From the Friars Daily eLetter

October 18, 2008

October – A Critical Month

Grace and Peace!

As you may know, October is the month of the Rosary, since the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But did you know that the feast was originally named after Our Lady of Victory? Who is Our Lady of Victory? When I was a kid, all I knew of this title of Mary was that she was the one to whom we prayed before CYO basketball games – but we didn’t win many games!

Our Lady of Victory dates back to the late sixteenth century and the Battle of Lepanto, a naval battle fought in the Mediterranean Sea between the Turks and a mix of European countries flying the Papal flag. This battle marked a significant moment for Christian Europe, as the Turks had already conquered much of the lower continent and were closing in on Rome. The battle seemed hopeless for the Christians; not only were they vastly outnumbered and seemingly outgunned, but the wind that day blew fiercely against the sails of their ships, giving the most important advantage to the Turks. So on the day of the battle, I can only imagine the fear, discouragement, doubt and despair among Christians across the board.

That day, the city of Rome gathered together with Pope Pius V to pray the rosary for Our Lady’s protection and deliverance from what could have been a devastating loss. As the commander-in-chief sailed about his fleet trying to rally his men, the wind suddenly changed completely. Using the advantage, the Christians sailed into the Turks, destroying over 250 Turkish ships while losing only 40 of their own. When the pope heard the news, he immediately attributed the victory to the intercession of Our Lady and all the rosaries prayed by her children!

Today, we are fighting a similar battle. The unborn and the sacred institution of marriage and family are under attack. Next month’s election will be a deciding factor for our country’s policy on protecting the right to life and the fundamental building block of society. The devil is certainly at work deceiving all of us – trying to make us think that other issues are more important, or that issues other than the economy and Iraq do not exist. Those of us who support the rights of the unborn and the traditional view of marriage may be feeling weary, a bit fearful, rather discouraged, certainly somewhat doubtful, and as the recent polls tell us, we seem to be outnumbered. But we are not outgunned.

We have the rosary. Is it inconceivable to think that a victory won by prayer in 1571 can’t be won by prayer again? Our fight is not necessarily with people who disagree with us… but with a spirit that deceives! We’re fighting Satan and all his attempts to destroy one of God’s greatest gifts to us, a gift which is sacred, innocent, precious, and beautiful – the gift of life and the institution from which it comes. We need supernatural weapons to fight a supernatural foe.

Therefore, we need weapons of greater recourse to an ever greater power. Well, the rosary is our weapon, Our Lady is our recourse, and her Son is our greatest power! Just yesterday, a founder of our community shouted out, “Pray the rosary! We must pray! Our Lady of Fatima told us to pray!” October is the month of the rosary, and it’s the month before Election Day. Let’s use the rosary to pierce our own stony hearts and the hearts of those deceived in these weeks before the election.

One last fact about the Battle of Lepanto… the 25-year-old commander of the Papal navy kept on his flagship an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“For though we live in the world, we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:3-4)

May Jesus and Mary reign in our hearts. Ave Maria!

Br. Aloysius Marie Mazzone, CFR

St. Lawrence Friary

Bronx, New York



October 18, 2008 October – A Critical Month Grace and Peace! As you may know, October is the month of the Rosary, since the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. But did you know that the feast was originally named after Our Lady of Victory? Who is Our Lady of Victory? When I was a kid, all I knew of this title of Mary was that she was the one to whom we prayed before CYO basketball games – but we didn’t win many games! Our Lady of Victory dates back to the late sixteenth century and the Battle of Lepanto, a naval battle fought in the Mediterranean Sea between the Turks and a mix of European countries flying the Papal flag. This battle marked a significant moment for Christian Europe, as the Turks had already conquered much of the lower continent and were closing in on Rome. The battle seemed hopeless for the Christians; not only were they vastly outnumbered and seemingly outgunned, but the wind that day blew fiercely against the sails of their ships, giving the most important advantage to the Turks. So on the day of the battle, I can only imagine the fear, discouragement, doubt and despair among Christians across the board. That day, the city of Rome gathered together with Pope Pius V to pray the rosary for Our Lady’s protection and deliverance from what could have been a devastating loss. As the commander-in-chief sailed about his fleet trying to rally his men, the wind suddenly changed completely. Using the advantage, the Christians sailed into the Turks, destroying over 250 Turkish ships while losing only 40 of their own. When the pope heard the news, he immediately attributed the victory to the intercession of Our Lady and all the rosaries prayed by her children! Today, we are fighting a similar battle. The unborn and the sacred institution of marriage and family are under attack. Next month’s election will be a deciding factor for our country’s policy on protecting the right to life and the fundamental building block of society. The devil is certainly at work deceiving all of us – trying to make us think that other issues are more important, or that issues other than the economy and Iraq do not exist. Those of us who support the rights of the unborn and the traditional view of marriage may be feeling weary, a bit fearful, rather discouraged, certainly somewhat doubtful, and as the recent polls tell us, we seem to be outnumbered. But we are not outgunned. We have the rosary. Is it inconceivable to think that a victory won by prayer in 1571 can’t be won by prayer again? Our fight is not necessarily with people who disagree with us… but with a spirit that deceives! We’re fighting Satan and all his attempts to destroy one of God’s greatest gifts to us, a gift which is sacred, innocent, precious, and beautiful – the gift of life and the institution from which it comes. We need supernatural weapons to fight a supernatural foe. Therefore, we need weapons of greater recourse to an ever greater power. Well, the rosary is our weapon, Our Lady is our recourse, and her Son is our greatest power! Just yesterday, a founder of our community shouted out, “Pray the rosary! We must pray! Our Lady of Fatima told us to pray!” October is the month of the rosary, and it’s the month before Election Day. Let’s use the rosary to pierce our own stony hearts and the hearts of those deceived in these weeks before the election. One last fact about the Battle of Lepanto… the 25-year-old commander of the Papal navy kept on his flagship an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “For though we live in the world, we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:3-4) May Jesus and Mary reign in our hearts. Ave Maria! Br. Aloysius Marie Mazzone, CFR St. Lawrence Friary Bronx, New York