October 8, 2023 – Reflection
Reflection by Fr. Isaiah Schick
The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is largely due to the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th, which commemorates the anniversary of the victory of the defending Christian fleets of the “Holy League” at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 over the attempted invasion of the Ottoman Empire. With more than 400 warships involved, it was one of the largest naval battles of history in the Western world. Originally titled the feast of “Our Lady of Victory,” the new name emphasizes the fact that our victory is ultimately in the power and grace of Jesus Christ working through prayer. If you are not currently in the habit of praying a daily rosary, I invite you to give it a try! It is a very powerful prayer, as it allows the life of Christ to penetrate our hearts more deeply by meditating on the Gospel through the various “mysteries” while invoking the intercession of his Blessed Mother Mary, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Not to worry if you do not know how – you are always more than welcome to ask someone who does, whether that be one of the priests or deacons, or someone else you know who prays the rosary! We also have some resources available upon request that you can take home that explain what the mysteries are and the prayers that go with them, or you can find one of the many resources online. One such resource is on Dynamic Catholic’s website: https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/rosary/how-to-pray-the-rosary.html
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!
Join us to pray the Rosary before weekend Masses during Respect Life Month (October). The Knights of Columbus Councils 2137 (Rice Lake) and 9546 (Quad County) will be praying the Rosary before weekend Masses at each of our Four Parishes. Rosary will begin approximately 30 minutes before Mass at St. Joseph and 20 minutes before Mass at Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. John the Evangelist.