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The Church considers the Rosary one of the most powerful forms of prayer after the Mass.
Through it, the faithful meditate on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and invite the intercession of the Blessed Mother Mary who can lead us closer to her Son.
Countless saints have spoken on the importance of the Rosary, but a few saints stand out in their devotion to this prayer:
Saint Dominic established the Dominican Order because he saw a need for a group of religious people dedicated to teaching in order to combat the heresies rampant at the time.
Dominic is often credited as being the first propagator of the Rosary after, as legend holds, the Blessed Mother appeared to him with instructions on how to pray it.
French priest, Saint Louis de Monfort has become almost synonymous with devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary.
His writing on the Rosary and on consecrating oneself to Jesus through Mary has helped to shape the faithful’s understanding of Mary’s role in our lives and in the Church.
Italian Capuchin priest and mystic, St. Padre Pio is one of the most well-known saints of modern times. He engaged often in spiritual warfare, sometimes even being physically attacked by demons.
Padre Pio prayed the rosary everyday, which strengthened him against the attacks of the evil one. He even describes the Rosary as a “…weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”
St. Francis de Sales was a Bishop of Geneva and is now considered a Doctor of the Church. His book Introduction to the Devout Life is part of the Church’s treasury and a well-read spiritual classic.
De Sales had a great devotion to Our Lady and helped establish the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary or the Salesian Sisters. He advised the sisters to say the Rosary “…every day with as much love as possible.”
Pope St. Pius X had an incredible devotion to Mary and even dedicated an entire encyclical on the Mystery of the Immaculate Conception. He spoke often about the need to pray the Rosary and especially encouraged families to pray it daily.
Pope Pius X implored the laity: “If you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary” and “If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved.”
Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and known for her great love and service for the poor and sick, prayed the Rosary constantly.
She instructed her sisters: “Never go to the slums without first having recited the Mother’s praises; that is why we have to say the Rosary in the streets and in the dark holes of the slums. Cling to the Rosary as the creeper clings to the tree—for without Our Lady we cannot stand.”
One of the most well-known and beloved popes in Church History, Pope St. John Paul II’s papal motto was “Totus Tuus,” a phrase borrowed from St. Louis de Montfort. This phrase summed up his sincere belief that in giving himself totally to Mary, he could give himself totally to Jesus.
He spoke about the Rosary often in both his writing and his preaching, and even added the Luminous Mysteries to the meditations of the Rosary.
