In many of the Marian Apparitions all over the world, the Blessed Virgin Mary often emphasized the importance of praying the rosary.
On May 13, 1917, in the village of Fatima, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children — Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta – ages 10, 9 and 7. She appeared a total of six times to the children, on the 13th of each month from May 13, 1917, to Oct. 13, 1917. During these apparitions the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke to the children about prayer, penance and conversion of sinners. She also showed them a frightening vision of hell.
She emphasized the importance of praying the rosary for peace and the end of war, of reparations for sins, of seeking peace through conversion, and the consecration of Russia to Mary’s Immaculate Heart and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In Fatima, she revealed to the children “ I am the Lady of the Rosary.” She also taught them to add a special prayer after each decade of the rosary “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven specially those most in need of thy mercy.”
In November 2024, Lyndon and I visited the Sanctuary at Fatima, Portugal, near the area of Cova da Iria where the Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparitions and the Miracle of the Sun had taken place. Millions from all over the world have already visited and continue to visit the sanctuary. Pilgrims holding and praying the rosary are a familiar sight during our visit. On May 13, 2025, thousands of pilgrims attended the 108th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions in Fatima, Portugal.
In Lourdes, Southern France, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, between Feb. 11 to July 16, 1858. At the time of the apparitions, she was about 14 years old, saw the Lady at the Grotto of Massabielle a total of 18 times. During the first apparition, Bernadette noticed that the Lady has a rosary on her right arm. At the 16th apparition on March 25, 1858, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Lady finally revealed to Bernadette “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Millions of pilgrims visit the Grotto at the Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes. In November 2024, Lyndon and I went to Lourdes, France, to pay homage to Our Lady. It was already late in the evening when we arrived; after a quick dinner, we walked to the grotto where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette 18 times. Voices of pilgrims praying the rosary in English became clear as we got closer, and although I didn’t recognize the other languages, in my heart I know the other groups are also praying the rosary.
In May 2024, I returned to the Shrine of the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina, with my friend, Ruth. In Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary, known also as our Lady of Medjugorje, has been appearing to six children, now adults, since June 24, 1981. Three of the six original visionaries still see and converse with the Blessed Virgin Mary daily. Men, women, priests, nuns, children are holding and praying the rosary — inside the church, at the courtyard, on the sidewalks, at the Blue Cross mountain, at the Apparition Hill, at Mount Krizevac, outside the church confessional while standing waiting for their turn to receive the sacrament of confession. Our Lady of Medjugorje invites us to pray the rosary with the heart — the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries — daily.
Our Lady said “With the rosary you shall overcome all the adversities which satan is trying to inflict on the Catholic Church. Let all the prayers you say in your homes in the evening be for the conversion of sinners because the world is in great sin. Every evening pray the rosary. Pray and let the rosary always be in your hand as a sign to Satan that you belong to me. I call all those who have consecrated themselves to my immaculate heart to become examples to others. I call priests and religious brothers and sisters to pray the rosary and to teach others to pray. The rosary, little children, is especially dear to me. Through the rosary, open your heart to me and I am able to help you.”
On Sept. 25, 2019, Our Lady of Medjugorje said:
“Dear children! Today I am calling you to pray for my intentions so that I may help you. Little children, pray the rosary and meditate the mysteries of the rosary because, in your life, you are also passing through joys and sorrows. In this way, you are transforming the mysteries into your life, because life is a mystery until you place it into God’s hands. In this way, you will have the experience of faith like Peter who met Jesus, and the Holy Spirit filled his heart. Little children, you are also called to witness by living the love with which, day by day, God wraps you with my presence. Therefore, little children, be open and pray with the heart in faith. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
In Medjugorje, our Holy Mother said, “If you knew how much I love you, you’d cry of joy.” She is our most powerful intercessor, bringing us to her son, our Lord Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life. As our spiritual mother, Mary has given us — her children — the rosary as our most powerful spiritual sword against Satan and temptations, to be prayed with the heart every day while we are still pilgrims on Earth. When we pray the rosary, peace enters our hearts. Please, please pray the rosary.
For information on how to pray the rosary, visit https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary.
Our Lady promised her special protection and graces to those who faithfully pray the rosary. To see Our Lady’s 15 Promises, visit https://marian.org/13th/the-fifteen-promises-of-our-lady.
If you do not have a rosary yet and wish to have one, email your name and mailing address to delrosariogynlyn@gmail.com. On the subject line, please put “Pls send me a Rosary.”
In closing, let us pray:
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women and
Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
• Gina Del Rosario is a Roman Catholic who was born and raised in the Philippines, and is a parishioner at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Juneau. “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page
