St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Most Holy Rosary

Courtesy photo

+ Enlarge

Donna Masek

The month of October has long been dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, which was promulgated on Oct. 16, 2002 by Pope Saint John Paul II. In it, he offers the inclusion of the Luminous Mysteries. He additionally teaches, “With the rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the rosary, the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.” (RVM 1)

Though clearly Marian in its character, the rosary ultimately provides a compendium of the Gospel message. Through this devotion, many have gained interior peace and strength to carry the crosses in daily life.

The history of the rosary has its origin with St. Dominic in the 12th century and his struggles combating the Albigensian heresy in southern France. Our Lady appeared to him in a vision and gave him the Most Holy Rosary in order to prayerfully acquire the necessary grace to accomplish his mission.

Three centuries later, the effects of this powerful chaplet were witnessed at the Battle of Lepanto on Oct. 7, 1871. A strongly outnumbered Christian fleet was encouraged by Pope Pius V to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary by praying the rosary. Ultimately obtaining success, the Holy Father declared Oct. 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victory. It was renamed the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary by Pope Gregory VIII, and continues to be recognized as such.

The importance of the rosary was seen and practiced by many saints. One such saint is the founder of the Militia of the Immaculata, St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe. He encourages all with aspirations such as, “A prayer both simple and sublime that the Immaculata herself indicated when she appeared in Lourdes is the holy rosary. May it become the sword of each knight of the Immaculata, just as the Miraculous Medal is the bullet that strikes down evil!”

St. Maximilian witnessed his faith and devotion to the rosary even in the most challenging of situations. When he was arrested and sent to Pawiak prison in Warsaw, he was asked repeatedly by a guard if he really believed in the rosary. Never denying it, he was beaten so fiercely that his comrades thought he was dead. He ultimately arose and encouraged all towards hope.

Continuing the mission of the Church, the Militia of the Immaculata movement in the United States is currently offering a 31-Day Rosary Challenge. Participants have been invited to pray the rosary every day throughout the month of October and post pictures of such through a hashtag link. (#31DRC) We encourage all to pray the rosary for peace in the world, reparation for sin and the salvation of souls.

Donna Masek is a Volunteer of the Immaculata and a member of the MI National Council. She additionally represents the MI in Utah, which serves both the English and Spanish communities.

Some Sources

https://napa-institute.org/2018/10/24/why-we-dedicate-the-month-of-october-to-the-holy-rosary/

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae.html

https://militiaoftheimmaculata.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/OCTOBER-2022-MI-e-magazine-web.pdf