Saint Who?
Saints Who Promoted the Rosary
Saint Simón de Rojas
Priest and religious († 1624)Feast: September 28
Known as the Apostle of the Ave Maria, Simón de Rojas did not speak until he was fourteen months old. He was a slow learner and had a stutter. But his parents instilled in him a strong devotion to Our Lady, and his first words were “Ave Maria.”
Simon entered a Trinitarian monastery when he was twelve; he made his profession with the order at twenty, and was ordained at twenty-five. He taught philosophy and theology for many years, and also served as a superior in different monasteries in his province. A biographer writes, “His greatest joy was to visit Marian shrines, to pray to Mary and with Mary, to imitate her virtues, to sing her praises, to acknowledge her importance in the mystery of God and of the Church.”
His studies gave him great insight into Marian doctrine, and he was an early and ardent proponent of the practice of total consecration to Jesus through Mary. He founded a lay congregation, the Slaves of the Sweet Name of Mary, whose members honored Mary by serving her children: the poor. “Father Ave Maria,” as he was called, helped the poor day or night with a smile on his lips. He sent many handmade rosaries to persecuted Catholics in England, and succeeded in having the angelic salutation engraved in gold on the façade of the royal palace in Madrid. He was canonized in 1988.
Beloved Father, through the intercession of
“Father Ave Maria,” may our love for
the Hail Mary increase every day.
