Secret of the Rosary
Encyclopedia
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
written by Saint Louis de Montfort
Louis de Montfort
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was canonized in 1947. He was a French priest and known in his time as a preacher and author, whose books, still widely read, have influenced a number of popes....
a French priest and Catholic saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
who died in 1716. The English translation of the book bears the Imprimatur
Imprimatur
An imprimatur is, in the proper sense, a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement.-Catholic Church:...
of Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
.
The book revolves around the views of the rosary and the power of the rosary and consists of a number of short sections called Rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s each being about one or two pages long. Each Rose discusses a separate viewpoint about the Rosary and may be addressed to a different cross section of the audience, e.g. priests versus lay people.
This book discusses two different methods of praying the rosary
Methods of praying the rosary
Five methods of praying the rosary are presented within the works of Saint Louis de Montfort, a French Roman Catholic priest and writer of the early 18th century. Montfort was an early proponent of Mariology, and much of his work is devoted to the subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary...
, while three additional methods (i.e. five altogether) are listed in the book God Alone
God Alone
God Alone is the title of the collected writings of Saint Louis de Montfort, one of the leading figures in Roman Catholic Mariology.-Description:...
, based on the collected writings of St. Louis.
The book consists of an introduction, plus two main parts. Part I: “What the Rosary is” and Part II: “How to Recite it”. The book is structured in terms of 53 Roses, i.e. sections. The introduction consists of three Roses, Part I embodies the First Rose to the Fortieth Rose and Part II includes the Fiftieth Rose.
The introduction has three Roses: The White Rose for priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, the Red Rose for sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
ners, and the Mystical Rose Tree for devout souls. These three Roses epitomize the multi-view approach taken by the book. The advice to priests about using the Rosary to save sinners directly relates to the advice given to sinners on how to use the Rosary for salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
. This theme continues throughout the book, each Rose gently leading to another, in the process gradually revealing various “secrets” on how to approach the Rosary, how to recite and how to use it for optimal spiritual benefits.
An example of the multi-perspective, yet pragmatic, method with which the book deals with the Rosary is the way the concepts of focus and respect are conveyed through a set of Roses. This starts with the Forty First Rose called “Purity of Intention”. This Rose points out that it is not the length of a prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
that matters, but the fervor, purity and respect with which it is said, e.g. a single properly said Hail Mary is worth many that are badly said. This Rose is followed by the two Roses “Attention” and “Fighting Distractions”. These provide advice for achieving the proper mindset for saying the Rosary. The topic then concludes with the Rose “With Reverence” which returns to respect. Although each of these is a separate Rose, they are cleverly inter-related to present multiple dimensions for focus and respect.
Hence, although the book is highly readable and unassuming on the surface, it is based on a well structured “multi-perspective analysis” of the Rosary. The fifty three sections are intricately connected and clearly thought out. Hence the term “secret” is quite becoming, for the book reveals these interconnections in terms of a coherent theme. But the typical reader need not be concerned with the analyses because the flow of the text is natural, pure and pious and appeals to laymen as well as priests. The book has been read by Catholics worldwide for over two centuries and continues to be a great spiritual resource.
External links
See also
- Methods of Praying the RosaryMethods of praying the rosaryFive methods of praying the rosary are presented within the works of Saint Louis de Montfort, a French Roman Catholic priest and writer of the early 18th century. Montfort was an early proponent of Mariology, and much of his work is devoted to the subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rosary...
- MariologyMariologyRoman Catholic Mariology is theology concerned with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ as developed by the Catholic Church. Roman Catholic teachings on the subject have been based on the belief that "The Blessed Virgin, because she is the Mother of God, is believed to hold a certain...
- Our Lady's Rosary MakersOur Lady's Rosary MakersOur Lady's Rosary Makers is a non-profit apostolate in Louisville, Kentucky, dedicated to spreading devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. Its 17,000 members, in the U.S. and other countries, make and distribute roughly 7 million cord and chain rosaries annually for missions around the...
- Power of Catholic prayer
- The Power of the RosaryThe Power of the RosaryThe Power of the Rosary is a book on Catholic themes by Reverend Albert J. M. Shamon.The book revolves around the topic of Catholic beliefs on the power of prayer via the rosary. It builds on the fifteen rosary promises and extends the discussion to the present day...