Saint Who?
Saints Who Promoted the Rosary
“The rosary is the book of the blind where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description” (Venerable Fulton Sheen).
The rosary has grown through the centuries. Originally called the Marian psalter, it is based on the one hundred and fifty psalms, simplified to one hundred and fifty “angelic salutations,” i.e., Hail Marys. It was specially united to meditations on the mysteries of Christ’s life by Saint Dominic. Fifteen mysteries were codified during the 16th century. It has been recommended by many popes, and in 2002 an additional set of mysteries was proposed by Saint John Paul II for the faithful’s use.
This month we will look at some of the saints who have helped to promote this mighty spiritual weapon—from Dominic Guzman, the founder of the Dominican order, to Bernardine of Siena, who helped shape the Hail Mary as we know it; from the well-known Louis Marie de Montfort to the lesser-known Justus Takayama. Inspired by the saints, may we grow in devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary this month and unto eternity.
