A person prayed the rosary May 8 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Lola Gomez / CNS)
Catholic social tips
Our church began dedicating the month of October to the rosary in the 16th century, following Pope Pius V’s declaration of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on Oct. 7.
Three hundred years later, Pope Leo XIII affirmed the power of the rosary in his 1884 encyclical “Superiore Anno,” which called for the recitation of the rosary in parishes around the world.
Where did the rosary prayer come from? In the 13th century, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Dominic, a Dominican friar. She presented him with a rosary, teaching him the prayer to be used as a spiritual weapon against the heresies of the day.
Pope Leo XIV said at his Sept. 24 Wednesday audience, “I invite everyone, each day of the coming month, to pray the rosary for peace — personally, in the family and in community.”
Our current pope continues to follow the lead of his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, by taking a page from his encyclical, which calls for rallying the faithful to seek the intercession of our Blessed Mother during this turbulent time in our world.
A rosary for peace will be prayed at St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. (6 a.m. Hawaii time), coinciding with the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality and the 63rd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, which Pope John XXIII convened.
Here are six ways that you can answer the call to pray for peace:
- Create a prayer group that meets to pray the rosary daily or weekly in October.
- Join an existing Marian ministry at your parish to pray the rosary this month.
- Add a decade of the rosary to mealtime prayers as a family.
- Use a digital tool like Hallow, YouTube or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website to pray the rosary.
- Encourage your parish to gather all members to pray the rosary on Oct. 7 or Oct. 11.
- Share on your social media that you are praying the #RosaryForPeace.
Reflecting on the mysteries of the rosary can also provide us with virtues that offer personal peace. Consider praying the joyful mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays; the sorrowful mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays; the luminous mysteries on Thursdays; and the glorious mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays.
May there be peace in your heart this month and in our world through the power of prayer as we recite the holy rosary.
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic social media consultant based in Southern California.