The religious congregation of the Dominicans, also known as the Order of Preachers, began as a highly intellectual group. They forced themselves to spend long hours studying, seeking excellence, to be highly prepared for preaching… Even in their early days, they had distinguished figures in the field of thought, such as Saint Albert the Great and, above all, Saint Thomas Aquinas. There is no doubt that good preaching does much good. However, they came to realize that more souls were saved by praying the Holy Rosary than by their great sermons. It is understandable, then, that one of their great tasks was to be great promoters of this devotion. Precisely a great Dominican, and a great Pope, Saint Pius V, attributed the victory at Lepanto to the prayer of the Holy Rosary, which, as is well known, was transcendental for the history of the West, which was in danger of falling into foreign hands. This same Supreme Pontiff, on the occasion of this victory, instituted the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which obviously invites the recitation of the Holy Rosary.

In recent centuries, the Blessed Virgin, seeing the contingencies her children are facing, has appeared, coming to help them, giving them the remedies and medicines they need. At Lourdes, the Blessed Virgin requested the recitation of the Holy Rosary. Likewise, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the famous apparitions at Fatima, presented herself as Our Lady of the Rosary and requested that rosaries be prayed for world peace. Pope Saint John XXIII also requested that rosaries be prayed for world peace. It is understandable, then, that the Holy Father Leo XIV decided to call for the recitation of the Holy Rosary for Peace in St. Peter’s Square, on a particularly important and significant day, October 11, 2025.

Now, few things are as incandescent, and as vibrantly current, as world peace. It would be enough, therefore, to be aware of the connection between the Holy Rosary and world peace to be motivated to pray it.

Many documents of the Church’s Magisterium have recommended this important devotion. For example, Pope Leo XIII dedicated several encyclicals to the Holy Rosary. Saint John Paul II, in his apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary), encouraged us to pray the Holy Rosary in a contemplative prayer mode. This is an excellent document for growing in this devotion, and, like all the great documents of the Popes, it can be read and downloaded free of charge from the Vatican website, http://www.vatican.va. Saint John Paul II completed and enriched the Holy Rosary by adding the mysteries of light.

Popular piety, wisely responding to the requests of the Blessed Virgin and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, dedicates a special month, October, to the devotion of the Holy Rosary, making it an especially important month of the year.

We also know that this devotion is one of her favorites. Praying the Holy Rosary is like giving her a crown of roses, which is typical of lovers, who look more to what pleases their beloved than to what pleases themselves.

In October, we renew our love for our most loving mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. A Christian is an imitator of Christ. To live as a Christian is to live as Christ lived. But Christ considered himself a son of the Blessed Virgin Mary and loved her madly. Therefore, we must love her as Jesus loved her. Let us, then, experience, live the fact that we are children of Mary, and let us love her in imitation of how Jesus loved her. As Father José Mª Solé Romá said, we can all make the following our own: Here is your son! Here is your Jesus! Here is your son, your Jesus, who loves you and who loves you!

Devotion to the Holy Rosary, however, is not limited to the month of October. It is very beautiful to pray it every day. During that month, it is common to observe some special detail related to the Holy Rosary, such as the following, recommended by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, a saint deeply in love with Mary: go to a Marian shrine, praying one part of the rosary upon entering; another once inside the shrine; and another upon leaving.

Sometimes the full beauty of the Holy Rosary is not perceived because it is prayed poorly, hastily, or distractedly, etc. But if one looks at it objectively, one sees that the Holy Rosary is a precious thing. All its components are excellent. It has been the delight of countless saints and sages. Praying it well has great sanctifying and apostolic power.

It’s clear that praying it well is very important. But it’s also important to keep in mind the following insightful observation by Pope Saint John XXIII: the worst rosary is the one that isn’t prayed.

Another excuse for not praying the Holy Rosary is that there are so many other things to do. But one of the most important Supreme Pontiffs in the entire history of the Church, Saint John Paul II the Great, said, referring to himself: the Holy Rosary is the prayer of the Pope. If the Pope has time to pray the Holy Rosary, having far more to do than we do, we will have to find time to pray it.

In short, through Mary to Jesus, with Peter. The Holy Rosary is very important for such transcendental issues as world peace, sanctification, the apostolate, pleasing our most loving Mother, etc. The month of October is a good invitation to renew our devotion to the Holy Rosary and thus love the Blessed Virgin more, the shortcut to Jesus, and take a very important step forward in our spiritual life. Onward! Put out into the deep! Love gives wings, heading for the true Sun, Christ Jesus, who loves us so much!