40 days for life

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary & Respect for Human Life

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The month of October is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary, given by Our Lady to Saint Dominic in the year 1214.  More recently, October has also been dedicated to the sanctity of human life, particularly the most vulnerable who have lost their rights in this post-Christendom society.  May the Lord have mercy upon us. 

As Catholics, the obvious practice for this month, would be the recitation of the Rosary for the intentions of the unborn and all others in danger (and the list is growing).  It is wonderful to take this opportunity as a family, perhaps praying it daily this month, to educate your children on life issues and show them from a young age, how precious every life is.  The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on the 7th and her Divine Maternity is celebrated on the 11th!  Here we can see a juxtaposition with these 2 dedications.  Of course, we also have the 40 Days for Life Fall 2021 Campaign, which began September 22nd and runs until the end of the month.  A common aspect of this international bi-annual campaign, is prayer at the abortion clinics.  Please consider taking part.

October begins by honoring Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, the “Little Flower.”  She is the sole Doctor of the Church this month, an extraordinary achievement for one who passed from this life at the tender age of 24.  We also honor two 20th century popes.

This October ends with the traditional Feast of Christ the King, as the Triduum of Death begins on All Hallows Eve.  He is the great Victor over death!  Here are some of the notable feasts of this month…

10/1-First Friday / St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, author Story of A Soul

10/2-First Saturday / Holy Guardian Angels

10/3-St. Therese of Lisieux (trad) / Respect Life Sunday

10/4-St. Francis of Assisi, Founder Franciscans

10/5-St. Faustina Kowalska, Seer of the Divine Mercy

10/7-OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

10/11-DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY / Pope St. John XXIII, 20th Century Saint

10/16-St. Margaret Mary, Seer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

10/17-St. Margaret Mary (trad)

10/18-St. Luke, Evangelist

10/22-Pope St. John Paul II, 20th Century Saint

10/24-St. Raphael the Archangel

10/28-Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles

10/31-FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING / All Hallows Eve

A personal note:  The day after my dear father-in-law passed last week, we were getting together his suit for the funeral home.  Someone found a beautiful pair of wooden Rosary beads to place in his hands, and put them on a desk.  I was worried they would be forgotten, so I took them and placed them around the hanger of his suit jacket.  At that point, I just broke up…the wake was this past Sunday…it was wonderful to see the beads in his hands and a peaceful look on his face, after so much suffering.  Above him, attached to the inner top of the casket, was a large Rosary made out of tiny red roses, the crucifix hanging above his head.  It was very dignified and very Catholic, just like him.  My mother-in-law and I prayed the Glorious Mysteries in the front row, before his body.  It was deeply consoling to meditate upon the Resurrection and the rest of the Mysteries.  It was also an intimate and precious moment with my mother-in-law, that I will always hold in my heart.  Such are the riches of the Most Holy Rosary, that Holy Church reminds us of this month.  It may seem a chore at times to pray it, but like confession, you come out of it feeling bright and much better for it.  I can say with certainty, that no one will ever regret praying the Holy Rosary!

Image courtesy www.catholicnewsagency.com

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary!

First of all, the major features of this month of October in the Roman Catholic Church are:  Dedication to the Holy Rosary given to St. Dominic, the celebration of the centennial of the final apparition at Fatima, the great Miracle of the Sun seen by thousands and a general focus on pro-life issues, the first Sunday of the month being dedicated to this cause....the annual "40 Days for Life," a Christian initiative, overlaps with the month of October-it began September 27th and extends till November 5th-this involves a three-point approach:  Prayer & Fasting,  Constant Vigil and Community Outreach.  Think about getting involved-these efforts have saved many lives!

We also have the trad feast of Christ the King, last Sunday of October and several Marian feasts, including Our Lady of the Rosary, corresponding to this month's theme.  We celebrate only one Doctor of the Church this month, St. Therese, probably (but I haven't researched this) the youngest of all the Doctors, only reaching the age of 24-what an accomplishment for such a young woman to attain a distinction reserved in all 2,000 years of Church history, for only 35 people!  We also honor several saints of the Gospel, companions of Christ, this month, along with one of the writers of the Gospel, Saint Luke.

So there are many things to think about in the coming weeks-if you can't do it all, pick one thing and devote yourself to it.  That is the beauty of being a Catholic-it is such a rich and varied tradition, there is something for everyone!  Here is sampling of this month's feasts:

10/1-St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, 1897/Respect Life Sunday

10/2-Holy Guardian Angels

10/3-St. Therese of Lisieux (trad)

10/4-St. Francis of Assisi, 1226

10/5-St. Faustina Kowalska, Seer of the Divine Mercy, 1938-pray the chaplet!

10/6-First Friday

10/7-First Saturday/Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary-what a day to celebrate the First Saturday devotion, in the month of the Holy Rosary and also the month of the final Fatima apparition-remember, this devotion was given to Sister Lucia!

10/8-Our Lady of Good Remedy

10/11-Divine Maternity of Our Lady

10/12-Our Lady of the Pillar

10/13-CENTENNIAL OF THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN AT FATIMA, PORTUGAL-the final Fatima apparition-Don't forget our Holy Hour right here on the blog!  What special gift would you like to give Our Lady on this joyful day?  My gift will be to spend the day at the World Apostolate of Fatima Blue Army Shrine in New Jersey-Mass will be said by Bishop Frank Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, CT-he is the very first clergy member I met with in Brooklyn 4 years ago, to discuss Nomen Christi Apostolate and we had a great meeting!  Maybe I'll see you there?

10/16-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Seer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1690/St. Gerard Majella, 1755-patron of pregnant women

10/17-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (trad)

10/18-St. Luke the Evangelist

10/21-St. Ursula & Companions, Martyrs, 4th Century-legend states she had up to 11,000 companions martyred with her, perhaps even more, but no one knows for sure what the actual number was

10/22-Pope St. John Paul II, 2005/St. Mary Salome, Mother of Saints James & John, Apostles

10/24-St. Raphael the Archangel-patron of travelers & the blind

10/28-Saints Simon & Jude, Apostles

10/29-Christ the King

10/31-All Hallow's Eve-pray for those who perform occult practices on this day in direct response to Holy Church's devotion to the saints in Heaven....and for reparation for these sins