Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Happy Feast Day to a Great Rosary Saint

It's ironic that I spent most of my teen years in a parish called St. Louis de Montfort, yet never knew that he was a great Rosary advocate.  His statue (like the one at left) was hidden in an alcove on one of the side wings of the church. I'd pass it occasionally and wonder what he did to achieve sainthood, but I never bothered to find out.  Unfortunately, the parish didn't promote his feast day nor did they mention him in a bulletin or at least a leaflet in the back of the church.  What a missed opportunity to encourage devotion to the Rosary!

I finally learned about the great works of  St. Louis when I began a comprehensive research project on the Rosary several years ago.  No one who is devoted to Our Lady's favorite prayer can fail to come across him at some point.  His book, The Secret of the Rosary is easy to read and will give you a much better understanding of and appreciation for the Rosary and our Blessed Mother.

In the book, St. Louis de Montfort lists the results of prayerful Rosary meditation:

- It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ
- It purifies our souls, washing away sin
- It gives us victory over our enemies
- It makes it easy for us to practice virtue
- It sets us on fire with love of Jesus
- It enriches us with graces and merits

If that isn't enough to inspire you to take up your Rosary beads daily, then perhaps this quote from St. Louis will:

"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that in spite of the gravity of your sins you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. For even if you are now on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil, sooner or later you will be converted. Heaven will amend your life and save your soul if you say the Rosary devoutly every day of your life."

Since today is St. Louis' feast day, why not take a minute to learn a little more about him?  These links can get you started.  Better yet, make a resolution to learn more about the patron of your own parish!

EWTN biography
Catholic Encyclopedia bio
Wikipedia bio (even though this is a secular site, this entry is well-documented, well-researched, and easy to read)
Prayers to Mary by St. Louis and an introduction to another wonderful book he wrote
Order books by St. Louis at Montfort Publications


Today is also the feast day of St. Gianna.  Learn more about this inspiring, modern-day "Saintly Super Mom" in my article on Catholic Exchange.

2 comments:

Kelly Frances Dunn said...

WOW, I am really impressed with your content. I absolutely love it! I am new to the blog world, just getting my feet wet and a month into it. I have remained very generic and slow to reveal anything about myself in the process.

My 8 yr old and I pray the rosary every night together. Tonight for the 1st time, my 4 yr old ASKED to partake in the rosary and what started out as a decade, 5 later, we completed the Glorious Mysteries and glorious it was!

I have recently started the 7 sorrows rosary. I can't imagine life without these prayers :)

Peggy Bowes said...

Thank you so much for your nice note! Your comments have inspired today's blog post on the family Rosary. Your blog is lovely. Cherish these days of army men and toy airplanes because they go by quickly, but the daily Rosary habit you are estabilishing will last a lifetime. God bless!