The Hail Mary

Theotokos (Mother of God, God – bearer) is the greatest title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. The early Christians had a great devotion to the Mother of God. They used the words of the Angel Gabriel as a prayer: “Hail Mary, full of Grace, the lord is with you.” Later the words of Elizabeth, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” were added to the Hail Mary. This prayer was used in liturgies as early as the 6th century. Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) asked all Christians to pray the Hail Mary. Pope Urban IV in 1261 added the holy name of Jesus to the Hail Mary. The second part: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen,” came into general use during the 14th century as a desperate plea for help during the bubonic plague (1346 and 1353). Following the Council of Trent, in 1568 Pope Pius V promulgated this expanded version of the Hail Mary, as we now have it.

 

The Holy Rosary

Christians prayed the psalms of the Old Testament from early times following the example of Jesus himself who prayed from the Cross: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1), “Into your hands O Lord, I commend my spirit” (Ps 31:5). It became usual for the early ascetics to pray all the 150 psalms every day. But not all the ascetics and monks were literate, and not all could learn the psalms by heart. Therefore, instead of the psalms they would pray the “Our Father” 150 times. Prayer ropes with 150 knots were used to count them. Later these prayer ropes were used to pray the “Hail Mary”, and the 150 Hail Mary prayer came to be known as the “Psalter of Mary”, which could be used by everyone. It was also called “Rosarium,” a garland of roses offered to Mother Mary.

Like many other Christians, the parents of St. Dominic, Felix Guzman and Jane of Aza, would pray the Psalter of Mary with their three children: Antony, Manes and Dominic. This Psalter of Mary was transformed into the Holy Rosary during the preaching ministry of St. Dominic. As a young priest, he lived in the monastery of the Canons of Osma. The Bishop of Osma, Diego de Azevedo, took Dominic with him on a diplomatic mission to Denmark in 1203. On their way they lodged at an inn at Toulouse. Dominic discovered that the inn keeper was a heretic. Instead of going off to sleep, he talked with the heretic the whole night, and by morning he was able to convince him to return to the Catholic faith.

Albigensians (known also as the Cathari) taught that there were two creators:  the good God who created the spiritual beings, and the Devil who created the material world. They taught that all mater is evil, and the human body, being evil, must be harshly treated. They considered marriage and sexuality as evil; and they taught that it is better to destroy the body than to take care of it. They denied the incarnation of Christ, and declared the sacraments as evil. In spite of such wrong teaching, many people left the Church to join them because the Catholic clergy, being largely uneducated, could not refute their heretical doctrines. What attracted people most to the heretics was their ascetical life. They blamed the bishops and clergy for their extravagant living and called everyone to an austere life like that of Christ and the apostles. Their numbers grew, and many of the nobility also supported them for political reasons.

Bishop Diego and Dominic went about in poverty, preaching to the heretics, begging their daily bread.  They brought back many to the Church. There was a group of heretical women who lived a kind of ascetical life. Dominic converted them and gathered them into a convent near the church of Our Lady of Prouille, given to him by the Bishop Fulk de Marselha of Toulouse. This made the heretics determined to kill Dominic. Some Cistercian abbots were also delegated by Pope Innocent III, to preach to the heretics. One of them, Peter of Castelnau, was murdered in 1208 by Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, who supported the heretics. Pope Innocent III felt that preaching alone was not sufficient to eradicate heresy, and declared a crusade against the Albigensians and their supporters.

Bishop Diego went back to Osma, his diocese, and after the murder of Peter of Castelnau, the Cistercian abbots went back to their monasteries. Dominic continued preaching along with some companions who had joined him. He would go barefoot from town to town and preach, and spend his nights in prayer. He found it very difficult to bring back the heretics to the true faith. One day he retreated into a forest near Toulouse, and spent three days and three nights in prayer and penance, weeping and inflicting harsh discipline upon himself, begging the Mother of God to assist him. Mother Mary appeared to him, holding her Divine son in one hand, and the holy Rosary in the other. She said, “My son, preach this Rosary as I shall teach you.” She then taught him to divide the Psalter of Mary into decades of Hail Marys, each decade beginning with an Our Father, followed by 10 Hail Marys and ending with the Glory be. She taught him to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, while praying each mystery, starting with the Angelic salutation. She helped him to participate in the mysteries, rather than merely recite the prayers. In this way the Rosary became a wonderful way to enter into the mysteries of Christ, and to experience these events, with Mother Mary at one’s side.

Dominic taught the Rosary to the nuns at Prouille and to his companions, and to all who were associated with him, including lay helpers among whom was Count Simon de Montfort, who later led the crusade against the Albigensians. This was the beginning of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Count Montfort and his soldiers confessed and received Holy Communion, and prayed the Rosary and fought the Battle of Muret on September 12, 1213. He was able to defeat the mighty army of King Peter II of Aragon who had come to the aid of the heretical Count Raymond VI of Toulouse. King Peter II died in the battle and his soldiers fled. After the victory Count Montfort erected a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in the church of St. James at Muret.

Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, now known as the Dominicans in 1216, for the salvation of souls through preaching the Word of God while living in poverty and practicing mendicancy. The Holy Rosary became a great weapon in their hands for prayer and preaching. They   spread the Rosary devotion to the whole of Christendom.

Around 1400 AD, a Carthusian monk and ascetical writer, Dominic of Prussia grouped the mysteries of the Rosary as Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious. He also developed the Scriptural Rosary, reading a line from the Gospels or the psalms before each Hail Mary.

The, bubonic plague (the Black Death) ravaged Europe from 1346 to 1353, killing roughly one-third of the continent’s population. The “Hail Mary” was now prayed desperately, adding the second part seeking the assistance of the Mother of God “now and at the hour of our death.” During this plague Our Lady appeared to Blessed Allen de la Roche. She reminded him of his earlier sinful life, and asked him to preach the Rosary which she had given to St. Dominic. Allen established the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, and spread the devotion all over Europe. He had many visions of Our Lady who told him about how she had taught the Rosary to St. Dominic. It is from Allen that we know of the 15 promises Our Lady revealed to St. Dominic concerning those who pray the Rosary.

Muslims had conquered the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal) in 711 AD, and ruled there for roughly 800 years until the fall of Granada in 1492. By 1453, they also took over Christian lands in the Byzantine Empire, and sailed into the Mediterranean, threatening Rome.
The Muslim Ottoman Empire under Sultan Selim II amassed a very large fleet for battle. Christian Europe was in danger. To counter the attack Pope Pius V created the Holy League, an alliance between Spain, Genoa, Venice, and the Papal States. Pius V was a Dominican. He believed in the power of the Rosary, and asked all Christians to seek Mother Mary’s help by praying the Rosary. The Christian soldiers, under the command of Don John of Austria, were also told to pray the Rosary. Mass was said on all 200 ships of the Holy League. Churches were kept open day and night so that everyone could pray and ask Mother Mary to help. The night before the battle, the sound of Ave Maria could be heard over the waves by the enemy fleet. They wondered what it foreboded. The Battle of Lepanto, was fought on October 7, 1571 in the Gulf of Patras, off the coast of Greece. The Holy League decisively defeated the Ottoman Empire’s much larger fleet, thus halting the Ottoman expansion into the Mediterranean. In gratitude for the victory, Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on October 7^th. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII renamed it as the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

Popes of the Rosary

Pope Pius V (1504-1572), in his papal bull “Consueverunt Romani Pontifices” in 1569 established the formal structure of the Rosary in its present form. He showed how even wars can be won with the help of the Rosary.

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) is known as the “Rosary Pope.” He issued twelve encyclicals and five apostolic letters dedicated to the Rosary. He believed the Rosary to be a powerful weapon against all evils.

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) described the Rosary as a way to peace, especially during World War II. His encyclical “Ingruentium Malorum” (1951) asked all families to pray the Rosary together. He called the Rosary “a compendium of the Gospel.”

Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) in his encyclical “Grata recordatio” (1959) encouraged daily recitation of the Rosary, and asked that the Rosary be prayed in preparation for the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) in his Apostolic Exhortation “Marialis Cultus” (1974) highlighted the importance of the Rosary, stressing its contemplative aspect alongside praise and petition.

Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) in 2002, through his Apostolic Letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae“, introduced the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary, highlighting its Christocentric nature.

 

Marian Apparitions and the Rosary

Lourdes, 1858.  Our Lady appeared, with a Rosary in her hand, to Bernadette Soubirous. They prayed the Rosary together. Along with healing and conversion, praying the Rosary became a central part of devotion at Lourdes.

Fatima, 1917. Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children: Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto. She asked them to urge all the faithful to pray the Rosary daily to end the First World War, to cause the conversion of Russia, and to bring about world peace. She also taught the children a prayer to be added after every decade of the Rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.” This is now known as the Fatima Prayer.

Medjugorje, since 1981. Through the visionaries, the Virgin Mary repeatedly requested people to pray the Rosary with the heart, with love, trust, and concentration, rather than just reciting words by rote. She described the Rosary as a weapon against evil. The Rosary destroys vice, decreases sin, and defeats heresies. She asked priests and religious to pray the Rosary and to teach others to pray it, stating that the Rosary is particularly dear to her.

 

The Rosary Saints

St. Dominic Guzman (1170 -1221)

He established the Dominican Order to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls and to combat the heresies rampant in his days. He received the Rosary from Mother Mary, and taught people how to pray it.

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

A Dominican tertiary and mystic, she also had a devotion to the Rosary. She is often depicted alongside St. Dominic in Rosary-related artwork, such as the painting “Our Lady of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Catherine of Siena”. St. Catherine’s deep spirituality and writings, including her emphasis on prayer, contributed to the Rosary’s spread and popularity. St. Catherine experienced mystical visions and is known for her deep prayer life, which included praying the Rosary. The Rosary is sometimes depicted as a crown of roses, and St. Catherine’s writings speak of prayers ascending to heaven like fragrant roses.

Blessed Alan de la Roche (1428 – 1475)

Alan de la Roche, a 15th-century Dominican theologian and preacher, played a significant role in popularizing the Rosary. In his work, De Dignitate Psalterii, Alen describes about how St. Dominic received the Rosary. Distressed by the spread of the Albigensian heresy and the lukewarm faith of some Catholics, St. Dominic went into a forest near Toulouse to pray. He spent three days and three nights in prayer and penance, weeping and inflicting harsh discipline upon himself. Our Lady appeared to St. Dominic, and instructed him to preach the Rosary to win over hardened souls to God. All these details Blessed Allen gathered from his visions of Our Lady and St. Dominic.

St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617)

St. Rose was known for her deep devotion to the Rosary, praying it frequently and meditating on the mysteries. She drew inspiration from St. Catherine of Siena, who was also a Dominican tertiary and known for her love of the Rosary. The Rosary was central to St. Rose’s prayer life, including her self-inflicted suffering, linked to her desire to unite herself with Christ’s passion, which is reflected in the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

St Martin de Porres (1579-1639)

Saint Martin de Porres lived in the Dominican Priory of the Holy Rosary in Lima, Peru. He is known for his deep devotion to prayer, particularly to the Rosary, and his life is often presented alongside the mysteries of the Rosary, highlighting how he exemplified the virtues celebrated in each mystery. He is often depicted with a Rosary around his neck.

St. John Macias (1585-1645)

Orphaned at childhood, his uncle trained him as a shepherd. While taking care of the sheep, Juan would pass the long hours praying the rosary which eventually led him to become a saint. He was frequently visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary and by his patron, St. John the Evangelist. He set out for the Americas in 1619 and arrived at Lima, Perú. In 1622, Macias entered the Dominican Priory of St. Mary Magdalene in Lima as a lay brother. He was a contemporary of St. Martin de Porres who was in the Priory of the Holy Rosary also in Lima. John worked as porter (doorkeeper). He was known mainly for two things: his love for the rosary, and his generosity to the poor.

St. Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622)

St. Francis de Sales held a strong devotion to the Rosary, even referring to it as “the greatest method of praying.” He emphasized the importance of meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, considering it a “familiar, childlike talk with his heavenly Mother”. Even when exhausted after a long day’s work, he would still pray his Rosary on his knees late at night before going to bed. He advised the Sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, which he founded, to say the Rosary every day with as much love as possible. He considered the Rosary as a powerful spiritual tool for growing in holiness, developing a friendship with Jesus (Rosary helps us to learn to “speak, and act like Him”), and strengthening one’s relationship with Mary.

St. Louis de Montfort (1673 – 1716)

In his book “The Secret of the Rosary” Montfort describes how the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Dominic in a vision, and presented him with the Rosary as a spiritual weapon against heresy and a means of winning souls back to Christ. He fervently promoted the devotion all his life.

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

A strong advocate for the Rosary, he wrote extensively on it, including meditations on the individual mysteries of the Rosary. As the founder of the Redemptorist Order, St. Alphonsus incorporated the Rosary into the daily life and prayer of his religious community.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) 

The Rosary was a source of comfort and strength for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, especially during challenging times like the loss of her husband and two daughters. In 1805 she converted to Catholicism, and she was given a Rosary which she used with great devotion all her life. The Sisters of Charity, founded by her, pray the Rosary as a community and also individually as a way to deepen their relationship with Jesus and Mary and to seek guidance in their charitable work.

St. John Vianney (1786-1859)

Even as a child, St. John Vianney had a strong love for Mary and the Rosary, leading his friends in prayer and teaching them about the Virgin Mary. He believed that Mary was a powerful intercessor and encouraged people to turn to her for help and guidance, especially during times of spiritual struggle. He saw the Rosary as a source of strength and solace, especially during the challenging times of the French Revolution and in his own personal struggles. He encouraged people to pray the Rosary before confession, as a way to prepare their hearts for the sacrament.

St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

He was known as a “great champion of the Rosary” which he believed to be a powerful devotion pleasing to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He mandated that every parish priest in his diocese should pray the Rosary with the people. He had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where she indicated that he was to be the new St. Dominic in promoting the Rosary.

St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)

Bernadette, even as a child, was known for her devotion to the Rosary, a practice she continued throughout her life. At Lourdes Our Lady asked for prayer and penance, and specifically desired that people pray the Rosary. The apparitions at Lourdes led to a widespread increase in the practice of praying the Rosary among Catholics. For Bernadette, the Rosary was her way to connect with the Blessed Virgin Mary and express her faith.

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Her writings and teachings show how the way to a deeper union with God through meditation and contemplation focusing on the mysteries of the Rosary, and allowing them to speak to the heart. She taught that prayer should be a living contact with Jesus, not just a recitation of words. Her teachings Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter, also called for a new way of praying the Rosary, drawing from St. Teresa’s teachings to unite vocal prayer and meditation. She taught how to contemplate especially the sorrowful mysteries, showing that prayer is not merely a ritual or a series of formulas, but a living relationship with God. She believed that the Rosary can be a powerful means of fostering this relationship.

St. John Bosco (1815-1888)

The founder of the Salesians emphasized the power of the Rosary, particularly in overcoming evil. He recounted a dream where a snake, symbolizing the devil, was defeated by the Hail Mary prayers of the Rosary.

St. Dominic Savio (1848-1857)

He prayed the Rosary, and his spiritual life was marked by a deep devotion to Mary. His resolutions at his First Communion included: “My friends shall be Jesus and Mary” and “Death rather than sin”. He founded the “Company of the Immaculate Conception,” a group of students dedicated to honouring Mary and encouraging virtue among their peers. As part of the rules for the company, members were encouraged to pray the Rosary daily, specifically asking for Mary’s blessing and the grace of perseverance.

Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914)

Pope St. Pius X had a great devotion to Mary and even dedicated an entire encyclical on the Mystery of the Immaculate Conception. He often spoke about the need to pray the Rosary and especially encouraged families to pray it daily. To the laity he said, “If you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary. If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.”

St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

She found the Rosary difficult to pray, writing that it was harder for her than wearing a hair shirt. But she did not give it up. Instead, she connected the Rosary to her concept of offering small acts of love for God.

St. Bartolo Longo (1841-1926)

Born in 1841, he initially drifted from his Catholic faith, becoming involved in spiritualism and aspired to be a satanic priest. He had a deep spiritual crisis. A Dominican priest taught him the Rosary. He heard the Virgin Mary urging him to promote the Rosary. Known as the “Apostle of the Rosary,” he dedicated his life to promoting the Rosary. He established the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii and founded a religious congregation for women called the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii. The Sanctuary in Pompeii is a major pilgrimage site. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. He is scheduled to be canonized on October 19, 2025.

St. Padre Pio (1887-1968)

St. Padre Pio prayed the Rosary daily, viewing it as a weapon against evil. He was known for his constant recitation of the Rosary, praying multiple Rosaries throughout the day. He would often have a Rosary in his hands and would encourage others to do the same. He saw the Rosary as a way to connect with Mother Mary, and to receive her intercession for spiritual and physical needs. He believed that meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary could bring peace and comfort in times of trouble.

St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (1894-1941)

He believed that total consecration to Mary, and praying the Rosary, was a pathway to greater union with Christ and a more fruitful apostolate. He used newspapers, magazines, and radio to promote Marian devotion and the Rosary, earning him the title “apostle of the mass media”. He encouraged young people to pray the Rosary and understand its power in their lives. He saw the Rosary as a powerful spiritual weapon against evil and a means of winning souls for Christ. He lived out his devotion to the Rosary, even in the face of suffering and imprisonment, showing the strength and grace that can be found through it.

St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, known for her great love and service for the poor and sick, prayed the Rosary constantly. She instructed her sisters: “We must say the Rosary in the streets and in the dark holes of the slums. Cling to the Rosary as the creeper clings to the tree, for without Our Lady we cannot stand.”

Pope St. John Paul II (1920-2005)

Pope St. John Paul II’s papal motto was “Totus Tuus,” a phrase borrowed from St. Louis de Montfort, giving himself totally to Mary, and through her to Jesus. He spoke about the Rosary as his favourite prayer. He added the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary.

 

Mother Mary said to Saint Dominic, “One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the World.” In the world of today with calamities and conflicts everywhere, we would do well to turn to Mother Mary with the Rosary in our hands. Holding the Rosary in one’s hand is like taking the hand of Mother Mary who leads us safe through the journey of life. She will assist us to look at her Divine Son, and to enter deeply into the mysteries of his life, to experience his healing and comforting presence. The Holy Rosary is not just a prayer to Mother Mary. Jesus is the centre of this prayer. We can look at him through the eyes of Mother Mary, and participate in his divine life by meditating on the mysteries of our faith. Thus the Holy Rosary sanctifies us, strengthens us and unites us to the Son of God. Through the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary we are also united to all who pray the Rosary, and to the saints in heaven who have loved this devotion, thus experiencing more intimately the communion of saints.