Bishop's Monthly Message: October

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My Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Tradition tells us the origin of the rosary is attributed to St. Dominic (1170-1221).  This Catholic devotion is a powerful prayer. Its repetitive nature allows us to meditate on the life of Jesus and his mother, Mary. 

October is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.  I hope all of us can take time to pray the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous and Glorious Mysteries. In contemplating these mysteries, we remember the salvific acts of Christ’s life and the closeness of his beloved mother, whose life was completely dedicated to her son. Pope Benedict XVI said that “The Rosary is a means given by the Virgin for contemplating Jesus and, meditating on His life…”

Pope Francis invites us to “…pray the rosary, and to carry it in your hands or in your pockets. The recitation of the rosary is the most beautiful prayer we can offer to the Virgin Mary; …it is a weapon that protects us from evils and temptations."
 
Tomorrow is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. I ask all clergy, religious and faithful in the Diocese to join me in praying the Rosary. Since October is also Respect Life Month, we offer our intentions for the protection of life from conception to natural death, and we pray for the conversion of hearts and minds to embrace the Gospel of Life.
 

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As we near the conclusion of our 75th anniversary, please accept the gift of a rosary that I commissioned. If you would like a rosary, along with a bumper sticker that reads “Help America Pray the Rosary,” please click here and provide your name and mailing address. There is a limited number available and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Click here for a guide on “How to Pray the Rosary.”