Evolution of the Rosary
“And he came to her and said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!’” -Luke 1:28
Since 1883, October has been the month of the Rosary. Officially called the “Psalter of Jesus and Mary,” the Rosary has taken two millennia to fully develop into its current form. Tradition holds that, in the early 13th century, Mary appeared to St. Dominic and gave him a rosary. However, while St. Dominic and the Dominicans were instrumental in spreading the prayer across Europe, it actually dates back to the earliest years of Christianity.
First century Jews had a practice of reciting all 150 psalms. Early Christians adopted this practice using 150 “Our Fathers” instead. By the 3rd century, Desert Monks in Egypt used knotted ropes to count the 150 prayers. Sometime during the first millennium, some began praying 150 “Hail Marys” in place of the “Our Fathers.” The “Salve Regina” or “Hail Holy Queen” prayer was composed and added to conclude the Rosary during the 11th century. In the early 15th century, Dominic of Prussia advocated meditating while praying the Rosary, organizing the prayers into the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. He also began each decade with a Gospel passage to assist with this meditation. Pope St. Pius V standardized the Rosary and its 15 Mysteries in 1571 and established what has become the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7). Following the Marian apparitions at Fatima, many began adding the “O My Jesus” prayer after each decade. Finally, in 2002, Pope St. John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light to bring us to its current form.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Rosary “the epitome of the Gospel.” Mary herself described it as a spiritual weapon when she gave St. Dominic a rosary. However you look at it, the Rosary is a powerful prayer that all Catholics should include in their prayer regimens. There are still a few days left in October; there’s no time like the present to start.
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Brother Knights: Save the dates–Silver Rose Holy Hour November 9; Shopper’s Delite November 13-14; and Hot Coco Run November 14.
