Hail, Our Lady of the Rosary

                                                          "Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto" by Veronese

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  The feast commemorates a decisive victory won, on Sunday October 7, 1571, by the combined fleets of Venice, Spain, Genoa and other Catholic maritime states over a much larger force of Turks in the Straits of Lepanto off western Greece.  The victory prevented the Ottoman Turks, seemingly unstoppable hitherto, from expanding further westward in the Mediterranean, thereby lifting the threat of Turkish invasion from Rome, and from all of Italy.

The Holy League and Pope St. Pius V credited the victory to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and with good reason.   Each vessel in the fleet had prayed the Rosary daily on the voyage from Sicily to battle.   Their admiral, Andrea Doria, kept a copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe given him by King Philip II of Spain in his stateroom.  The Spanish commander, Don Juan of Austria, flew the standard of Our Lady of Guadalupe from his masthead.  Perhaps most importantly of all, Pope St. Pius V had ordered all monasteries and convents in Rome to pray for the success of the Holy League's fleet, and himself organized Rosary processions throughout the city.

Pope St. Pius V ordered a day of thanksgiving in honor of Our Lady of Victory to be kept every October 7.   In 1573,  Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary, and transferred the celebration to the first Sunday in October.  In 1716, Pope Clement XII extended the feast to the entire Latin Church.  In 1913, Pope St. Pius X transferred the date of the  feast to its original date of October 7.

Until 1968, a plenary indulgence called "the Portiuncula of the Rosary" was granted to all who visited a Rosary chapel or statue of Our Lady on this feast.  The new Enchiridion (Handbook) of Indulgences still permits a plenary indulgence to be obtained, but in a different way.  Under the usual conditions, (sacramental Confession and Communion within a week, before or after; reception of Holy Communion;  prayer for the intentions of the pope; and absence of "all attachment to sin, even venial sin.") "A plenary indulgence is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, a religious Community, or pious Association; a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances."

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

UPDATE:  The Catholic navies had better technology, and this was no accident.