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."

Pope Leo XIV has invited all the faithful to pray a daily rosary during the month of October or personal peace, peace in our families, and in our communities. Read more in this story from the Catholic News Service

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.

Upcoming Gatherings and Services

October 11, 2025

Portland

All are invited to pray the Rosary in honor of Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday, October 11, at noon on the west lawn of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street in Portland. In the event of rain, the Rosary rally will be held in the chapel.

Norway

October 11 at 12 noon on the lawn of St. Catherine of Sienna, 32 Paris Street, Norway. Please join us as we lift our prayers to heaven.
Refreshments will be served.

Bangor

St. Paul the Apostle Parish will host a Rosary Rally on October 11, at noon St. Mary Church, 768 Ohio Street, Bangor.

October 12, 2025

Wells

Members off Holy Spirit Parish invite you to join them for the public praying of the Rosary on Sunday, October 12, at 1 p.m.at the Wells Harbor Gazebo on Harbor Road in Wells.

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.

Houlton

Join us immediately following the 8:00 a.m. Mass Sunday, October 12th at St. Mary of the Visitation Church, 110 Military St, Houlton,

October 18, 2025

Falmouth

The Parish of the Holy Eucharist's ACTS Ministry is sponsoring the beautiful Rosary for Life at noon at Holy Martyrs Church, 266 Foreside Rd, Falmouth on Saturday, October 18. Faithful will gather at noon in the grotto next to the church. (adjourn to the church if it's raining.) Bring your friends and family and come pray with them for this important cause.

October 19, 2025

St. Joseph Parish, 231 Main Street in Ellsworth, will hold a Rosary Rally and procession following the 11 a.m. Mass on October 19. The procession will lead participants from the church to the parish hall. We will publicly pray the Rosary for Maine and America followed by a special presentation about Fatima. Scapulas, rosaries, and holy water from Lourdes will be available.

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.