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Recitation
of the Rosary is Recom-
mended
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Holy
Rosary (Topic Page)
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"[M]ay
the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all" (Pope Pius
XII, "Ad Caeli Reginam", On Proclaiming the Queenship of
Mary, 1954)
"Therefore
let all men, the learned and the ignorant, the just and the
sinner, the great and the small praise and honor Jesus and Mary
night and day by saying the Most Holy Rosary." (St. Louis de
Montfort)
"Always
pray the rosary." [St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)]
"Now,
among the several rites and manners of paying honor to the Blessed
Mary, some are to be preferred, inasmuch as we know them to be
most powerful and most pleasing to our Mother; and for this reason
we specially mention by name and recommend the Rosary." (Pope
Leo XIII, "Octobri Mense", 1891 A.D.)
"[Two
classes of persons should say the rosary every day:] the perfect
to persevere in perfection, and the imperfect to attain
perfection; the strong not to become weak, and the weak to grow
strong; the sick to be cured, and the healthy to prevent
sickness" (Muller)
"Love
Our Lady and make her loved. Recite the Rosary and recite it
always and as much as you can." [St. Pio of Pietrelcina
(Padre Pio), two days before his death]
"Therefore
the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, combining in a convenient
and practical form an unexcelled form of prayer, an instrument
well adapted to preserve the faith and an illustrious example of
perfect virtue, should be often in the hands of the true Christian
and be devoutly recited and meditated upon." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Magnae Dei Matris", 1892 A.D.)
"Let
us pray to her, rosary in hand, considering her at the same time,
meditating on her life and her greatness, and watching, were it
but for a quarter of an hour, at the entrance to the palace of
this incomparable Queen. The more faithful we are, the more
assured will be our salvation and our progress in true life."
(Liturgical Year)
"...the
more We fix Our thoughts upon the character of the Rosary, the
clearer its excellence and power appear to Us. Hence, while Our
wish increases that it may flourish, Our hope grows also that
through Our recommendation it may come to be more greatly prized,
its holy use become more extended and flourish abundantly."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Iucunda Semper Expectatione", 1894
A.D.)
"When
very frequently We receive newly married couples in audience and
address paternal words to them, We give them rosaries, We
recommend these to them earnestly, and We exhort them, citing Our
own example, not to let even one day pass without saying the
Rosary, no matter how burdened they may be with many cares and
labors." (Pope Pius XI, "Ingravescentibus Malis",
1937 A.D.)
"We
have deemed it Our duty to exhort again this year the people of
Christendom to persevere in that method and formula of prayer
known as the Rosary of Mary, and thereby to merit the powerful
patronage of the great
Mother of God. In as much as the enemies of Christianity are so
stubborn in their aims, its defenders must be equally staunch,
especially as the heavenly help and the benefits which are
bestowed on us by God are the more usually the fruits of our
perseverance." (Pope Leo XIII, "Superiore Anno",
1884 A.D.)
"The
formula of the Rosary, too, is excellently adapted to prayer in
common, so that it has been styled, not without reason, 'The
Psalter of Mary.' And that old custom of our forefathers ought to
be preserved or else restored, according to which Christian
families, whether in town or country, were religiously wont at
close of day, when their labors were at an end, to assemble before
a figure of Our Lady and alternately recite the Rosary. She,
delighted at this faithful and unanimous homage, was ever near
them like a loving mother surrounded by her children, distributing
to them the blessings of domestic peace, the foretaste of the
peace of heaven." (Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque
Animum", 1896 A.D.)
"Let
then the zeal for this prayer everywhere be re-kindled,
particularly for the end of Holy Unity. Nothing will be more
agreeable and acceptable to Mary; for, as she is most closely
united with Christ she especially wishes and desires that they who
have received the same Baptism with Him may be united with Him and
with one another in the same faith and perfect charity. So may the
sublime mysteries of this same faith by means of the Rosary
devotion be more deeply impressed in men's minds, with the happy
result that 'we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they
promise.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque Animum",
1896 A.D.)
"Mindful
that in moments of great trial, pastors and people have ever had
recourse with entire confidence to the august Mother of God, in
whose hands are all graces, certain too, that devotion to Our Lady
of the Rosary is most opportune for the needs of these times, We
have desired to revive everywhere this devotion, and to spread it
far and wide among the faithful of the world." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Vi E Ben Noto", 1887 A.D.)
"It
is pleasant to us to remember, Venerable Brethren, that We have in
other letters issued from time to time extolled the devotion of
the Rosary; for it is in many ways most pleasing to her in whose
honor it is employed, and most advantageous to those who properly
use it. But it is equally pleasant to be able now to insist upon
and confirm the same fact. Herein we have an excellent opportunity
to paternally exhort men's minds and hearts to an increase of
religion, and to stimulate within them the hope of eternal reward.
The form of prayer We refer to has obtained the special name of
'Rosary,' as though it represented by its arrangement the
sweetness of roses and the charm of a garland. This is most
fitting for a method of venerating the Virgin, who is rightly
styled the Mystical Rose of Paradise, and who, as Queen of the
universe, shines therein with a crown of stars. So that by its
very name it appears to foreshadow and be an augury of the joys
and garlands of Heaven offered by her to those who are devoted to
her." (Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque Animum",
1896 A.D.)
"And
Our most lively and sure hope is placed in the Queen of the
Rosary, who has shown herself, since she has been invoked by that
title, so ready to help the Church and Christian peoples in their
necessities. Already have We recorded these glories and the great
triumphs won over the Albigenses and other powerful enemies,
glories and triumphs which have not only profited the Church,
afflicted and persecuted, but also the temporal welfare of peoples
and nations. Why in this hour of need should We not behold again
such marvels of the power and goodness of the august Virgin, for
the good of the Church and its Head, and of the whole Christian
world, if the faithful only revive, on their part, the magnificent
examples of piety given by their forefathers, under similar
circumstances? And to make this most powerful Queen more and more
propitious, We would honor her more and more in the invocation of
the Rosary, and increase this devotion. And to this end We have
made a double of the second class for all the Church of the Feast
of the Rosary." (Pope Leo XIII, "Vi E Ben
Noto", 1887)
"This
year is the first centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical Supreme
Apostolatus, with which the great Pontiff decreed that the month
of October would be especially dedicated to veneration of the
Virgin of the Rosary. In this document he strongly emphasized the
extraordinary efficacy of this prayer, recited with a pure and
devout spirit, for the purpose of obtaining from the heavenly
Father, in Christ, and through the intercession of the Mother of
God, protection against the most serious evils that can threaten
Christianity and mankind itself, and therefore of attaining to the
highest goods of justice and peace among individuals and among
peoples. With this historic act, Leo XIII did no more than place
himself alongside the numerous Pontiffs who had preceded him - St.
Pius V among them - and he left a consignment to those who would
follow him in furthering the devotion of the Rosary. For this
reason I too want to say to all of you: make the Rosary the 'gentle chain that binds you to God' through Mary."
(Pope John Paul II, 1983)
"This
mystic crown, then, not only is found in and glides through the
hands of the poor, but it also is honored by citizens of every
social rank. And We do not wish here to pass over in silence the
fact that the Blessed Virgin herself, even in our times, has
solicitously recommended this manner of prayer, when she appeared
and taught it to the innocent girl in the Grotto of Lourdes.
Therefore why should We not hope for every grace if We supplicate
Our Heavenly Mother in this manner with due disposition and
holiness? We desire very earnestly, Venerable Brethren, that the
Holy Rosary should be recited in a special manner in the month of
October and with increased devotion both in the churches and in
homes. And so much the more must it be done since the enemies of
the Divine Name - that is, those who have rebelled against and
denied and scorned the Eternal God - spread snares for the
Catholic Faith and the liberty due to the Church, and finally
rebel with insane efforts against divine and human rights, to send
mankind to ruin and perdition. Through efficacious recourse to the
Virgin Mother of God, they may be finally bent and led to penance
and return to the straight path, trusting to the care and
protection of Mary." (Pope Pius XI, "Ingravescentibus
Malis", 1937)
"Impelled,
therefore, by a constant desire that Christians should ever be
convinced of the efficacy and dignity of the Rosary of Our Lady,
We first of all pointed out that the origin of this form of prayer
is divine rather than human, showing it to be an admirable garland
woven from the Angelic Salutation, together with the Lord's
Prayer, joined to meditation, and that this form of prayer was
most powerful and particularly efficacious for attaining eternal
life. For besides the special excellence of the prayers, it
affords a powerful protection to faith and conspicuous models of
virtue in the mysteries proposed for contemplation. We showed also
how easy the devotion is and how suited to the people, offering an
absolutely perfect model of domestic life in meditation on the
Holy Family at Nazareth, and that therefore Christendom had never
failed to experience its salutary effects. For these reasons We
have ever repeatedly encouraged the recitation of the Holy Rosary,
and have endeavored to increase its dignity by a more solemn cult,
following in this the footsteps of our predecessors. Pope Sixtus
V, of happy memory, approved the ancient custom of reciting the
Rosary; Gregory XIII dedicated a day under this title, which
Clement VIII afterwards inscribed in the martyrology, and Clement
XI extended to the Universal Church. Benedict XIII inserted the
feast in the Roman Breviary, and We, ourselves, in perpetual
testimony of Our affection for this devotion commanded that the
solemnity with its office should be celebrated in the Universal
Church as a double of the second class, consecrating to this
devotion the entire month of October. Finally we ordered the
addition to the Litany of Loreto of the invocation 'Queen of the
most Holy Rosary,' as an augury of victory in our present
warfare." (Pope Leo XIII, "Diuturni Temporis", 1898
A.D.)
"Thus
the excellence of the Rosary; considered under the double aspect
We have here set forth, will convince you, Venerable Brethren, of
the reasons We have for an incessant eagerness to commend and to
promote it. At the present day-and on this We have already
touched, there is a signal necessity of special help from Heaven,
particularly manifest in the many tribulations suffered by the
Church as to her liberties and her rights, as also in the perils
whereby the prosperity and peace of Christian society are
fundamentally threatened. So it is that it belongs to Our office
to assert once again that We place the best of Our hopes in the
holy Rosary, inasmuch as more than any other means it can
impetrate from God the succor which We need. It is Our ardent wish
that this devotion shall be restored to the place of honor; in the
city and in the village, in the family and in the workshop, in the
noble's house and in the peasant's; that it should be to all a
dear devotion and a noble sign of their faith; that it may be a
sure way to the gaining of the favor of pardon. To this end it is
indispensable that zeal should be redoubled, while impiety daily
redoubles its efforts and labors to move the justice of God and to
provoke, for the general ruin, His terrible vengeance." (Pope
Leo XIII, "Iucunda Semper Expectatione", 1894 A.D.)
"That
great saint [Dominic] indeed, divinely enlightened, perceived that
no remedy would be more adapted to the evils of his time than that
men should return to Christ, who 'is the way, the truth, and the
life,' by frequent meditation on the salvation obtained for Us by
Him, and should seek the intercession with God of that Virgin, to
whom it is given to destroy all heresies. He therefore so composed
the Rosary as to recall the mysteries of our salvation in
succession, and the subject of meditation is mingled and, as it
were, interlaced with the Angelic salutation and with the prayer
addressed to God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We, who
seek a remedy for similar evils, do not doubt therefore that the
prayer introduced by that most blessed man with so much advantage
to the Catholic world, will have the greatest effect in removing
the calamities of our times also... We earnestly exhort all
Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion
of the Rosary publicly, or privately in their own house and
family, and that unceasingly... We highly approve of the
confraternities of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin going in
procession, following ancient custom, through the town, as a
public demonstration of their devotion. And in those places where
this is not possible, let it be replaced by more assiduous visits
to the churches, and let the fervor of piety display itself by a
still greater diligence in the exercise of the Christian
virtues." (Pope Leo XIII, "Supremi Apostolatus
Officio", 1883 A.D.)
"Since,
therefore, it is clearly evident that this form of prayer is
particularly pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, and that it is
especially suitable as a means of defense for the Church and all
Christians, it is in no way wonderful that several others of Our
Predecessors have made it their aim to favor and increase its
spread by their high recommendations. Thus Urban IV, testified
that 'every day the Rosary obtained fresh boon for Christianity.'
Sixtus IV declared that this method of prayer 'redounded to the
honor of God and the Blessed Virgin, and was well suited to
obviate impending dangers;' Leo X. that 'it was instituted to
oppose pernicious heresiarchs and heresies;' while Julius III
called it 'the glory of the Church.' So also St. Pius V, that
'with the spread of this devotion the meditations of the faithful
have begun to be more inflamed, their prayers more fervent, and
they have suddenly become different men; the darkness of heresy
has been dissipated, and the light of Catholic faith has broken
forth again.' Lastly Gregory XIII in his turn pronounced that 'the
Rosary had been instituted by St. Dominic to appease the anger of
God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Supremi Apostolatus
Officio", 1883 A.D.)
"God
gave us a most precious blessing when He gave us faith. By this
gift we are not only raised above the level of human things, to
contemplate and share in the divine nature, but are also furnished
with the means of meriting the rewards of heaven; and therefore
the hope is encouraged and strengthened that we shall one day look
upon God, not in the shadowy images of His creatures, but in the
fullest light, and shall enjoy Him forever as the Supreme
Goodness. But the Christian is kept so busy by the various affairs
of life and wanders so easily into matters of little importance,
that unless he be helped with frequent reminders, the truths which
are of first importance and necessity are little by little
forgotten; and then faith begins to grow weak and may even perish.
To ward off these exceedingly great dangers of ignorance from her
children, the Church, which never relaxes her vigilant and
diligent care, has been in the habit of looking for the staunchest
support of faith in the Rosary of Mary. And indeed in the Rosary,
along with the most beautiful and efficacious prayer arranged in
an orderly pattern, the chief mysteries of our religion follow one
another, as they are brought before our mind for contemplation:
first of all the mysteries in which the Word was made flesh and
Mary, the inviolate Virgin and Mother, performed her maternal
duties for Him with a holy joy; there come then the sorrows, the
agony and death of the suffering Christ, the price at which the
salvation of our race was accomplished; then follow the mysteries
full of His glory; His triumph over death, the Ascension into
heaven, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the resplendent brightness
of Mary received among the stars, and finally the everlasting
glory of all the saints in heaven united with the glory of the
Mother and her Son." (Pope Leo XIII, "Magnae Dei Matris",
1892 A.D.)
"For
it is indeed, an arduous and exceeding weighty matter that is now
in hand: it is to humiliate an old and most subtle enemy in the
spread-out array of his power; to win back the freedom of the
Church and of her Head; to preserve and secure the fortifications
within which should rest in peace the safety and weal of human
society. Care must be taken, therefore, that, in these times of
mourning for the Church, the most holy devotion of the Rosary of
Mary be assiduously and piously observed, the more so that this
method of prayer being so arranged as to recall in turn all the
mysteries of our salvation, is eminently fitted to foster the
spirit of piety." (Pope Leo XIII, "Superiore Anno",
1884 A.D.)
"And
you, Venerable Brethren, - the more you have at heart the honor of
Mary, and the welfare of human society, the more diligently apply
yourselves to nourish the piety of the people towards the great
Virgin, and to increase their confidence in her. We believe it to
be part of the designs of Providence that, in these times of trial
for the Church, the ancient devotion to the august Virgin should
live and flourish amid the greatest part of the Christian world.
May now the Christian nations, excited by Our exhortations, and
inflamed by your appeals, seek the protection of Mary with an
ardor growing greater day by day; let them cling more and more to
the practice of the Rosary, to that devotion which our ancestors
were in the habit of practicing, not only as an ever-ready remedy
for their misfortunes, but as a whole badge of Christian piety.
The heavenly Patroness of the human race will receive with joy
these prayers and supplications, and will easily obtain that the
good shall grow in virtue, and that the erring should return to
salvation and repent; and that God who is the avenger of crime,
moved to mercy and pity may deliver Christendom and civil society
from all dangers, and restore to them peace so much desired."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Supremi Apostolatus Officio", 1883
A.D.)
Also
See: Benefits of the Rosary
|
The Family Rosary
|
In Defense of the Rosary / Those Who Consider the Devotion an
"Annoying Formula" |
The Mysteries of the Rosary
|
October / Rosary Month
|
Praise for the Rosary
|
The Rosary & Sin
|
The Rosary & The Souls in Purgatory
|
The Rosary as a Spiritual Thermometer
|
The Rosary in History
|
The Rosary is a Medicine
|
The Rosary is Pleasing to Mary
|
There is No Valid Excuse for Not Praying the Daily Rosary
|
Those Who Say Daily Rosary Are Not Led Astray
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