Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena

A Special Message from Rev. Fr Remigius Lazarus KASAWA, DP

To the Universal Living Rosary Association of Saint Philomena (ULRA) Members,

October is the Marian month, the month of the Holy Living Rosary, I would like to share with you, dear brethren, some insights with regard to the Rosary and the Priesthood.

What Is The (Living) Rosary?

At Fatima, in 1917, Our Lady said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary. Pray the Rosary everyday to obtain peace for the world." After saying this, Our Lady demanded that after each decade, one should say the following prayer: "0 my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy."

According to Pope Adrian VI, the Rosary is the scourge of the devil. The devil is not at peace to see one use/pray the Rosary. He is not safe and/or comfortable in the presence of the Rosary. St. Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest said, "The Rosary is the weapon." St. Leo XIII himself wrote 9 Encyclicals on the Rosary.

Our Lady asks us, her children, to pray the Rosary daily. Why?

St. Francis de Sales said that the greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary. St. Thomas Aquinas preached 40 straight days in Rome, Italy, on just the Hail Mary, and St. Jean-Marie Vianney, patron of priests, was seldom seen without a Rosary in his hand.

It was for St. Jean-Marie Vianny, that the Pope decided to inaugurate the "Year For Priests" on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - Friday 19th June 2009 to 19th June 2010, a day traditionally devoted to prayer for sanctification of the Clergy. It is Fr. Vianny, whose celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the "Dies Natalis" we are having.

Pope Paul V said the Rosary is a treasure of graces. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, wrote, echoing St. Padre Pio, "the Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, Who so loves His Mother". To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the Face of Christ. "Will you give 1% of each day to God? If so, pray the daily Rosary.”

Our Lady promised, through St. Dominic and Blessed Alain, to Christians who recite the Rosary: whoever shall faithfully serve her by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. She also promised her special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. She said the Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish. It will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.

Oh that souls would sanctify themselves by this means! Our Lady said that the soul which recommends itself to her by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. "Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of the sacred mysteries" she said, "shall never be conquered by misfortune." God will not chastise him in His justice, and he shall not perish by unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the church. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have, during their life and at their death, the light of God and the fullness of graces and, at the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.

Our Lady further says she shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. Everybody shall obtain all he/she asks of her by the recitation of the Rosary. She maintains to say, all who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by her in their necessities. Our Lady says she has obtained from her Divine Son that all advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. She also says all who recite the Rosary are her beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Devotion to Our Lady's Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Conclusion:

Therefore, dear brethren, as we journey on towards living this Living Rosary during this Holy month of October, honoring our Blessed Virgin Mother, Mary, let us appreciate our God-given gift of Our Lady. For it is said, the greatest gift a Father can give His children is to love their Mother. As Our Lady said, on May 13, 1917 at Fatima, let us pray the Rosary unceasingly, everyday, in order to obtain peace for the whole world.

May we all be blessed by the daily recitations of the Holy Rosary! Ave Maria!

Rev. Fr Remigius Lazarus KASAWA, DP,
Nzama Catholic Parish
Ntcheu, Malawi, Central Africa