Pastor's Corner, August 31, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The sixth daily habit for faithful Catholics is praying the Holy Rosary.

St. Louis de Montfort, the great apostle of the rosary, once wrote, “If you say the rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.”

He is so confident because he knows of the powerful intercession of Our Lady and the importance of honoring Our Lord by honoring His Mother. The Rosary is both a vocal prayer (we pray the simple, basic prayers of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be) and a contemplative prayer (we meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary in the various mysteries of the rosary). It is probably the most highly recommended devotions in the Church.

As St. John Paul II wrote in his letter The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, the rosary is “a ‘meditation’ with Mary on Christ” and an immersion “in the mysteries of the Redeemer's life,” ensuring that what Christ has done on the Cross and what the liturgy makes present “is profoundly assimilated and shapes our existence” (13).

It can be difficult to find time to pray the rosary but, like anything else, when it is a priority we will find the time. It can be very helpful to pray the rosary with others, especially with your family.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker