'Wonder not that you have obtained so little fruit by your labors, you have spent them on barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of Divine Grace. When GOD willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore preach my Psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and 15 Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant
harvest".
This revelation of the origin of the Rosary was affirmed by Pope Leo XIII, and the tradition that Mary first revealed the Rosary to St. Dominic is supported by 13 Popes. St. Dominic now found great success in this new devotion and brought about the conversion of the
Albigensians. Our Blessed Lady made known to St. Dominic, a kind of preaching then unknown; which she said would be one of the most powerful weapons against future errors and in future difficulties.
St Dominic found the 'Order of Preachers', or 'Dominicans', in 1216. Soon after, the friars were sent in all directions. Friaries were established in Spain, France, England, and Italy. St. Dominic was appointed master general of the order in 1220, by Pope Honorius III. St. Dominic died on August 6, 1221, in Bologna. His feast day is August 8.
In 1240, a seemingly invincible Mongolian army, called the Golden Horde, swept in from the East and destroyed every European army sent against it. The Knight Templars were defeated in battle after battle. As the Horde was on the verge of overrunning all of Europe in complete victory, as there was no army left to stop them, they suddenly ceased hostilities and returned to Mongolia. This miracle was attributed by many, to European survivors who prayed the Rosary.
On October 7, 1571, members of the Confraternity of the Rosary, which was started by St. Dominic in 1218, prayed the Rosary for a blessing for the Christian fleet fighting the Turks at
Lepanto. Pope St. Pius V, a Dominican, joined them, and GOD revealed to him that Mary had at that hour obtained a glorious victory for the Christian fleet. This great victory saved Europe from the Mohammedan peril.
Novena
to St. Dominic
( say once a day for 9 days, especially beginning on
July 31 and ending on August 8, the Feast of St. Dominic.
)
O renowned champion of the faith of Christ, most holy
saint Dominic, who didst renounce the honour and dignity
of an earthly principality to embrace the poor, laborious,
and mortified life which should distinguish a disciple of
Him Who has said: "If any man will come after Me, let
him take up his cross and follow Me."
O burning torch, who being thyself consumed with the
fire of divine love, didst incessantly labor to enkindle
that sacred flame in the hearts of others, look down upon
me from that throne of glory where thou enjoyest the
reward of all thy labors, and obtain that some sparks of
that blessed fire may be lighted in my soul, to animate
and encourage me under any crosses or trials with which it
shall please the divine goodness to visit me.
Thou, O great Saint, regardest as nothing all the
afflictions thou didst endure, and all the toils thou
didst undergo for the promotion of God's holy cause;
obtain, I beseech Thee, that the same ardent love which
strengthened thee, may make sweet to me labors,
humiliations, disgraces, or whatever other mortifications
I may have to suffer for the Name of Jesus. May I ever
bear in mind that nothing can happen to me but by the
particular dispensation of a God Who is infinitely wise,
and therefore knows what is best for my welfare;
infinitely powerful, and consequently able to effect it;
and above all, infinitely merciful and loving, Who has
laid down His life for my redemption, and continues daily
to give new proofs of His love and bounty.
O tender Father of the poor who, when all other
resources were exhausted, didst offer thyself for their
relief, obtain for me that true spirit of compassion for
the suffering members of Jesus Christ, which shone forth
so conspicuously in thy holy life. May I, by charity to
those whom Jesus so dearly loves, lay up for myself
treasures in heaven, where thou now enjoyest that which
the eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, nor the heart of
man conceived, but which God has prepared for those who
love Him, and who prove themselves His Disciples by the
observance of His Divine precept "love one
another."
I praise and thank God for the high degree of sanctity
to which He had raised thee, and the special privileges by
which He has distinguished thee. I conjure thee, by that
gratitude with which thou shalt for all eternity be
penetrated for thy Divine Benefactor, implore for me the
grace to root out of my heart whatever is not agreeable in
His sight, especially that evil habit by which I most
frequently offend Him. Obtain likewise the favors I
request in this Novena, through thy powerful intercession.
( Mention your intentions here )
O glorious Mother of God, Queen of the most sacred
Rosary, thou who didst love Dominic with the affection of
a mother, and were most tenderly loved and honored by him,
look upon me, for his sake, with an eye of pity, deign to
join with him in presenting these petitions to thy most
Blessed Jesus. I sincerely desire from this moment to love
Him with all my heart, and serve Him with all my strength,
and now place myself under thy powerful protection, as a
sure means of obtaining all the graces necessary to serve
Him faithfully here, that I may eternally rejoice with Him
hereafter. Amen.
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