Month of the Rosary

The Church recognizes October as the month of the Rosary. It’s a special month dedicated to promoting and rediscovering this venerable prayer.

Pope John Paul II often called the Rosary his favorite prayer — and some of the most e-mailed photos of Pope Benedict XVI are those showing him walking and praying his daily Rosary on vacation.

The Register’s “Guide to the Rosary” came about when Pope John Paul II declared a Year of the Rosary. We celebrated it by dedicating an issue to the Marian prayer. In it, we recounted the Holy Father’s advice about the best way to pray the Rosary, then provided the material he asked for: Scriptural references, holy images and an added phrase in the Hail Mary.

We also provided practical “Points for Meditation and Imitation” for each mystery.

We were overwhelmed by the positive response from readers and Rosary groups, so we reprinted it — twice. When the reprints sold out, we decided to bow to popular demand and print the same information in a durable booklet. The booklet has sold well ever since, and has helped us continue our newspaper’s mission by providing us with an unexpected source of funding.

We are offering a special on our Rosary booklets this month, in hopes that more people will discover this excellent resource. To order yours — at half the usual cost — call Vivian at 800-356-9916, extension 3809. There are great discounts for bulk purchases.

And remember: When you pray the Rosary, please entrust the Register’s mission to Our Lady.

Thomas’ Promises

Christopher Wolfe co-directs the Ralph McInerny Center for Thomistic Studies at Notre Dame. But now he is setting off on a new venture: starting a college that will give students a “unified, integrated conception of reality” based on the scholarship of Thomas Aquinas. By Monta Hernon.