By John Petty, Catholic Editor
In the Roman Catholic Church, the month of October is dedicated to prayer of the Holy Rosary. This Catholic devotion is said to have originated from Mary, and is traditionally attributed to the founder of the Order of Preachers, Saint Dominic.
A Dominican Prayer – Photo by John Petty
There are two general forms of the prayer: the Roman Rosary and the Dominican Rosary. These two forms differ in their introductory and concluding prayers. Nevertheless, they have the same basic structure. For each decade, an Our Father begins the sequence of ten Hail Mary’s, concluding with a Glory Be. The Roman and Dominican Rosaries both optionally allow for the Fatima Prayer following each Glory Be. The Roman Rosary is generally prayed more than the Dominican variation. Nevertheless, both are expressions of Marian devotion and authentic Catholic prayer.
The original structure of the Rosary has three sets of mysteries: the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious. Each of the three sets of mysteries symbolizes 50 of the 150 Psalms. During the Papacy of Saint John Paul II, a fourth set of mysteries now known as the Luminous mysteries were created as an optional devotion. Recently, awareness of the Holy Rosary has been promoted by the Rosary In A Year podcast by Fr. Mark-Mary, C.F.R.
“The Rosary as a prayer is meditative, focusing on different aspects of the Church, Scripture and as a tool used for other prayers as well,” said Junior Noah Morris.
The Dominican Rosary – Photo by John Petty
It’s really a spiritual weapon, [The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary], against the forces of evil” Sophomore Mitchell Chrapek said. “It’s something that brings us life and love.”
Ave Maria – Photo by John Petty
“Doing theology is the analytical observation of these Mysteries,” Fr. Robert Keller, O.P. said. ”There is a time and a place for that, but [praying the Rosary] is gazing, receiving the sight of and the insight of each Mystery. In this manner, praying the Rosary is contemplative.”
Gratia Plena – Photo by John Petty
Dominus Tecum – Photo by John Petty
The Rosary is of particular historical importance in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and the month of October specifically recognizes this devotion as such.
The Saint 