Mary of the Holy Rosary

The month of October is observed in the Catholic Church as the month of the Holy Rosary. October 7 is celebrated as the feast day of “Our Lady (Mary) of the Rosary”.

The Church dedicates various days of the year to honour Mary right from the time angel Gabriel appeared and announced to her that she would be the mother of the saviour. Among the important days to honour her are: Mother of God — January 1, The Annunciation — March 25, The Assumption — August 15, Nativity — September 8 and Immaculate Conception — December 8.

Interestingly, Mother Mary is greatly honoured by Muslims too. The Holy Quran dedicates a whole chapter to Mary and alludes to her the title of “the Mother of Jesus”, the same as Christians do. Jesus too is considered as one of the great prophets in the Holy Quran. Explaining their reverence for Jesus, some Muslim friends convinced me that one could not be a real Muslim if he did not revere Jesus as a great prophet who would appear again at the end of times.

There is, however, a bit of difference of opinion among various Christian denominations in the way Mother Mary is perceived and venerated. A few hold that some Christian Churches, particularly the Catholic Church, pays her far more importance than is called for, allegedly to the extent of neglecting Jesus — the way to God. The Catholic Church, however, holds that Mary is not only the mother and the only one to know and care for Jesus from his childhood to his death on the Cross, but also his first disciple plays a crucial role in leading us to him.

The Catholics thus believe that Mother Mary is a powerful mediator who intercedes to Jesus on our behalf. Not surprisingly, most people find their prayers through her intercession answered. In India alone there are several shrines of Mary visited by millions of people of all religions with deep devotion. In Mumbai alone millions throng Mount Mary’s Church in Bandra and St. Michael’s Church in Mahim. Similarly an equal number also make pilgrimage to Vailankanni Matha Church in Tamil Nadu.

The most popular prayer in honour of Mother Mary is the Holy Rosary, which is primarily a recitation 50 times of the following prayer: “Hail Mary! Full of Grace, The Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God; pray for us sinners; now and the hour of our death, Amen.” Pope Benedict described the Rosary as a, “contemplative and Christocentric prayer, inseparable from the meditation of sacred scripture and is the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary”.

Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religion, can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com