ORIGINALLY known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, the Feast of the Holy Rosary was established by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto, October 7, 1571. The victory was attributed to the help of the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the Rosary.
Scholarship traces the development of the Rosary to the High Middle Ages where it came into being in various medieval monasteries as a substitute for the Divine Office for lay monks and devout lay persons who did not know how to read. Instead of the 150 psalms, they would pray 150 "Our Fathers" counting them on a ring of beads known as the crown or "corona." With the growth of popularity of Marian devotion in the twelfth century, the "Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary" developed, substituting 150 "Hail Marys" in place of the "Our Fathers."
In the 15th century, the Rosary was divided into three Chaplets of 50 Hail Marys each, and the Mysteries were added to each Chaplet. By the 16th century, the 15 Mysteries had become accepted by all as the proper way of reciting the Rosary. During that period, the second half of the Hail Mary was added and the "Glory be to the Father" was used to close each decade of the Rosary. In 1569, Pope Pius V officially approved the Rosary as it was known throughout the world. Four years later, Pope Pius V established the Feast of the Rosary in thanksgiving to Our Lady to commemorate the naval victory of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. It was on that same day, the first Sunday of October, while the members of the Rosary confraternity made their procession in Rome, that Don John of Austria defeated the Turkish fleet.
Following a request of the Dominican Order in 1573, Pope Gregory XIII allowed this feast to be observed in all the churches that possessed an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671, Pope Clement X extended the observance of this feast to the whole of Spain. Afterwards, in recognition of the victory over the Turks by Prince Eugene on August 6, 1716, at Peterwardein in Hungary, Pope Clement XI commanded that the Feast of the Rosary be celebrated throughout the world. On October 16, 2002, following the release of the Apostolic Letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" by Pope John Paul II to the bishops, clergy, and faithful, five new mysteries were added to the Rosary. Accordingly, the present Rosary has 200 Hail Mary’s on beads strung on a cord.
Today, let us reflect on the mystery of Our Lady of the Rosary that is unravelling itself upon the world. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the wonders that He has bestowed upon Our Lady of the Rosary, our heavenly Mother and our heavenly Queen.
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