Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 16, 2011

My Dear Parishioners,

On Friday, October 7th in the liturgy of the Church, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This memorial was established by Pope St. Pius V in thanksgiving for the victory at Lepanto in 1571. The month of October, in the church, has traditionally been known as the month of the Rosary. So I thought during this month we could reflect on our devotion to Mary. The rosary is certainly a marvelous prayer which gives us reflection on the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the rosary, thus focuses on the incarnation, the sufferings and the glorification of Jesus.

Our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict VXI, in his writings, says he prays one mystery a day and reflects upon that mystery. I was thinking if the Holy Father, certainly if he is able to take time in his busy life to pray a decade of the rosary, so could we. In our families at the dinner table, what a beautiful way to grow in our devotion to Mary, to pray a decade of the rosary, one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s and a Glory Be to the Father. At that time we think about our devotion to Mary and we also reflect on the mysteries of our Faith.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Certainly, as we look at this prayer, we find peace, joy and comfort in our lives.

Fr. Leroy