Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. According to Dominican tradition, in 1214, St. Dominic was in Prouille, France attempting to convert the Albigensians back to the Catholic faith. The young priest had little success until one day he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin, who gave him the Rosary as a tool against heretics. While Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is generally acknowledged as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic, including the 15th century priest and teacher, Alanus de Rupe.
Another tradition about the development of the rosary which probably has a little more veracity is that the rosary was developed as a substitute for the psalter for those who could not read. 150 psalms became 150 "Aves."
On October 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima told the shepherd children, "I am the Lady of the Rosary".
In 1987, during the civil war with the anti-clerical Sandinista government in Nicaragua, sacristan Bernardo Martinez reported seeing an apparition of Our Lady who urged him to pray the rosary and work for peace. One of the appearances was in the parish church of Our Lady of Victories near Cuapa.
The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary dates back to the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The rosary was regarded as the "weapon" that won this battle. October 7 is the anniversary of that victory.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator