The Public Rosary – A Prayer of Proven Might
By, Lawrence P. Grayson
The Rosary is a powerful prayer that has proven to be effective numerous times throughout history. Our Lady has often interceded with Our Lord to alter the course of events when people have asked for her assistance through this invocation. One of the earliest, history-altering incidents affected by the Rosary occurred on October 7, 1571. The Mohammedan Ottoman Empire, which then was at the peak of its naval power and threatening to overrun Christian Europe, sent a fleet of some 300 galleys into the Gulf of Lepanto. A smaller fleet of about 200 galleys was formed in defense. In the weeks preceding their engagement, Pope Pius V had ordered all churches and monasteries to offer the Forty Hours Devotion, with public processions and recitation of the Rosary for a Christian victory. The resulting battle was decisive, as the invaders lost some 25,000 men and most of their ships. Never again was the Ottoman Empire a threat in the Mediterranean Sea. The Venetian Senate declared that it was not the might of arms that brought victory, but the Blessed Virgin’s intercession. In thanksgiving, the Pope designated October 7 as the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
In 1683, Christian Europe again was under assault by Turkish Muslims; this time by land. The invading army of 140,000-180,000 men put Vienna under siege. As an opposing force was being assembled, Pope Innocent XI called for a Christendom-wide recitation of the Rosary for its victory. The city was about to fall when King Jan Sobieski of Poland, who had placed his kingdom under the protection of Our Lady of Czestochowa, arrived at the head of an army of 85,000 men. The Turks were totally routed, losing about four times as many men as the Christians. In tribute, the Pope designated September 12, the day of the victory, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary.
On August 6, 1945, Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the world’s first use of this horrendous weapon. For miles in every direction buildings were leveled, people were burned beyond recognition, and bodies littered the streets. Eight blocks from the epicenter was the Church of Our Lady’s Assumption, with an adjoining residence where eight Jesuits missionaries from Germany lived. The Church was severely damaged by the blast, but the residence was intact. Although some 50,000 people were killed by the blast and another 20,000 died soon after from radiation exposure, the priests were unharmed. None suffered radiation sickness, blistering from the heat, loss of hearing, or other bomb-related illness, and all lived for several more decades. Fr. Hubert Schiffer, one of the survivors, attributed the miracle to the group’s devotion to the Blessed Mother and their faithfulness in praying the Rosary every day.
At the end of World War II, Austria, a country strategically located between East and West, was divided among the victorious allies. Soviet Russia took the most important quarter, which included Vienna, and subjected it to the oppression of Communism. Fr. Petrus Pevlicek, obeying a voice he heard at a Marian Shrine, founded the Holy Rosary Atonement Crusade in 1947 to pray for thee nation’s freedom. The faithful began saying the Rosary almost continuously, and on the 13th of each month paraded through the streets praying to Our Lady of Fatima for independence. The marchers grew in number, reaching in 1955 about 500,000 people, one tenth the population of Austria. Then, on May 13, 1955, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, the Russians unexpectedly withdrew. Inspired by Austria’s independence, Hungary, in October 1956, demanded similar freedom from the Soviets. Instead of prayer, however, Hungary relied on tens of thousands of Freedom Fighters and mass demonstrations. In less than three weeks, the Soviets suppressed all public opposition. The Rosary succeeded, while reliance on arms failed.
When Nikita Khrushchev visited the United Nations in October, 1960, he pounded the desk with his shoe shouting that the Soviets “would bury” America. This was no idle threat, as the Soviets were completing development of the R-16 Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. Pope John XXIII instructed the Bishop of Leiria (whose see includes Fatima) to write to the bishops of the world, asking them to unite with the pilgrims of Fatima on the night of October 12, 1960, in prayer and penance for Russia’s conversion and world peace. That evening, about a million pilgrims at Fatima spent the night outdoors in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and some 300 dioceses throughout the world joined with them. On October 26, as the final test launch was in progress, the ICBM exploded killing some 250 people, including the commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces and the chief designer of the R-16, setting the Russian nuclear missile program back many years. Again, the Rosary prevailed.
On March 1, 2008, a crisis between Colombia and its neighboring states, Ecuador and Venezuela arose. The President of Columbia had ordered a military raid into Ecuador’s territory against a rebel camp used by Marxist guerrillas to launch terrorist strikes. In response, Ecuador’s President cut all diplomatic relationships with Colombia, while Venezuela, Ecuador’s political ally, ordered a massive military surge to the Colombian border. On March 5, as tensions increased, Columbia’s President invited all officials to pray the Rosary in the chapel at the Presidential Palace. It was offered to Our Lady of Chiquinquira, Our Lady of Coromoto and Our Lady of Mercy, respectively the patronesses of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Two days later, Columbia’s President apologized and the presidents of the three countries shook hands ending the crisis.
These are just a few of many examples of how public devotion to the Rosary has affected world events. Jamie Cardinal Sin speaking of the effect of the Rosary in the overthrow of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, said: “All the ends of the earth have seen the Power of the Rosary, the Power of prayer, the Power of GOD…More Powerful than funds are Prayers. More effective than strategic planning are ‘fasting and sacrifices.’ Mightier than military force is the mighty Power of a vigilant people. Indeed when we give our best to the Lord, and leave the rest to His Providence, the Lord always responds.”
As Catholics, we have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin. She has demonstrated the power of the Rosary numerous times, and at Fatima asked that it be said for world peace. It is not very difficult to carry the Rosary with you always, and say it as often as you can. The world will be a better place if the Rosary is the weapon of choice.
A slightly modified version of this article appeared in numerous publications of the Knights of Columbus in Maryland. For further information, contact the author at
