Mary, Queen of Apostles
“Mary, Queen of Apostles, is the Patroness of the Society as she is for the whole Union. She is, after Christ, the most perfect model of our apostolate.” (LSAC #9)
“The members are devoted to Mary, Queen of Apostles. Like the apostles they join in prayer with Mary, Mother of the Lord, and ask for the light of the Holy Spirit, who renews the face of the earth.
They seek to imitate her virtues, promote her veneration, and honor her with the practices proper to the tradition of the Church and that of the Society.” (LSAC #16)
MEDITATIONS
on the
MYSTERIES
of the
HOLY ROSARY
In the Spirit of St. Vincent Pallotti
Rev. Vensus George, S.A.C
U.S. Edition, 2014
edited by
Bro. James W. Beamesderfer, S.A.C. Mrs. Georgette Gray
DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception Province, its Provincial Administration, all its members and its recently begun Mission in Peru under the protection and guidance of Mary, the Immaculate Conception
PREFACE
Though Jesus Christ was central to the spirituality of St. Vincent Pallotti, Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, occupied a unique place in his spiritual life. The essential element of St. Vincent’s spiritual journey was “through Mary to Jesus” (OOCC, XIII, pp. 716-717). Since he considered Mary as “a way to Jesus” and “a secure path to a life of imitation of Jesus”, he developed a filial love and devotion to Mary. He believed that “a true devotee of Mary will not only be saved, but through her intercession he will become a great saint and will grow in holiness” (OOCC, V, p. 447). Hence, St. Vincent wanted all Christians - clergy, religious, and laypersons - to grow in holiness according to their state of life within the Church by their devotion to Mary and taking recourse to her intercession. With this aim he wrote three “Month of May Devotions” for clergy, religious and laypersons.
We would like to continue St. Vincent Pallotti’s aim of spreading devotion to Mary through this book entitled Meditations on the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: In the Spirit of St. Vincent Pallotti. St. Vincent considered the Rosary a powerful prayer and left inspiring thoughts on the Mysteries of the Rosary in his writings. These meditations aim at capturing St. Vincent’s devotion to Mary by meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary as he himself had done. We use the following structure for the reflection on each Mystery. We begin by stating the context of each Mystery by giving appropriate passages from the Bible or from the Papal Encyclicals. Then we begin the meditation on each Mystery, which develops a specific aspect of the life of Jesus, Mary, Holy Family, or God the Father, in the Spirit of St. Vincent Pallotti. Then we present a set of self-examination questions to personalize the theme, after which the decade of the Rosary may be said. The meditation ends with a prayer asking God for the grace to imitate the spirit of the person on whom we have meditated as St. Vincent had done.
The author would like to thank Bro. James W. Beamesderfer, S.A.C. for inspiring me to work on these meditations, and acknowledge Bro. James and Mrs. Georgette Gray for editing this book and other books of mine on St. Vincent Pallotti, published in the U. S. With gratitude the author also remembers Very Rev. Fr. Peter Sticco, S.A.C., the Provincial of the Immaculate Conception Province, the members of the Provincial Council, and the confreres of the Province for their encouragement. May Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, and St. Vincent Pallotti bless them and all who would use this book for spiritual enrichment!
Vensus George, S.A.C.
THE ROSARY PRAYERS
(Please sit or kneel)
Sign of the Cross
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
All: Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
All: I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord,
(Bow for the following two lines)
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Leader: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
All: Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary
Leader: Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
All: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now,
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory Be
Leader: Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
All: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Decade Prayer
All: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into heaven,
especially those most in need of thy mercy.
All: Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
Leader: Let us pray.
All: O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech thee, that meditating on the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Leader: May the Divine Assistance remain always with us.
All: Amen. And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen
“True devotion to Mary, consists in imitating her Son and learning from her how to imitate Him”
—Saint Vincent