The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-10-28
THROUGH The ROSARY
CONVERSION OF A QUEEN DUE
TO 1T.

The conversion, in 1874, of the
Queen Mother, Mary of Bavaria, relict
of King Macmillan II, caused a
great sensation throughout Germany;
for she was by birth a Prussian, prin-
cess, and had hitherto been jealous
Protestant. Her liberality to the poor
and her charities of variousi kinds had
made her an example among her CO.
religionists of high and low degree;
and from the day of her conversion
she became a model of still greater
piety; practicing the virtues of good
Catholic with charming simplicity and
admirable fervor. 1t is not generally
known, perhaps, that Queen Marys
conversion was due to the Rosary,
says writer in the Ave Maria.
When, in 1912, she was married to
the heir of the Crown of Bavaria, she
was in the prime of life and gifted
with the most brilliant qualities.
Great, presumably, was the influence
she was destined to exercise over the
hearts of her people. Her Catholic
subjects began to feel uneasy on the
score of their religion. To ward off
the impending danger, some pious
ladies of Munich formed among them
selves an association, the sole object
of which was the conversion of their
future Queen; and they decided upon
the daily recitation of the beads for
this intention.
When death claimed the King, her
husband, Queen Mary was cast into
deep sadness, and began to see the
futility of Professionalism as comfort
er to the dying or to their surviving
loved ones. She was forcibly struck,
on the contrary, with the prayers and
ceremonies with which the Church
aids her departing members, and not
ably with the common practice of it's
devout children in reciting the Holy
Rosary. Thenceforward she deter
mined to seek her consolation in
prayer. AS she often visited the pub
lie hospitals, she became closely &C
quainted with the Sisters of Charity,
and frequently recommended her de-
parted husband and herself to their
prayers. On one occasion she asked
the good Sisters to instruct her as to
the meaning of the beads and the
manner of saying them: and, turning
their explanations to good account,
she set herself to reciting the Rosary
with fervor which grew more and
more intense as the days and weeks
went by.
Passing part of the summer at
one of her country seats in the heart
of the Alps, she came in contact with
a well known priest Of the neighbor-
hood. BY slow degrees she obtained
from him instruction on all the points
of the Catholic religion. The more
she listened, the more she reflected
and prayed; and the more completely,
too, did her Protestant prejudices
vanish. At last, after long and fer
vent prayer, accompanied with deep
study, she determined to become a
Catholic.
AS soon as her resolve was reported
in Berlin, every effort was made to
induce her to change her mind. They
sent her one of the chief Protestant
pastors, in whom she formerly had
great confidence. He put forth all his
arguments to prevail upon her to re-
main a non-Catholic. 1t was all to no
purpose; for, after having fruitlessly
expended all his logic, and losing his
temper, he added: Then, Madam, all
you have to do now il to say your
beads" II am already" said the
Queen with smile, '.in the habit of
saying them every day"
Incidents like this should have the
effect of increasing our confidence In
the efficacy of prayer and our devo-
ton to the Holy Rosary. More things
are wrought by prayer than this world
dreams OF, !" says the poet; and, az
everyone knows, the Rosary has been
the source OF innumerable blessings,
mot merely to the Church at large and
ito nations, but also TO families and in
tdividuals