Our Lady of the Rosary
On Sunday 7 October 1571 the combined Christian fleets under Don Juan of Austria achieved a significant naval victory over the Turks in the Straits of Lepanto. Thousands of Christians were liberated, the Turkish fleet was destroyed, and they suffered their first great defeat at sea. In gratitude to God and Our Lady, Pope Saint Pius V ordered an annual commemoration to be made of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII transferred the feast to the first Sunday of October with the title Feast of the Most Holy Rosary since the victory was won through invocation of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1716 Pope Clement XII extended the feast to the whole Latin Rite calendar, assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope Saint Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913. In 1969 Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.
We have our own spiritual battle happening right now. It is abortion. The Supreme Court will soon be reviewing the case in early November with a decision to be handed down sometime late summer of next year. Let us all take up our Rosaries and pray for a conversion of hearts and minds of those who support abortion. Please offer a Rosary every day to support all pro life activities. Through our prayers millions of lives will be saved. May the Lord bless your efforts.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen