St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker:

Welcome to a new month!  Less than 2 months until Advent begins, another liturgical new year.  Things sure do seem to be coming quicker these days.

October in the Catholic Church is dedicated to the Rosary, that great prayer that most of us know and pray regularly, hopefully.  During this month, we are encouraged to pray this special and traditional sacramental, asking the Blessed Virgin to intercede for us and the needs of the Church. 

To further make this point, this coming Tuesday, October 7, is the Obligatory Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary.  Masses all over the world will be celebrating this special day, begun by Pope Pius V, in thanksgiving for the naval victory at Lepanto.  Those brave souls in battle prayed to the Blessed Virgin to help them be victorious—and they were! 

What do we have planned during these October days regarding the Rosary?  How will we observe this month of the Rosary in our homes?  Will we pray it as a family each evening?  As parents help their children with homework many times/days, how will they help those children with their spiritual and faith development and learning by praying the Rosary together?

You can’t go wrong this month, or any month, in setting aside 20 minutes per day to pray the Rosary.  Yes, it is repetitive.  Yes, the same prayers are prayed over and over.  But, that enables us to easily remember how to pray it, while at the same time drawing us closer to the Lord and the Virgin Mary as we ponder the Mysteries and their impact on our faith history.  The Mysteries of the Rosary are:

GLORIOUS MYSTERIES---the Resurrection; the Ascension; the Descent of the Holy Spirit; the Assumption of Mary; the Coronation of Mary.

JOYFUL MYSTERIES---the Annunciation; the Visitation; the Nativity; the Presentation; the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

SORROWFUL MYSTERIES---the Agony in the Garden; the Scourging at the Pillar; the Crowning of Thorns; the Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.

LUMINOUS MYSTERIES---the Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan; the Wedding Feast at Cana; the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God; the Transfiguration; the Institution of the Eucharist.

May we be prayerful during this month of October by praying the beautiful prayer, the Rosary. 

May we encourage our spouse, children, coworkers, classmates, family, and friends to “contact” our Lord and the Blessed Virgin through the prayerful beads of a Rosary.

Your Rosary-Praying Pastor, Father Joe