Episode 596: On the Rosary - Ingravescentibus Malis - Pope Pius XI

The Rosary is one of the most cherished prayers of our Catholic Church. Introduced by the Creed, the Our Father, three Hail Mary’s and the Doxology (“Glory Be”), and concluded with the Salve Regina, the Rosary involves the recitation of five decades, each consisting of the Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, and the Doxology. During this recitation, the individual meditates on the saving mysteries of our Lord’s life and the faithful witness of our Blessed Mother. Journeying through the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Glorious mysteries of the Rosary, the individual brings to mind our Lord’s incarnation, His passion and death, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into glory. In so doing, the Rosary assists us in growing in a deeper appreciation of these mysteries, in uniting our life more closely to our Lord, and in imploring His graced assistance to live the faith.

Ingravescentibus Malis, an encyclical on the Holy Rosary, was promulgated by His Holiness Pope Pius XI on September 29, 1937. It states “that though such great and numerous evils hang over us, and others still greater are to be feared for the future, we must not lose heart nor let the confident hope that rests solely on God become fainter… Among the various supplications with which we successfully appeal to the Virgin Mother of God, the Holy Rosary without doubt occupies a special and distinct place. Therefore, we desire very earnestly that the Holy Rosary should be recited in a special manner in the month of October and with increased devotion both in the churches and in homes.”

When we pray the Rosary, we ask for the prayers of our Blessed Mother, the exemplar of faith, who leads all believers to her Son.” Because of the mission she received from God, her life is most closely linked with the mysteries of Jesus Christ, and there is no one who has followed in the footsteps of the Incarnate Word more closely and with more merit than she.” (Mediator Dei).