Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-10-03
OCTOBER
The Month That All Catholics
Devote TO the Holy
Rosary.
Impressive Religious Services
For Tomorrow at st. Louis
BertraDd's.
President Wilson Asks That All
Join and Pray For
Peace.
GLORIOUS sign OF REDEMPTION

October is the month of the Holy
Rosary. during which this, the fore
most among the practices of piety
which the church has approved in
honor of Christ's Virgin Mother, is
said every evening in nearly all our
churches. No formulary of prayer
has done more excellent service for
the church militant in her efforts to
withstand the virulent attacks of
her enemies from within, no less
than from without the fold, than the
rosary. We owe to 1t not alone the
victory of the medieval church over
the Albigensian heresy, but also the
( triumph of the faith in Ireland
against the allurements of error and
the prosecutions of the penal code.
In Germany, too, the rosary has been
the peoples comfort in time of trial.
! The Feast of the Holy Rosary, in
stituted by Pope S. Plus ", recalls
to us the victory won by the Chris
/ tian army over the Turks at Lepanto,
, on October Z, 1871. 1t is always
celebrated on the first Sunday in
October. In Louisville the most
elaborate and impressive celebration
will take place at st. Louis Ber-
| trand's church. At the solemn
vespers there will be a parade of the
sodalities and children carrying fif-
teen beautiful banners and present.
ing a scene but seldom witnessed.
President Wilson has also asked
that Rosary Sunday be observed
throughout the United States as a
day of prayer for the restoration Of
peace, and therefore the attendance
tomorrow should include every
Catholic and our churches should be
filled to their capacity.
Many will ask, what is the
rosary? You smile, but do you
know? The grains OF which it is
composed--it matters little whether
they be pearl or coral, ivory or
wood-merely serve to count the
number of prayers to sustain and fix
the attention of the mind and heart
by sensible signs; but the cross at
tached to them is a sign of
strength. life and salvation-the
glorious sign of redemption-a sign
ever memorable for Christians. Let
us hear the words of Lacordaire-
the eagle of the pulpit of Notre
Dame de Paris-in his life of st.
Dominic. the inspired author of the
devotion of the rosary: ''The con-
ferences of the rosary are multiplied
beyond number; there is hardly a.
Christian in the world that does not |
possess, under the name of the
beads. portion of the rosary. Who
has not heard at eventide the grave
voice of peasants reciting the Ave
Maria in two choirs? Who has not |
met professions of pilgrims passing |
through their fingers the grains OF |
the rosary, and charming the length |
of their journey by the alternative
repetition of the name of Mary? |
Whenever anything becomes per-
petual and universal 1t necessarily |
contains a mysterious harmony with
the needs and the destinies of man.
The nationalist smiles to see a pro- |
cession of men pass by reciting the
same words over and over again. |
He that is enlightened by better
light understands that love has but |
one word, and that in saying II for
ever ii never repeats"
Imagine IL you can formula Of
prayer more universal, easier and |
better suited to the capacity of all, |
more sublime, and at the same time
more simple. The rosary is al
memorial, an abridgment of all
Christianity; II is the breviary of all |
plous laics; II is an alphabet for
simple souls, for children and for
good old people. But for the
learned, for men of genius, for those |
that wish to mediate deeply, II is a
sublime book, the vastest COM
pendium OF theology; 1t is an im-
mense and unfathomable sea, like
the mysteries II commentaries.
The rosary Is fit, some one will
say. only for children, devotees,
simple and ignorant persons. What!
st. Dominic, founder of the Order
OF Friars Preachers, celebrated for
his profound learning and his elo-
quent preaching-St. Dominic re-
cited the rosary and ne found in II
more than his intelligence could
What st. Thomas Acquinas, the
angelical doctor. the eagle of theol-
ogy, who had fathomed the depths
Of metaphysics. who had gathered
up and Christianized all that was
true and beautiful in pagan antiq-
uity-he who is even to this day
considered the Hottest and yastest
human intelligence ST. Thomas OF
Acquinas recited the rosary. and he
found therein all the sub
Unity of his genius. What! Father
Lacordaire. that magnificent intelli-
gence. that noble heart. that thun-
dering and sympathetic orator, that
captivating apostle OF enthusiastic
and studious youth. wore his rosary
at his girdle; he recited II. as did
81. Dominic and ST. Thomas. and he
found In II an abyss for his mind
and an ocean for Ia heart