The rosary is
defined as a vocal and mental prayer. The vocal part is the saying of the rosary; the mental is the thinking of the mystery.
In 1460 Our Lady
appeared to Blessed Alan DeLa Roche and told him to re-establish the rosary. Our Lord appeared to him the Sacred Host and told him to preach
His mothers rosary. Before now the rosary was known as Our Lady's Psalter or Angelic Salutation. It wasnt until Blessed Alan
came along that this prayer took the name rosary. These angelic salutations were called crown of roses. Rosarium is Latin
for crown of roses and People started calling this prayer the Rosary. Beads in early English are spelled bede and means prayer.
So, we have the rosary beads today meaning the crown of roses prayer.
The last part
of the Hail Mary was developed by the church at the Council of Ephesus in 430 A.D., to combat the Nestorian Heresy that was spreading about the Motherhood of Mary, as the Mother of God.
In the 14th century
the Apostles Creed was added to the rosary as well as the crucifix. In the 18th century St. Louis DeMonfort started the Glory Be to the Fathers, etc. St. Bernard added the Hail-Holy Queen to the end of the rosary. Our Lady requested we say "Oh My Jesus forgive us our
sins and save us from the fires of hell," during her apparition at Fatima in 1917.
Our destiny and
the destiny of the world is in our hands and what better place to be with those hands firmly holding the rosary.
