The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. It was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful.

The Rosary is appealing and simple. The purpose of the Rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Every time we pray the Our Father we are reminded that Jesus’ Father is the initiator of salvation. Praying the Hail Mary reminds us that we are joining with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. In addition, they help to make us aware that Mary was and is still intimately joined with her son, Jesus, in all the mysteries of earthly and heavenly existence. The constant repetition of prayer creates an atmosphere of contemplation.

The traditional fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary were finalized by the sixteenth century. The mysteries are grouped into sets: the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious Mysteries, and, in 2002, Pope John Paul II announced the new Luminous Mysteries.