On 7th October each year, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This feast reminds us of the power of Marian prayer, especially through the Rosary, which Saint John Paul II called ‘a school of contemplation.’
Lourdes and the Rosary
This feast was originally instituted by Pope Saint Pius V in 1571, in thanksgiving for the victory at Lepanto, which against all the odds was won through the recitation of the Rosary throughout Christendom. But over and above this historical event, it expresses a deeper spiritual truth: when the faithful gather in prayer with Mary, the Lord acts with a powerful presence.
The rosary is not simply a set of repeated prayers, but a path of meditation on the mysteries of Christ’s life. By contemplating Jesus through Mary’s eyes, we gradually enter into the heart of Salvation. Each ‘Hail Mary’ becomes like a pearl which, with patience and devotion, builds a chain of love connecting our daily lives to the great mysteries of faith. In Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous prayed the Rosary during the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the Grotto of Massabielle.
Les Pilgrimages give particular importance to the recitation of the Rosary. Every day, pilgrims can participate in the meditated Rosary at the Grotto and in the Marian torchlight procession at 9:00 p.m., where the Rosary is sung in all languages. In the Sanctuary of Lourdes, a basilica dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary gives all pilgrims the opportunity to immerse themselves in images from the lives of Jesus and Mary.
The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary invites us to rediscover the humble power of prayer, to live in trust and to walk alongside Mary, who always leads us to her Son.
What is the difference between a rosary and a chaplet?
The rosary consists of reciting five decades of ‘Hail Marys’. It is generally used to meditate on a particular mystery in the life of Christ. Sometimes it is prayed for a specific intention, either general or private, to ask for graces. It can also be prayed as a way of being in the company of the Virgin Mary. The rosary itself, made up of small beads and a cross, is used as a devotional object.
The Dominican rosary was instituted by Saint Dominic at the beginning of the 13th century after an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who taught him how to pray it. ‘The remedy for so many evils will be found in meditating on the mysteries of the Life, Passion, Death and Glory of my only Son, together with the Angelic Psalter, through which the great work of Redemption was announced,’ she said to the holy founder of the Dominican Order.
Originally, the rosary consisted of reciting five decades of the rosary while meditating on the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries. In October 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries.
