October is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on October 7th. Ultimately, the rosary brings us closer to Our Blessed Mother. Our Blessed Mother brings us closer to her Son! Having a relationship with Jesus and His Blessed Mother bring adults and kids peace and comfort.
Any time spent praying and discussing the rosary will be fruitful. Take time this month to introduce children to this beautiful devotion with my resources below.
Why do we celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary?
Our Lady goes by many titles – Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Blessed Mother are among her most famous. Our Lady came to the aid of Christian soldiers in the Battle of Lepanto, and, later, Pope Pius V instituted a feast in thanksgiving to Our Lady of Victory. Eventually, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary to emphasize the power of Mary’s intercession in times of trouble.
The Battle of Lepanto and Our Lady of the Rosary
On October 7, 1571, a huge Turkish fleet prepared to attack Christian Europe. Genoa, Spain, and the Papal States formed an alliance called the Holy League to defend Christendom.
The Holy League and the Turks engaged in a famous sea battle known as “The Battle of Lepanto.” The battle took place in the Gulf of Lepanto in Greece.
At the time, Pope Pius V, a Dominican with a great love for Our Blessed Mother and the rosary, directed all of the faithful to pray the rosary. They all prayed specifically for the intention that the Christian fleet would defeat the Turkish fleet. Through Our Lady’s intercession, the Christians prevailed! The Holy League prevented Islam from spreading further into Christian Europe.
Here is an excellent, in-depth account of the history of the battle.
Be sure to also read about the incredible link between The Battle of Lepanto and Our Lady of Guadalupe here.
10 EASY Ways to Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
1. Commit to praying a daily rosary as a family
If you have been meaning to start praying the rosary as a family, this is the month to do it! If you need tips for praying the Rosary with children, head on over to this post.
2. Play Battleship – Battle of Lepanto Style!
Here is a free printable and instructions for the game, Battleship. You just need a printer and some writing utensils to play!
Players should start the game by praying a Hail Mary together for a specific intention.
The winner shall be dubbed Captain of the Holy League!
3. Make a Rosary treat for Our Lady of the Rosary
We love a good liturgical tea party in our house, and we always need some themed treats! Here are some fun and tasty Rosary treats to try:
Edible Rosaries – Homemade or store bought goodies will work work! You simply need 53 of one type for the Hail Marys, 6 of another flavor for the Our Fathers, and about 6 more for the cross! It would be impressive to make a version all out of cupcakes. A smaller, simpler version with circular candies, cookies, berries/fruit, or cheese and crackers would also work well!
Rose Shortbread Cookies if you are feeling very fancy and festive!
4. Make a Rosary
5. Take a Rosary walk
If the weather is nice, head out for a walk and pray the rosary together! If you live near the beach or a boardwalk, a rosary walk near the water would be memorable and appropriate for this day!
6. Read a book about the Rosary
A book about St. Dominic would be perfect to learn about the history of the rosary.
Here are a whole bunch of rosary books for kids.
7. Color a picture of Our Lady of the Rosary
Have some copies of this stunning coloring page ready for your kids and hang them up this month!
8. Dive into the history and/or geography of the Battle of Lepanto
Here is a comprehensivecbook on Chesteron’s Lepanto that discusses the history of the battle.
See more history resources in #9 below.
9. Read G.K. Chesterton’s Ballad that honored the Battle of Lepanto
If you don’t do a full-on history lesson, be sure to read this famous poem! Here is a link to the beautiful poem.
This informational mp3 looks sounds amazing and includes the full ballad as well.
10. Sing a Hymn to honor Our Lady
One of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s titles is “Star of the Sea.” You could learn the beautiful hymn “Ave Maris Stella” (Hail, Star of the Sea) in her honor on this feast day!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
There you have it! 10 easy and beautiful ways to honor Our Lady this October and celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary! Do you have any other prayerful and fun ways to honor Our Lady? Please share them in the comments!
This post first appeared on www.oraetschola.com and has been updated here.