October 8, 2009

  • Our Lady of the Rosary celebration

    Yesterday was a great day as we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  We started the day before by discussing our plans and baking our cupcakes for the cupcake rosary.  The kids wanted colored cupcakes, but couldn't decide between red or blue, so we did some of each and decided to just leave them unfrosted since they would be pretty enough.

    We started the day by reading about the feast and then during our lunch break we prayed the rosary as we assembled the cupcakes.  The boys each took turns with the decades and layed the cupcakes out as they did each Hail Mary.  Everyone, down to Augustin, participated and had a wonderful time. 

    OLOR3.JPG OLOR4.JPG

    As we were praying and assembling I realized I'd miss counted the large cupcakes and was one short, yet I had 3 extra blue ones.  Not sure how that happened since Grant and I counted twice to make sure we had enough.  No one minded though and we just "made do".  The cupcakes were yummy too and there aren't many left.  I was glad we made mini-cupcakes with as many as they ate.

    For dinner I made meatload and potato boats, otherwise knowns as "Our Lady's Victory Vessels" in rememberance of the Battle of Lepano and Our Lady's victory for the Catholic ships.

    OLOR6.JPG
    Parker made the sails and everyone enjoyed.

    The Battle of Lepanto An Excerpt from "Our Lady and Islam" (Source: EWTN)


    On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

    Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.

    What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.

    The Rosary

    At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!

    The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).

    And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam.

    Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for us!!!!