The Blessed Virgin's Call to Say the Rosary
In her sixth and last apparition at Fatima,
October 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin insisted on the recitation of the
rosary as a powerful means for the conversion of Russia and for peace
in the world. She stated; "I am the Lady of the Rosary, and I have
come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and ask pardon for their
sins. They must not continue to offend our Lord who is already deeply
offended. They must say the rosary."
("Treasury of Novenas", p. 180; Catholic Book Pub. Co.)
Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus' mother into our homes, for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.
