"Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY ROSARY (OCTOBER 7)
Homily for the feast of the Holy Rosary (October 7) Today the Holy Mother church celebrates the feast of our lady of the Holy Rosary. A highly esteemed Marian devotional practice recommended in the church. There is no other devotion in the church that has been the subject of many official documents as the Rosary. From 1883 till 1966, no less than seventeen encyclicals have been devoted to the Rosary. Pope John Paul II of blessed memory published his Apostolic Letter, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary) on October 16, 2002 and declared the year October 2002 to October 2003 as the year of the Rosary. In the year 1858 and 1917 respectively, our lady herself appeared at Lourdes and Fatima with a rosary in her hands and requested its recitation. Thus, via such a maternal request, the rosary had become part and parcel of the church's Marian devotion for donkey years. The essence and benefits of the rosary cannot be underestimated. The Rosary is the compen...