Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

As we begin this year’s October devotion, I want to recall some of the devotion's significance and one of the numerous miracles recorded in praying the Holy Rosary. Before then, Pope St. John Paul II, in his Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Apostolic Letter on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary, stated thus, "The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it, I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it, I have always found comfort. Twenty-four years ago, on 29th October 1978, scarcely two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I frankly admitted: “The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth. [...]."

How does October Devotion benefit us?

• It encourages tender devotion to a mother so good and draws us closer to Our Lord
• It reminds us of Mary’s role as Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix (CCC #969)
• It helps us gain graces for the salvation of our souls and others.
• It enables us to imitate her numerous virtues.

The Rosary Liberates from Abduction

On 15th December 2020, Father Valentine Ezeagu was travelling through Imo State, Nigeria, to attend his father’s funeral when four armed men ambushed and abducted him. He regained his freedom 36 hours later and subsequently informed his religious superior that his captors had released him after observing him praying the Rosary. Shortly after receiving news of Fr Ezeagu’s release, Fr George Okorie, Superior General of the Congregation of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the circumstances surrounding the priest’s ordeal. Recounting what Fr Ezeagu had told him, he said: “When I spoke to Fr Valentine, he told me that seeing him praying the Rosary made his abductors confused… They started having a guilty conscience. It made them realize that, since he was wearing a cassock, they had not got the right person, so they gave him some food and released him.” Fr. Okorie concluded: “We thank God who has really touched the hearts of the abductors. We pray for them.”

The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved My Life, by Immaculée Ilibagiza

Immaculée Ilibagiza believed that praying the Rosary saved her life during the devastating 1994 Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of her family and over a million other innocent people. During the violence, she and seven other women took refuge in a tiny bathroom in a local pastor’s house, where they remained hidden for 91 days. When she entered the hiding place, Immaculée was a healthy university student weighing 115 pounds, surrounded by a loving family. By the time she emerged, she had lost her family and weighed just 65 pounds.

May Our Lady of the Holy Rosary continue to intercede for us.

Miracle stories adapted from: https://laikosblog.org/2021/04/27/more-persuasive-testimonies-on-the-power-of-the-rosary/ and https://www.catholicdigest.com/amp/books/201311-11the-rosary-the-prayer-that-saved-my-life/ respectively.