth of rosary devotions built on the
desire to focus on a central theme with the help of a universal prayer formula,
building on the biblical exhortations for constant prayer, e.g. as in Luke
and Luke
.
Following the establishment of the first rosary confraternities
in the fifteenth century, the devotion to the rosary spread rapidly throughout Europe. From the sixteenth century onwards, rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to assist in rosary meditations.
Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the need for "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" during rosary recitations and contemplations.
while others suggest a more gradual and organic development. However, it is clear that by the middle of the 15th century the Dominican
priest
Blessed Alanus de Rupe
, had spent significant effort to spread the devotion in France
and the Netherlands
, founding his first brotherhood for praying his Psalter in Douai
in 1470.
James Sprenger
formed the first confraternity of the rosary
in Cologne
in 1475. Rosary confraternities in Venice
and Florence
were formed in 1480 and 1481.
The practice of meditation
during the praying of repeated Hail Mary
s started in the 15th century in Germany by the Carthusian
monk
Dominic of Prussia
who died in 1461, just as the Dominicans Alanus de Rupe and James Sprenger had started to promote the rosary. This meditative practice was spread across Europe by traveling Carthusian monks, and was adopted by the Dominicans at large. A rosary hanging from the belt often forms part of the Carthusian habit even today.
By the 16th century the practice of meditation during the rosary had spread across Europe. For instance, Bartolomeo Scalvo's Meditationi del Rosario della Gloriosa Maria Virgine (i.e. Meditations on the Rosary of the Glorious Virgin Mary) printed in 1569 for the rosary confraternity of Milan
provided an individual meditation to accompany each bead or prayer.
Alanus de Rupe encouraged the rosary to be prayed in front of an image of Christ
or the Virgin Mary. This style of meditation later resulted in meditation using narrative images, the first of which was eventually printed by Dinkmut in Ulm
, Germany. The use of "image directed rosary meditation" soon gained popularity and at the end of the 16th century the most widely used rosary meditation in Germany was not a written one, but a picture text.
During the 16th century, the use of images as a form of religious instruction and indoctrination via silent preaching
(muta predicatio) was promoted by Gabriele Paleotti
in his "Discourse on Sacred and Profane Images". As the use of devotional images came to be seen as the "literature of the layman", Paleotti's goal of the transformation of Christian life through the use of sacred images fostered and promoted Marian devotions including the Rosary.
By the 17th century, the 15 wood cut images of the picture rosary had become very popular and rosary books began to use them across Europe. In contrast to written rosary meditations, the picture texts changed little and the same set of images appeared in woodcuts, engravings, and devotional panels for over a hundred and fifty years.
The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditari which means to concentrate. In 1577, in her best known book Interior Castle (Mansions 6, Chapter 7), Saint Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church
, defined the general approach to Christian meditation
as follows:
This perspective can be viewed as the basis of most scriptural rosary meditations. Scriptural meditations on the rosary build on the Christian tradition of Lectio Divina
, (literary divine reading) as a way of using the Gospel
to start a conversation between the soul and Christ. Saint Padre Pio, who was devoted to the rosary, said: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."
Christian meditation is differentiated from contemplation
which involves a higher level of focus and detachment from the surroundings and environment. The word contemplation (coming from the Latin root templum i.e. to cut or divide), means to separate oneself from the environment. Saint John of the Cross called contemplation "silent love" and viewed it as an intimate union with God. Contemplation with the rosary is the next step beyond scriptural meditation. This does not mean that the Gospel is ignored during contemplation, but that the focus moves toward the love of God.
In his 2002 encyclical
Rosarium Virginis Mariae
, Pope John Paul II
placed the rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality. Emphasizing that the final goal of Christian life is to be transformed, or "transfigured", into Christ he stated that the rosary helps believers come closer to Christ by contemplating Christ. He stated that the rosary unites us with Mary's own prayer, who, in the presence of God, prays with us and for us. He characterized the contemplative aspects of the rosary as follow: "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ." And quoting Pope Paul VI
he reiterated the importance of contemplation, and stated that without contemplation, the rosary is "a body without soul".
The rosary may be prayed anywhere, but as in many other devotions its recitation often involves some sacred space or sanct object, such as an image or statue of the Virgin Mary. Anyone can begin to pray the rosary, but repeated recitations over a period of time result in the acquisition of skills for meditation and contemplation. Specific methods for praying the rosary, meditation, and fighting distractions were taught by Saint Louis de Montfort (see Secret of the Rosary
and Methods of praying the rosary
).
, who is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the sentence "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners", was an ardent advocate of the rosary and its confraternities. He developed and stressed the importance of the meditative aspects of the rosary and was one of the first among the early Jesuits to teach that the principle virtue of each mystery of the rosary should be applied to daily life.
Saint Louis de Montfort
, one of the early proponents of the field of Mariology, was a strong believer in the power of the rosary. He joined the Third Order of the Dominicans
in 1710, soon after being ordained a priest, in order to preach the rosary. His books Secret of the Rosary
and True Devotion to Mary
influenced the Mariological views of several popes. In Secret of the Rosary he taught how "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" are essential in praying the rosary. He stated that it is not the length of a prayer that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said, e.g. a single properly said Hail Mary is worth many that are badly said. In the Secret of the Rosary, he also taught how to fight distractions to achieve the proper mindset for meditating with the rosary.
Later in the eighteenth century, Saint Alphonsus Liguori
, a Doctor of the Church
, also emphasized the need for reverence and devotion when praying the rosary. In The Glories of Mary
he wrote that the Virgin Mary would be more pleased with five decades of the rosary said slowly with devotion than with fifteen said in a hurry and with little devotion. He recommended that the rosary should be said kneeling before an image of the Virgin Mary and before each decade to make an act of love to Jesus
and Mary and ask them for a particular grace.
Saint Padre Pio, who died with a rosary in his hand, reportedly said 35 rosaries a day. He was a firm believer in meditation in conjunction with the rosary and said:
, a Dominican
himself, officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church with the papal bull
Consueverunt Romani Pontifices
and in 1571 he called for all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory at the Battle of Lepanto
.
Pope Leo XIII (often called the Rosary Pope) was concerned about attempts to destroy the faith. In his analysis (based on the writings of Louis de Montfort
who was beatified by Leo XIII) the re-Christianisation was not possible without Mary. So Leo XIII promulgated Marian devotions via ten encyclical
s on the rosary and instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during he month of October. In 1883 he also created the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary. In Laetitiae Sanctae
Leo XIII wrote that he was "convinced that the rosary, if devoutly used, is of benefit not only to the individual but society at large".
Pope Pius XII
, often called the "most Marian pope", emphasized the befits of rosary meditations in his encyclical Ingruentium Malorum
and wrote:
The popes of the 19th and 20th centuries, up to Paul IV had stressed the Mariological aspects of the rosary, however, in 1974 in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus
, Pope Paul VI emphasized the Christocentric
nature of the rosary and stated: "The rosary is therefore a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation."
Pope John Paul II built on the Christocentric theme of Pope Paul VI, and further relied on the spirituality of Saint Louis de Montfort
. He stated that:
He further emphasized the contemplative nature of the rosary and stated that: "The rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."
References to the rosary have been part of a number of reported Marian Apparitions
spanning two centuries. The reported messages from these apparitions have influenced the spread of rosary devotions worldwide.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
stated that in the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes
in 1858, the Virgin Mary had a rosary with her and that Bernadette prayed the rosary in her presence. In the subsequent apparitions Bernadette stated that she often continued to pray the rosary in the Virgin Mary's presence. The Rosary Basilica
was built at that site in Lourdes
in 1899.
The rosary was prominently featured in the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima
reported by three Portuguese children in 1917. The reported Fatima messages place a strong emphasis on the Rosary and in them the Virgin Mary is identified as The Lady of the Rosary. According to Lucia Santos
(one of the three children) in one of the apparitions the Virgin Mary has a rosary in one hand and a Brown scapular in the other hand. Reports of the Fatima apparitions helped spread rosary devotions and a Fatima prayer is now often added to the end of rosary recitations. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fatima was built at that site in 1953 and has fifteen altars, each dedicated to a mystery of the rosary.
In January 1933 an eleven year old peasant girl called Mariette Beco reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Banneux
, Belgium which became known as the Virgin of the Poor. Mariette reported seeing the Virgin Mary with a rosary in hand. Mariette reported that the apparition repeated three days later after she went outside her house and prayed the rosary. The reports of this apparition, also known as Our Lady of Banneux
were approved by the Holy See
in 1949.
In the reported messages of Our Lady of Akita
, Sister Agnes Sasagawa stated that in 1973 she was told by the Virgin Mary: "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach." In 1988 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI
) gave definitive judgment on Our Lady of Akita
messages as reliable and worthy of belief.
Marian devotions
A Marian devotion is a gift of oneself, or one's activities to the Virgin Mary. It is a willingness and desire to dedicate oneself to, or venerate her; either in terms of prayers or in terms of a set of pious acts...
to the rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
is one of the most notable features of popular Catholic spirituality
Catholic spirituality
Catholic spirituality is the spiritual practice of living out a personal act of faith following the acceptance of faith . Although all Catholics are expected to pray together at Mass, there are many different forms of spirituality and private prayer which have developed over the centuries...
. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
placed rosary devotions at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."
From a historical perspective, the growth of rosary devotions built on the
desire to focus on a central theme with the help of a universal prayer formula,
building on the biblical exhortations for constant prayer, e.g. as in Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
and Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
.
Following the establishment of the first rosary confraternities
Confraternity of the Rosary
The Confraternity of the Holy Rosary is a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity or spiritual association, under the care and guidance of the Dominicans, the members of which strive to pray the entire Holy Rosary weekly.-History:...
in the fifteenth century, the devotion to the rosary spread rapidly throughout Europe. From the sixteenth century onwards, rosary recitations often involved "picture texts" that assisted meditation. Such imagery continues to be used to assist in rosary meditations.
Saints and popes have emphasized the meditative and contemplative elements of the rosary and provided specific teachings for how the rosary should be prayed, for instance the need for "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" during rosary recitations and contemplations.
Origins
There are differing views on the origin of the rosary, with some traditions attributing it to Saint DominicSaint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
while others suggest a more gradual and organic development. However, it is clear that by the middle of the 15th century the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Blessed Alanus de Rupe
Alanus de Rupe
Alanus de Rupe ; was a Roman Catholic theologian noted for his views on prayer. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, others of Belgium; but his disciple, Cornelius Sneek, assures us that he was born in Brittany...
, had spent significant effort to spread the devotion in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, founding his first brotherhood for praying his Psalter in Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
in 1470.
James Sprenger
James Sprenger
James Sprenger was a German priest. He was born in Rheinfelden, Further Austria.-With the Dominicans:...
formed the first confraternity of the rosary
Confraternity of the Rosary
The Confraternity of the Holy Rosary is a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity or spiritual association, under the care and guidance of the Dominicans, the members of which strive to pray the entire Holy Rosary weekly.-History:...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1475. Rosary confraternities in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
were formed in 1480 and 1481.
The practice of meditation
Christian meditation
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...
during the praying of repeated Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
s started in the 15th century in Germany by the Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
Dominic of Prussia
Dominic of Prussia
Dominic of Prussia was a Carthusian monk.Born in Danzig , Prussia, Dominic studied at the University of Krakow. To Dominic is attributed the practice of meditation during the recitation of the Hail Marys, which he called the "Life of Jesus Rosary". He died at St. Alban's Charterhouse near...
who died in 1461, just as the Dominicans Alanus de Rupe and James Sprenger had started to promote the rosary. This meditative practice was spread across Europe by traveling Carthusian monks, and was adopted by the Dominicans at large. A rosary hanging from the belt often forms part of the Carthusian habit even today.
By the 16th century the practice of meditation during the rosary had spread across Europe. For instance, Bartolomeo Scalvo's Meditationi del Rosario della Gloriosa Maria Virgine (i.e. Meditations on the Rosary of the Glorious Virgin Mary) printed in 1569 for the rosary confraternity of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
provided an individual meditation to accompany each bead or prayer.
Alanus de Rupe encouraged the rosary to be prayed in front of an image of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
or the Virgin Mary. This style of meditation later resulted in meditation using narrative images, the first of which was eventually printed by Dinkmut in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, Germany. The use of "image directed rosary meditation" soon gained popularity and at the end of the 16th century the most widely used rosary meditation in Germany was not a written one, but a picture text.
During the 16th century, the use of images as a form of religious instruction and indoctrination via silent preaching
Silent preaching
Silent preaching also called muta predicatio in Latin or muta predicazione in Italian is a term used in Catholic Art to describe the use of religious images as a method of conveying devotional messages, teachings and religious concepts, beginning around the Renaissance in Italy.The "Discourse on...
(muta predicatio) was promoted by Gabriele Paleotti
Gabriele Paleotti
Gabriele Paleotti was an Italian Cardinal and Archbishop of Bologna.-Life:Paleotti was born at Bologna. Having acquired, in 1546, the title of Doctor of Civil and Canon Law, he was appointed to teach civil law. In 1549 he became a canon of the cathedral, but he did not become a priest until later...
in his "Discourse on Sacred and Profane Images". As the use of devotional images came to be seen as the "literature of the layman", Paleotti's goal of the transformation of Christian life through the use of sacred images fostered and promoted Marian devotions including the Rosary.
By the 17th century, the 15 wood cut images of the picture rosary had become very popular and rosary books began to use them across Europe. In contrast to written rosary meditations, the picture texts changed little and the same set of images appeared in woodcuts, engravings, and devotional panels for over a hundred and fifty years.
Meditation and contemplation
- See also Christian meditationChristian meditationChristian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...
and Aspects of Christian meditationAspects of Christian meditationAspects of Christian meditation was the topic of an October 15, 1989 document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document is titled "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects of Christian meditation" and is formally known by its incipit Orationis formas.The...
The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditari which means to concentrate. In 1577, in her best known book Interior Castle (Mansions 6, Chapter 7), Saint Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
, defined the general approach to Christian meditation
Christian meditation
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...
as follows:
By meditation I mean prolonged reasoning with the understanding, in this way. We begin by thinking of the favor which God bestowed upon us by giving us His only Son; and we do not stop there but proceed to consider the mysteries of His whole glorious life.
This perspective can be viewed as the basis of most scriptural rosary meditations. Scriptural meditations on the rosary build on the Christian tradition of Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina
In Christianity, Lectio Divina is a traditional Catholic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word...
, (literary divine reading) as a way of using the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
to start a conversation between the soul and Christ. Saint Padre Pio, who was devoted to the rosary, said: "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."
Christian meditation is differentiated from contemplation
Contemplation
The word contemplation comes from the Latin word contemplatio. Its root is also that of the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship, derived either from Proto-Indo-European base *tem- "to cut", and so a "place reserved or cut out" or...
which involves a higher level of focus and detachment from the surroundings and environment. The word contemplation (coming from the Latin root templum i.e. to cut or divide), means to separate oneself from the environment. Saint John of the Cross called contemplation "silent love" and viewed it as an intimate union with God. Contemplation with the rosary is the next step beyond scriptural meditation. This does not mean that the Gospel is ignored during contemplation, but that the focus moves toward the love of God.
In his 2002 encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Rosarium Virginis Mariae
Rosarium Virginis Mariae
Rosarium Virginis Mariae is the title of an Apostolic Letter by Pope John Paul II, issued on October 16, 2002. This Apostlic Letter deals with the Holy Rosary and views it as compendium of the Gospel message:...
, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
placed the rosary at the very center of Christian spirituality. Emphasizing that the final goal of Christian life is to be transformed, or "transfigured", into Christ he stated that the rosary helps believers come closer to Christ by contemplating Christ. He stated that the rosary unites us with Mary's own prayer, who, in the presence of God, prays with us and for us. He characterized the contemplative aspects of the rosary as follow: "To recite the rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ." And quoting Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
he reiterated the importance of contemplation, and stated that without contemplation, the rosary is "a body without soul".
The rosary may be prayed anywhere, but as in many other devotions its recitation often involves some sacred space or sanct object, such as an image or statue of the Virgin Mary. Anyone can begin to pray the rosary, but repeated recitations over a period of time result in the acquisition of skills for meditation and contemplation. Specific methods for praying the rosary, meditation, and fighting distractions were taught by Saint Louis de Montfort (see Secret of the Rosary
Secret of the Rosary
The Secret of the Rosary is a book about the Holy Rosary written by Saint Louis de Montfort a French priest and Catholic saint who died in 1716. The English translation of the book bears the Imprimatur of Archbishop Thomas E...
and Methods of praying the rosary
Methods of praying the rosary
Five methods of praying the rosary are presented within the works of Saint Louis de Montfort, a French Roman Catholic priest and writer of the early 18th century. Montfort was an early proponent of Mariology, and much of his work is devoted to the subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary...
).
Teachings of the saints
In the sixteenth century, Saint Peter Canisius, a Doctor of the ChurchDoctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
, who is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the sentence "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners", was an ardent advocate of the rosary and its confraternities. He developed and stressed the importance of the meditative aspects of the rosary and was one of the first among the early Jesuits to teach that the principle virtue of each mystery of the rosary should be applied to daily life.
Saint Louis de Montfort
Louis de Montfort
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was canonized in 1947. He was a French priest and known in his time as a preacher and author, whose books, still widely read, have influenced a number of popes....
, one of the early proponents of the field of Mariology, was a strong believer in the power of the rosary. He joined the Third Order of the Dominicans
Third Order of Saint Dominic
The Third Order of St. Dominic is a Roman Catholic third order affiliated with the Dominican Order.-Origin:...
in 1710, soon after being ordained a priest, in order to preach the rosary. His books Secret of the Rosary
Secret of the Rosary
The Secret of the Rosary is a book about the Holy Rosary written by Saint Louis de Montfort a French priest and Catholic saint who died in 1716. The English translation of the book bears the Imprimatur of Archbishop Thomas E...
and True Devotion to Mary
True Devotion to Mary
True Devotion to Mary is a book by Saint Louis de Montfort on the Roman Catholic theme of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.The book is published by Montfort Publications , Baronius Press, TAN Publishing and Aventine Press but is also available online...
influenced the Mariological views of several popes. In Secret of the Rosary he taught how "focus, respect, reverence and purity of intention" are essential in praying the rosary. He stated that it is not the length of a prayer that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said, e.g. a single properly said Hail Mary is worth many that are badly said. In the Secret of the Rosary, he also taught how to fight distractions to achieve the proper mindset for meditating with the rosary.
Later in the eighteenth century, Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Alphonsus Liguori
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation...
, a Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Church is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, this name is given to a saint from whose...
, also emphasized the need for reverence and devotion when praying the rosary. In The Glories of Mary
The Glories of Mary
The Glories of Mary is a classic book in the field of Roman Catholic Mariology, written during the 18th century by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church....
he wrote that the Virgin Mary would be more pleased with five decades of the rosary said slowly with devotion than with fifteen said in a hurry and with little devotion. He recommended that the rosary should be said kneeling before an image of the Virgin Mary and before each decade to make an act of love to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and Mary and ask them for a particular grace.
Saint Padre Pio, who died with a rosary in his hand, reportedly said 35 rosaries a day. He was a firm believer in meditation in conjunction with the rosary and said:
Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today... The person who meditates and turns his mind to God, who is the mirror of his soul, seeks to know his faults, tries to correct them, moderates his impulses, and puts his conscience in order.
Papal views
In 1569 Pope Pius VPope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
, a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
himself, officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church with the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Consueverunt Romani Pontifices
Consueverunt Romani Pontifices
Consueverunt Romani Pontifices is a papal bull by Pope Pius V issued on September 17th, 1569 on the rosary. This papal bull officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church....
and in 1571 he called for all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory at the Battle of Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...
.
Pope Leo XIII (often called the Rosary Pope) was concerned about attempts to destroy the faith. In his analysis (based on the writings of Louis de Montfort
Louis de Montfort
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was canonized in 1947. He was a French priest and known in his time as a preacher and author, whose books, still widely read, have influenced a number of popes....
who was beatified by Leo XIII) the re-Christianisation was not possible without Mary. So Leo XIII promulgated Marian devotions via ten encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
s on the rosary and instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during he month of October. In 1883 he also created the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary. In Laetitiae Sanctae
Laetitiae Sanctae
Laetitiae Sanctae is an encyclical on devotion to the rosary by Pope Leo XIII, known as the "Rosary Pope". It was issued on September 8, 1893 in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome....
Leo XIII wrote that he was "convinced that the rosary, if devoutly used, is of benefit not only to the individual but society at large".
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, often called the "most Marian pope", emphasized the befits of rosary meditations in his encyclical Ingruentium Malorum
Ingruentium Malorum
Ingruentium Malorum is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII on reciting the rosary, issued on September 15, 1951, the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary.-Contents:...
and wrote:
And truly, from the frequent meditation on the Mysteries, the soul little by little and imperceptibly draws and absorbs the virtues they contain, and is wondrously enkindled with a longing for things immortal, and becomes strongly and easily impelled to follow the path which Christ Himself and His Mother have followed.
The popes of the 19th and 20th centuries, up to Paul IV had stressed the Mariological aspects of the rosary, however, in 1974 in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus
Marialis Cultus
Marialis Cultus is the title of a Mariological Apostolic Letter by Pope Paul VI issued on February 2, 1974.The letter is subtitled: "For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary". The document focuses on Marian devotions and clarifies the way the Roman Catholic...
, Pope Paul VI emphasized the Christocentric
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
nature of the rosary and stated: "The rosary is therefore a prayer with a clearly Christological orientation."
Pope John Paul II built on the Christocentric theme of Pope Paul VI, and further relied on the spirituality of Saint Louis de Montfort
Louis de Montfort
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was canonized in 1947. He was a French priest and known in his time as a preacher and author, whose books, still widely read, have influenced a number of popes....
. He stated that:
The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium.
He further emphasized the contemplative nature of the rosary and stated that: "The rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation."
Apparitions
Marian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
spanning two centuries. The reported messages from these apparitions have influenced the spread of rosary devotions worldwide.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous
Saint Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was a miller's daughter born in Lourdes. From 11 February to 16 July 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of "a small young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at that site at Lourdes....
stated that in the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
in 1858, the Virgin Mary had a rosary with her and that Bernadette prayed the rosary in her presence. In the subsequent apparitions Bernadette stated that she often continued to pray the rosary in the Virgin Mary's presence. The Rosary Basilica
Rosary Basilica
The Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Its main theme is a celebration and depiction of the Rosary.-History:...
was built at that site in Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
in 1899.
The rosary was prominently featured in the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
reported by three Portuguese children in 1917. The reported Fatima messages place a strong emphasis on the Rosary and in them the Virgin Mary is identified as The Lady of the Rosary. According to Lucia Santos
Lúcia Santos
Lúcia de Jesus dos Santos – Sister Mary Lucy of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart, better known as Sister Lúcia of Fátima – was a Roman Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun from Portugal...
(one of the three children) in one of the apparitions the Virgin Mary has a rosary in one hand and a Brown scapular in the other hand. Reports of the Fatima apparitions helped spread rosary devotions and a Fatima prayer is now often added to the end of rosary recitations. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fatima was built at that site in 1953 and has fifteen altars, each dedicated to a mystery of the rosary.
In January 1933 an eleven year old peasant girl called Mariette Beco reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Banneux
Banneux
Banneux is a small town, southeast of Liège in Belgium.It is known because of the reported Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Banneux, also known as Our Lady of the Poor to a young girl called Mariette Beco.-External links:*...
, Belgium which became known as the Virgin of the Poor. Mariette reported seeing the Virgin Mary with a rosary in hand. Mariette reported that the apparition repeated three days later after she went outside her house and prayed the rosary. The reports of this apparition, also known as Our Lady of Banneux
Our Lady of Banneux
Our Lady of Banneux is the sobriquet given to the apparition of the Virgin Mary to Mariette Beco, an adolescent girl living in Banneux, province of Liège...
were approved by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1949.
In the reported messages of Our Lady of Akita
Our Lady of Akita
Our Lady of Akita is the title of Marian apparitions reported in 1973 bySister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city of Akita in Japan. The messages emphasize prayer and penance. Sister Sasagawa stated that the Virgin Mary told her: "Pray very much the prayers of the...
, Sister Agnes Sasagawa stated that in 1973 she was told by the Virgin Mary: "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach." In 1988 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
) gave definitive judgment on Our Lady of Akita
Our Lady of Akita
Our Lady of Akita is the title of Marian apparitions reported in 1973 bySister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city of Akita in Japan. The messages emphasize prayer and penance. Sister Sasagawa stated that the Virgin Mary told her: "Pray very much the prayers of the...
messages as reliable and worthy of belief.
Gallery of art and architecture
- For a larger gallery of church images, please see: Rosary church gallery.
Further reading
- The Rosary Hour: The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II by Pope John Paul II, 2002 ISBN 074344440X
- Jesus living in Mary: handbook of the spirituality of St. Louis Mary de Montfort by Stefano De Fiores, 1995 ISBN 0910984581