NORWAY — October is dedicated as the Month of the Holy Rosary (memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is held each year on October 7), 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.

In commemoration, several public, a Rosary rally is being held at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, 32 Paris Street, Norway (front sidewalk) at Noon on Saturday, October 10. All are welcome. As gatherings are confirmed, they will be added to the list at www.portlanddiocese.org/OctoberRosaryRallies.

The Rosary is an invitation to experience the grace of Mary’s spiritual motherhood. It is a living prayer form that continues to develop, even in recent times. An invocation known as the Fatima Prayer was commonly added in the early 20th century. Pope Leo XIII strongly promoted the increase of devotion to the Blessed Mother by encouraging the constant use of the Rosary. In 2002, Saint John Paul II, who called the Rosary his favorite prayer, added a new set of five reflections called the Luminous Mysteries, which encourage additional meditations on the life of Jesus.