ERICKSON: Learning at the school of Mary, The Rosary

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston prays the rosary. (CNS photo/James Ramos, Texas Catholic Herald)

October is here in all its fall splendor. As the seasons change, we still need to be reminded of our prayer duties. Oct. 7 was the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, coupled with the important anniversary of Our Lady’s last visit at Fatima on Oct. 13. It is also the month that St. John Paul II was elected pope back on Oct. 16, 1978. He was known as Mary’s Pope. Thus, we should not forget that October is the month of the Rosary.

The history of the development is fascinating. This lifesaving string began back in the days of Father Dominic Guzman in the 13th century. The threads of this garland of roses came from this era.

Father Guzman was chosen to go to the front lines in a battle against a major heresy: Albigensian, which held that all created matter was evil. The result was an attack on creation, incarnation, redemption and eternal life. The erroneous claim from this heresy is that Jesus cannot take on material form.

Under the tutelage of the Blessed Mother, Father Dominic Guzman went right to work, and yes, he got visits from her. He instructed people about the mysteries of the incarnation, redemption and eternal life. After each lesson, he had them pray 10 Hail Marys, which in his days was only half of the prayer we know today.

Father Guzman went on to create the fourth main priestly order of the Church, the Dominicans. He is known to us as St. Dominic.

This practice continued and developed, and as Marian devotions grew, so did the desire for Marian teachings. The devotions grew, and the development came to address illiterate people who desired to pray

the 150 Psalms as monks did. So those who could not read were encouraged to pray 150 Hail Marys for each Psalm. This became known as Our Lady’s Psalter. Eventually, the Hail Mary was completed with its second half.

Gradually, the 150 Hail Marys were divided up into 15 Our Fathers, and the divisions were given the name Decades. Not only were illiterate people now praying the Decades, but so were the educated.

Mysteries were given to this slow-developing chain, which had many variations. At one time, there were 150 mysteries for each Hail Mary! Gradually, this winded down to the 15 mysteries that we know today: Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious.

It was no secret that St. John Paul II’s favorite form of prayer was the Rosary. He was so devoted to Mary that he consecrated his whole being and priesthood to her. As part of his pontificate, he added a fourth set of mysteries to the Rosary: The Luminous Mysteries.

In conclusion, the Rosary is a powerful form of prayer. St. John Paul II writes: “With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of His love.” The Rosary is Mary’s school, where she teaches us about her Son and His good news.

If we want to know the Son, we should learn from His mother. Something to remember in observing October, the month of the Rosary. 

Carl Erickson is the director of Campus Ministry at the Galveston Newman Center.