Jmj

Today, October 7, we members of the Catholic Church family honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as "Our Lady of the Rosary."
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Gerold (German, martyred in 13th century)
St. Helanus (Irish, parish priest, hermit, 6th century)
St. Julia (martyred c. 300)
St. Osith (English, princess, martyred by beheading in 870)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 07, 2001

Answers

-- (_@_._), October 07, 2001.

[Here are some October 7 saints to be added to those listed in the opening message:]

St. Adalgis of Novara (bishop in Italy and France, d. 850)
Sts. Apuleius, Marcellus, Sergius, and Bacchus (disciples of Pope St. Peter, martyred in 1st century)
St. Artaldus of Savoy (French, nobleman, Carthusian priest, abbot, counselor of the pope, named bishop in his 80s, died at age 105 in 13th century)
St. Augustus of Bourges (French, abbot, 6th century)
Sts. Bacehus and Sergius (Roman, military officers in Syria, martyed [one flogged, one beheaded] in 303) St. Canog of Brecknock (Welsh, prince, martyred by barbarians in 492)
St. Dubtach of Armagh (Irish, archbishop, d. 513)
St. Justina of Padua (Italian, virgin, early martyr)
St. Palladius (French, bishop, d. 590)

JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 07, 2002.

La batalla de Lepanto >>> En la época del Papa Pío V (1566 - 1572), los musulmanes controlaban el Mar Mediterráneo y preparaban la invasión de la Europa cristiana. Los reyes católicos de Europa estaban divididos y parecían no darse cuenta del peligro inminente. El Papa pidió ayuda pero se le hizo poco caso. El 17 de septiembre de 1569 pidió que se rezase el Santo Rosario. El 7 de octubre de 1571 se encontraron las dos flotas en el Golfo de Corinto, cerca de la ciudad griega de Lepanto. La flota cristiana, compuesta de soldados de los Estados Papales, de Venecia, Génova y España y comandada por Don Juan de Austria entró en batalla contra un enemigo muy superior en tamaño. Se jugaba el todo por el todo. Antes del ataque, las tropas cristianas rezaron el santo rosario con devoción. La batalla de Lepanto duró hasta altas horas de la tarde pero, al final, los cristianos resultaron victoriosos.

En Roma, el Papa se hallaban recitando el rosario en tanto se había logrado la decisiva y milagrosa victoria para los cristianos. El poder de los turcos en el mar se había disuelto para siempre. El Papa salió de su capilla y, guiado por una inspiración, anunció con mucha calma que la Santísima Virgen había otorgado la victoria. Semanas mas tarde llegó el mensaje de la victoria de parte de Don Juan, quién. desde un principio, le atribuyó el triunfo de su flota a la poderosa intercesión de Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Agradecido con Nuestra Madre, el Papa Pío V instituyó la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de las Victorias y agregó a las Letanía de la Santísima Virgen el título de "Auxilio de los Cristianos". Más adelante, el Papa Gregorio III cambió la fiesta a la Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

Los turcos seguían siendo poderosos en tierra y, en el siglo siguiente, invadieron a Europa desde el Este y, después de tomar enormes territorios, sitiaron a Viena, capital de Austria. Una vez mas, las tropas enemigas eran muy superiores. Si conquistaban la ciudad toda Europa se hacia muy vulnerable. El emperador puso su esperanza en Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Hubo gran lucha y derramamiento de sangre y la ciudad parecía perdida. El alivio llegó el día de la fiesta del Santo Nombre de María, 12 de septiembre, de 1683, cuando el rey de Polonia, conduciendo un ejército de rescate, derrotó a los turcos.

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), October 08, 2002.

Jmj

On October 7, we members of the Catholic Church family honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as "Our Lady of the Rosary."
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Adalgis of Novara (bishop in Italy and France, d. 850)
Sts. Apuleius, Marcellus, Sergius, and Bacchus (disciples of Pope St. Peter, martyred at Rome in 1st century)
St. Artaldus of Savoy (French, nobleman, Carthusian priest, abbot, counselor of the pope, named bishop in his 80s, died at age 105 in 13th century)
St. Augustus of Bourges (French, abbot, 6th century)
Sts. Bacehus and Sergius of Rome (Italian, military officers in Syria, martyed [one flogged, one beheaded] in 303)
St. Canog of Brecknock (Welsh, prince, martyred by barbarians in 492)
St. Dubtach of Armagh (Irish, archbishop, d. 513)
St. Gerold of Cologne (German, martyred in 13th century)
St. Helanus of Reims (Irish, parish priest, hermit, 6th century)
St. Julia (martyred c. 300)
St. Justina of Padua (Italian, virgin, early martyr)
St. Osith of Quarendon (English, princess, martyred by beheading in 870)
St. Palladius of Saintes (French, bishop, d. 590)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.

Apart from the signal defeat of the Albigensian heretics at the battle of Muret in 1213 which legend has attributed to the recitation of the Rosary by St. Dominic, it is believed that Heaven has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of special danger. More particularly, the naval victory of Lepanto gained by Don John of Austria over the Turkish fleet on the first Sunday of October in 1571 responded wonderfully to the processions made at Rome on that same day by the members of the Rosary confraternity. St. Pius V thereupon ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should be made upon that day, and at the request of the Dominican Order Gregory XIII in 1573 allowed this feast to be kept in all churches which possessed an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671 the observance of this festival was extended by Clement X to the whole of Spain, and somewhat later Clement XI after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary, commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church. A set of "proper" lessons in the second nocturn were conceded by Benedict XIII. Leo XIII has since raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class and has added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary". On this feast, in every church in which the Roman confraternity has been duly erected, a plenary indulgence toties quoties is granted upon certain conditions to all who visit therein the Rosary chapel or statue of Our Lady. This has been called the "Portiuncula" of the Rosary.

-- jake (jake1REMOVE@pngusa.net), October 07, 2003.

Thanks for a good contribution, Jake.
Since the material you copied is partially "dated," I want to make three corrections:

1. The commemoration of Our Lady of the Rosary is no longer on the first Sunday of October, but on October 7.

2. The rank of the commemoration is "memorial," as references to such former ranks as "double of the second class" were dropped when the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar was revised (around 1970).

3. The plenary indulgence you mentioned (Portiuncula of the Rosary) was suppressed when the new Enchiridion (Handbook) of Indulgences was issued in 1968. It is now possible to gain a plenary indulgence in a different and simpler way: Under the usual conditions, "A plenary indulgence is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, a religious Community, or pious Association; a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances." [The "usual conditions" for a plenary indulgence are the following requirements: (1) sacramental Confession and Communion within a week (before or after), (2) reception of Holy Communion, (3) prayer for the intentions of the pope, and (4) absence of "all attachment to sin, even venial sin."]

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.

John,

Thank you for the reminder on just how easy it is to gain a plenary indulgence, by reciting the Rosary as a family, which is a practice so richly endorsed and recommended by Popes & Saints alike through the coenturies.

My information was copied & pasted from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Sorry for not properly crediting my source. I should have provided a link.

-- jake (jake1REMOVE@pngusa.net), October 07, 2003.

Requirement #1 was supposed to be: "sacramental Confession within a week (before or after)". (I mentioned "Communion" in #2.)
If possible, Communion and prayer for the pope should take place on the day that the indulgenced work is done.

Jake, I had to smile when you referred to "just how easy it is to gain a plenary indulgence." I won't speak for anyone else, but I'm afraid that I don't find it so easy for me to gain plenary indulgences, because the final requirement is often tough for me to meet:
"absence of 'all attachment to sin, even venial sin.'"

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.