Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
October is the month of the Holy Rosary. The Feast of the Holy Rosary was October 7th. Even though we are approaching the end of the month, I think it is good for us to be reminded what a great gift the rosary is to us.
In times past, it was much more common for Catholics to pray the rosary together. I remember going to the funeral home and praying the rosary for the deceased on the evening before the funeral. Everyone knelt down on the floor and prayed together. When I was in the seminary and in my early days of the priesthood, it was common when visiting a family that after dinner everyone would join together and pray a family rosary.
The rosary was always the go-to prayer in time of crisis. Then for a while it seemed as if Catholics cooled a little bit to this particular gift of the Blessed Mother to us. Thankfully, it seems as if there is renewed interest in this ancient Catholic prayer.
The Feast of the Rosary grew out of a time of crisis in the Church. In the 16th century, Catholic Europe was being threatened with invasion by the Ottoman Turks. Pope Pius V asked the faithful to pray the rosary for success in the battle. Against great odds, the Catholic fleet defeated the Ottomans and the Pope declared that day, October 7th, the Feast of Our Lady of Victiry, later changed to Our Lady of the Rosary.
I have prayed the rosary as part of my spiritual life for a great many years. I always carry a rosary in my pocket. The one I have now, I purchased when I was a seminarian, so I have carried it for almost half a century. My rosary has been repaired countless times; the beads are worn; the crucifix has been replaced numerous times. It has been prayed in churches and shrines around the world. It has been touched to the Tomb of Jesus and to the relics of dozens of saints. I have prayed it in joy and in sorrow.
There are times that I pray and I wonder if I even thought of a single mystery, I am so distracted. In those times I hope that God is pleased that I at least have the desire to pray. There are times when all I can do is clutch those sacred beads as if they are my lifeline to God. In those times I am beyond even saying a prayer, but holding the rosary in my hand is itself prayer. There are times when I am so grateful that the soft murmur of Hail, Marys and Our Fathers hold me in the presence of God.
I am so grateful that we have been given this gateway of prayer. The rosary gives us a means to share in the life of Jesus and of His Blessed Mother. May our praying of the Holy Rosary deepen our faith and lead us to follow our Lord Jesus.
Msgr. Cox
 
Our Lady of the Rosary, Lorenzo Lotto (1539)