FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY - 7th OCTOBER

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

7th OCTOBER



This is a Feast Day that is fitting for the month of October, as a month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. This particular Feast Day, formerly called “Our Lady of Victory” was instituted by Pope Pius V after the decisive naval victory of the fleet of the Holy League over the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
That battle was between a patchwork fleet of the Catholic kingdoms - the Spanish, Venetian and Genoese navies under the command of Don Juan of Austria, and the the superior forces of the Ottoman Empire. It resulted from an attempt to rescue Christians besieged in Catholic maritime states in the Venetian outposts, Sicily and Cyprus. The Ottoman force numbered 12,000- 15,000, with Catholic slaves as rowers, vastly outnumbering the Catholic forces. The Ottoman forces were intent upon invading Italy with the objective of taking Rome. Knowing that the Catholic forces were outnumbered and at a material disadvantage, Pope Pius V ordered the faithful to pray the Rosary for victory, leading a procession in Rome to pray for the victory of the Catholic forces. The faithful gathered together in villages and cities to pray as the battle raged.
The Holy League lost 50 of its galleys and suffered 13,000 casualties. The Turkish leader, Ali Pasha was killed, together with 25,000 of his sailors. The Ottoman fleet lost 210 of its 250 ships, of which 130 were captured by the Holy League. The victory stemmed the Ottoman incursion into Europe. "Through the intervention of Our Lady, the hand of God prevented the Muslims of the east from overcoming the Christian west"; National Catholic Register, "On October 7, Catholics Remember Our Lady of the Rosary", Kathy Schiffer, October 7, 2015.
The assistance of Our Lady of Victory was invoked in subsequent battles and attribution of success was given in another victory over the Turks in the Battle of Petrovardin on 5th August 1716, (the Feast of Our lady of Snows). As a result of this victory Clement X commanded the Feast of the Rosary be celebrated by the universal Church.
SUGGESTED PRAYER KIT:
October being the month of the Holy Rosary, praying the Rosary together as a family is opportune, perhaps finishing with the Antiphon of the liturgical season (the Salve Regina);
A further powerful prayer package is to pray the public prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, or an even more beautiful public prayer - Vespers or Compline of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Baronius Press, London 2011).
We know Our Lady crushes the serpent; We know her as the "terror of demons" - we can call upon her in moments of trouble to protect and defend us - she will not fail us.

Image:Circle of Andries Van Eertvelt (1590-1652), "The Battle of Lepanto" (photo: Public Domain) National Catholic Register.

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