Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Dominic

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Dominic. During his life, he founded the Order of the Dominican, tried to convert non-believers to Catholicism and experienced apparitions of Blessed Mother Mary. She revealed to him the structure of the Most Holy Rosary which we pray today.

Dominic had a special devotion to what was the predecessor of the modern rosary. He went alone into the forest and wept and prayed continuously for three days to appease the anger of Almighty God. After three days, he fell into a coma. While in a coma, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked:

"Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?" Mary continued: "I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic Psalter which is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter."

The Queen of Heaven said to Dominic:

"Wonder not that until now you have obtained so little fruit by your labors; you have spent them on barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of Divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore, preach my Psalter."

With these words, Mary founded the Most Holy Rosary, which is Mary's Psalter. With the rosary, she unleashed the sword, the spiritual weapon and fortress against evil.

Shortly after this apparition, Dominic preached the Holy Rosary to the unconverted Carthars. To modify the paternoster (150 Our Fathers) and in compliance with the instruction in the apparition, the design of the Saint Dominic rosary came in to being. He set apart 15 mysteries of the rosary, grouped them in to 3 sets of 5 decades each. These groupings were designated the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. This design helped the Cathars better understand and to imitate the virtuous life of Jesus and Mary.

May the life and legacy Saint Dominic lived so faithfully strengthen us to live to our true call to pray the spiritual weapon, the rosary. We ask this, Holy God, in the Name of Jesus, in unity with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, help us turn to you and Jesus by praying the Rosary daily. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Saint Dominic, pray for us.