Beloved Parishioners,

In this week's Pastor’s Corner, I wish to dwell on the Rosary and Saint Joseph which is a month we specially dedicate to honoring Saint Joseph and praying the rosary. However, before going into that reflection, I wish to use this opportunity to express my grateful heart to you, all my beloved parishioners, for coming out in large numbers to honor our own beloved Deacon Patrick.

Your presence, prayers, and support in different ways are all testimonies of how much Deacon Patrick is loved in our community. We are confident he has gone home in peace to be with the Lord whom he served so well with all his heart, mind, and body. As we keep praying for him and his family, I ask you all to keep our parish in special prayers at this moment because Deacon Patrick is a big loss to our parish though gain for heaven. As you all may be aware no one can replace Deacon Patrick here in the parish, but our hope is that God will renew us in His own way. May the soul of Deacon Patrick and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

In the month of May, I explained that the May devotion to our Blessed Mother points our mind to the need to join our prayers with that of Mary, the mother of Christ, and emulate her in virtue, Now we are at the threshold of another month of Marian devotion with a long historical and spiritual significance, the October devotion.

October is associated with Saint Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin and the foster father of Jesus. While the month is primarily dedicated to the Rosary, we Catholics also honor Saint Joseph for his role as the protector of the Holy Family and as a model of faith and virtue. This devotion of October to Saint Joseph was started by Pope Leo XIII, particularly through his encyclical Quamquam Pluries, issued in 1889. In this document, he highlights the importance of Saint Joseph as the protector of the Holy Family and the Church. As part of this devotion, Leo XIII also composed a prayer to Saint Joseph, which is often recited by the faithful in October. This prayer encapsulates the themes of protection, intercession, and devotion that Pope Leo XIII sought to promote in honoring Saint Joseph.

Be that as it may, October in the Catholic Church, is also traditionally dedicated to the devotion of the Holy Rosary. This focus on the Rosary stems from the Church’s recognition of the importance of prayer, particularly the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This devotion invites us to deepen our relationship with Christ through the contemplation of His life and the mysteries of faith.

The Rosary has its origins in the early Middle Ages, evolving from the practice of praying the Psalter. Early monks and laypeople used strands of beads to count prayers, particularly the Our Father and Hail Mary. By the 13th century, the Rosary as we know it began to take shape, largely popularized by St. Dominic and the Dominican Order. It was during the 16th century that Pope Pius V established the Rosary's current structure, emphasizing the importance of meditation on the life of Christ.

October became particularly associated with the Rosary after the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, where Christians, invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the Rosary, achieved a significant naval victory against the Ottoman Empire. The Battle of Lepanto, fought on October 7, 1571, was a crucial naval engagement between the Holy League, a coalition of Christian states, and the Ottoman Empire. During the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was expanding aggressively into Europe, threatening Christian territories and maritime trade routes. The rise of Ottoman power prompted fears among European nations, leading to the formation of the Holy League, which included Spain, the Papal States, and the Venetian Republic. Pope Pius V played a pivotal role in organizing the Holy League, rallying support from various European powers. To be continued next week…

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