Celebrating the Month of the Holy Rosary
"The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers." - Pope Saint Pius X
The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. On October 7, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in honor of the Blessed Mother. October was also the month in which Mary appeared for the last time to shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, urging them to "say the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world."
In celebration of the month, several parishes in the Diocese of Portland plan to hold Rosary gatherings. Whether at an event or individually, all are encouraged to pray the Rosary during October and beyond.
Gatherings and Services
October 5, 2024
Bath
All Saints Parish will hold First Saturday Devotion to honor Our Lady's request at Fatima at St. Mary Church, 144 Lincoln Street in Bath, beginning with Mass at 8 a.m., followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary, and confession. Essential elements of first Saturday Devotion including going to confession before of after First Saturday, receiving holy Communion, praying five decades of the Rosary, and keeping Our Lady's company for 15 minutes while meditating on one of more mysteries of the Rosary.
Cape Elizabeth
In Honor of Our Lady of Fatima, St. John Paul II Parish offers an 8:00 a.m. Mass every 1st Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Bartholomew Church, 8 Two Lights Road in Cape Elizabeth. The recitation of the Holy Rosary and devotions take place following Mass. Confession will also be available.
Caribou
Holy Rosary Church, 34 Vaughn Street, will be celebrating the Feast of the Our Lady of the Rosary on Saturday, October 5, with a dinner following the 4 p.m. Mass. All are welcome!
October 12, 2024
Augusta
The Daughters of Isabella will hold an America Needs Fatima Rosary Rally on Saturday, October 12, at noon in the parking lot of St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 41 Western Avenue in Augusta.
Bar Harbor
A Public Square Rosary will be prayed at noon in the yard of Holy Redeemer Church, 56 Mount Desert Street in Bar Harbor. It will be held rain or shine.
Cape Elizabeth
A public Rosary rally will be held near the flagpole at Fort Williams Park, 1000 Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, on Saturday, October 12, at noon. The event is open to everyone, including children, even if you have never before prayed the Rosary.
Gorham
A Rosary rally and Mass commemorating the final appearance of the Blessed Mother at Fatima will be held on Saturday, October 12, at St. Anne Church, 299 Main Street in Gorham. The Mass, with an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, will be held at 11 a.m. The rally will begin at noon with a luncheon to follow
Lisbon Falls
Prince of Peace Parish invites everyone to join in a Patriotic Rosary for the Consecration of our Nation on Saturday, October 12, beginning with a Mass at 8:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church, 67 Frost Hill Avenue In Lisbon Falls.
Following the Mass, which will be celebrated by Father Elaiyaraja Thaniyel, HGN, people will gather in the public parking lot of the former Worumbo Mill, located at the corner of Lisbon and Canal streets. The Rosary Rally will begin promptly at 10 a.m. It will proceed up Main Street in Lisbon Falls, turn left onto South Street, left onto Addison Street, left onto School Street, and then right on Main Street, back to the parking lot.
Madison
Christ the King parishioners will join in the 2024 Public Square Rosary Crusade by praying the Rosary at St. Sebastian Church,161 Main Street in Madison on Saturday, October 12, at noon.
Newport
All are invited to join Our Lady of the Snows and St. Agnes parishioners in participating in the Public Square Rosary Crusade. On October 12, parishioners will gather at noon at Sawyer's Dairy Bar at the triangle in Newport to pray the Rosary.
Portland
A Rosary Rally will be held at noon on the lawn of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street in Portland. (In the event of rain, the rally will be held in the chapel.)
Skowhegan
Christ the King parishioners will join in the 2024 Public Square Rosary Crusade by praying the Rosary at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church, 273 Water Street in Skowhegan on Saturday, October 12, at noon.
October 13, 2024
Wells
In celebration of the Month of the Holy Rosary, members of Holy Spirit Parish invite you to join them for the public praying of the Rosary on Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m. at the Wells Harbor Gazebo on Harbor Road in Wells. Prayers will be offered for our nation, the world, and the National Eucharistic Revival.
Directions: If headed from the north on Post Road (Route One), take a left onto Harbor Road. If headed from the south, take a right near the Wells Fire Station.
Devotion to the Rosary
The Rosary is an invitation to experience the grace of Mary’s spiritual motherhood as she leads us to her Son, Jesus. Devotion to the Rosary was especially promoted in the 13th century by St. Dominic and in the 16th century by St. Peter Canisius. It was Pope Leo XIII who dedicated October as the Month of the Holy Rosary and who, in 1895, wrote an encyclical, Adiutricem, on the Rosary. An invocation known as the Fatima Prayer was commonly added in the early 20th century. In 2002, Saint John Paul II, who called the Rosary his favorite prayer, added a new set of five reflections called the luminous mysteries. They join the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, in providing opportunities to reflect on the lives of Jesus and his Blessed Mother.
Resources
How to pray the Rosary (USCCB - External Link)
Introducing the Rosary - Bishop Robert Barron (External Link)
