Living the Liturgical Year Well: October, the Month of the Holy Rosary
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Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.
St. Padre Pio.
As I start this post on the eve of Padre Pio’s feast day this quote seems quite fitting. The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is such a beautiful devotion but sometimes it can seem so overwhelming. It is one of my favorite devotions. It is not an easy one to pray daily when you have young children but it is such a comfort that it is worth the effort.
History of the Holy Rosary
Saint Dominic is said to have received the Holy Rosary directly from Our Lady’s hands in 1206. This short video explains beautifully how the Rosary came to become a popular devotion, its origins and its power. The Holy Rosary, having been given to us by Our Lady herself, is one of the simplest, yet most powerful prayers that we have to honor Our Lady and ask for her intercession. Asking for our Lady’s intercession to help us in our daily struggles is one of the greatest comforts we have beside the Eucharist. I always find great comfort and peace through it, even if it is prayed in the midst of chaos, which it often is in our house.
Praying the Holy Rosary as a family
That used to be such a mountain. My husband and I had always prayed the Rosary together, from the moment we started dating. But as babies came it became harder and harder to find time to pray together. Slowly the Rosary fell by the wayside. Then over a decade ago, we resolved, as a family, to start praying the Rosary daily together during Lent. We set time aside in the evening to pray the Rosary. It was an uphill battle to ask everyone to be quiet and collected right after fuelling them with dinner. But we mustered through it and slowly it became a habit and an expectation. Now everyone looks forward to it.
What I discovered
I have found that praying the Rosary first thing in the morning, before or after breakfast , is easier for all of us. The younger children are still feeling cuddly and it’s easier to have them sit with us, either cuddling or looking at “Jesus books”. Having the toddler be in charge of distributing the Rosaries and collecting them at the end, makes it a treat to him. Under the age of 5 most children will sit still for short periods of time then will wander and go play. We always make them play quietly, away from the prayer circle so that they are not so distracting but still within eyesight. My favorite remains praying in the car. Everyone is buckled, it is somewhat quieter and since we live outside of town, we almost always have at least a twenty minute drive.
It is hard
Praying the Rosary as a family is hard, I am not sure why. It is always inconvenient, it is never perfect and interruptions abound. But it is worth it. We keep showing up and doing our best for that day. And Our Lady keeps blessing us in many ways. Sometimes I get discouraged and I just want to skip it, but then one or the other of the children will ask if we are going to pray, and I just can’t say no to that… So day in and day out, convenient or not, peaceful or not, I would like to encourage you to make praying the Rosary as a family the number one priority of your day. The blessings that stem from it are just immeasurable. So many saints have encouraged us to pray a daily Rosary that it can only be good for us, right?
October Feasts
On October 18th we will be celebrating Saint Luke, the Evangelist.
Picture book: There are no picture books about Saint Luke that I am aware of. But you can start reading his Gospel or the Acts of the Apostles as his life is so closely entwined with that of Saint Paul.
Activity: Did you know that Saint Luke was not only an author but also an illustrator? At least four beautiful icons of Our Lady are attributed to him. Create your own icons today.
Recipe: Enjoy St. Luke’s Artist Palette Cookies to celebrate this wonderful Gospel writer.
On October 28th, we will celebrate our Apostles for this month: Saints Simon and Jude.
Picture book: The Twelve Apostles by Mariana Mayers
Activities:
– Apostles ID cards
– Peg dolls
Recipe: Saint Simon is often represented with a saw, and Saint Jude with a boat. Following the idea of Saint Simon (and Jude) cookies, just add a couple boats.
October Memorials
October 1st: St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face
Picture Book: We have just been reading all about Saint Therese in the Catholic Children Treasure Box magazines. So we can re-read each of the ones pertaining to Saint Therese (1-6).
Activity: We will be making Sacrifice Beads to conclude our time with Saint Therese. You can find directions either in the Catholic Children Treasure Box magazines or here.
Recipe: Let’s have a “Shower of Roses” Tea Party!
October 2nd: Guardian Angels
Picture Book: Again we have been discussing Guardian Angels quite a bit lately with the Catholic Children Treasure Box magazines and the adventures of Wupsy. But for this memorial I like to pull out Angels, Angels Everywhere by Tomie dePaola.
Activity: Create a beautiful guardian angel to keep over your bed and remind you to ask for your guardian angel’s intercession in the morning and thank him for his protection in the evening.
Recipe: Make some Angel Kisses to remind yourself how much your Guardian Angel cares about you.
October 15th: St. Teresa of Avila
Picture Book: St. Teresa of Avila Coloring Book, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt, illustrated by Gedge Harmon. It is a beautiful picture book with full page illustrations left blank to be colored. My girls love these books dearly.
Activity: Create a beautiful bookmark with this quote from Saint Teresa of Avila. Cut a piece of cardstock paper into 6”x2” blank bookmarks. Copy the quote on one side and illustrate the other side. You could also punch a hole at the top and thread some thin ribbon through it.
Recipe: Enjoy some Yemas de Santa Teresa! A delicious treat from Avila itself.
October 17th: St. Ignatius of Antioch
I cannot find a picture book related to Saint Ignatius of Antioch but Catholic Culture has a nice biography as well as suggested activities (growing wheat) and a fantastic Lion cake to celebrate.
And of course let’s contemplate the Beatitudes during this month of October alongside the Rosary. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7th. Wishing one and all a beautiful fall and October.
Love,
Mattie
