The Excellence of the Rosary | Page 4

Brigid urgently commended the devotion of the
rosary, and she chose as its prayers the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and
the Creed, and united them into a wreath of prayers. In order to count
their recital she strung little beads of stone or wood and made a wreath
of them.
This custom subsequently spread through all Christian lands, and
through the centuries, to our own days. That this devotion was always
in great favor and esteem among pious Christians may be concluded
from the fact that in the grave of St. Norbert, who died in 1134, a
rosary similar to ours was found.
We have proof, then, that the devotion of the rosary, such as we have it,
was practised already in the early days of Christianity. And it was
practised not only by monks and nuns, but found adherents among all
the faithful.

The particular manner in which we now pray the rosary was brought
into vogue by St. Dominic. This is attested by the tradition of six
centuries. Twelve Popes bear witness to this fact. We will now speak of
the introduction by St. Dominic, and will also refer to the great efficacy
of this devotion since its inception. May our reflections contribute to
the greater honor of God, and of the glorious Queen of the rosary.
I. The devotion of the rosary in its present form dates its origin from
the thirteenth century, and St. Dominic was selected by God as the
instrument of its introduction. Spain was the home of this great saint. In
one of the valleys of Castile there is situated an humble little village
named Calarunga, where his parents possessed a small estate. He was
born there in the year 1170. While being baptized his sponsor saw, as if
in a vision, a brilliant star over the forehead of the future saint,
shedding its brilliant light through the church. As Dominic advanced in
years he increased in wisdom, virtue and piety. In due time he devoted
himself to theology, believing that in this pursuit alone he could find
the wisdom of God. Not in the pleasures of this world, but in the
knowledge of God, he sought his pastime. His favorite place was the
church and the solitude of the sanctuary. Two incidents from his
schooldays throw a light upon his character. At the time of a famine
Dominic gave all that he possessed to the poor, even all but the
necessary clothes, and when he had nothing more to give, he sold even
his beloved books and gave the proceeds to the poor. When berated by
people for his excessive generosity, he said: "How could I dare indulge
in these lifeless books, when human lives are in danger of starvation?"
At another time St. Dominic met a woman who was weeping bitterly
because she had no money with which she could release her brother,
who had been imprisoned by the Saracens. Dominic offered to sell
himself into bondage to release this brother; but since God had destined
him to release sinful mankind from the bondage of sin, of error and
unbelief, He did not permit Dominic to do as he offered.
At the age of twenty-five he was appointed upon the chapter of the
cathedral at Osma. Here he was conspicuous among his brethren on
account of his humility, holiness, and zeal for prayer. He spent nine
years in Osma, during which time divine Providence prepared him for

his important and great vocation. This vocation became plain to him
when, in the year 1204, he went to France and saw the terrible
devastation which the prevailing heresies had wrought against the
Church of Christ. The sight of this disaster nearly broke his heart. The
poison of heresy had spread among the faithful with great rapidity, and
principally in southern France. From the city of Albi the heretics had
assumed the name Albigenses. These Albigenses discarded the
doctrines of Christianity and constructed new doctrines that played
havoc with morality and social order. They were violent enemies of
Church and State, and preached disobedience and rebellion against
spiritual and temporal authority. An enemy of the Church is invariably
also an enemy of the State; history and experience prove this.
In southern France the Albigenses secured the support of Prince
Raimond, of Toulouse, a wealthy and mighty, but, at the same time, a
most godless and immoral prince of that time. He had several wives;
associated with heretics, and even gave his children to be educated by
them. This prince undertook the leadership of the heretical Albigenses,
and with them, and other rabble by which France at that time was
overrun, scoured the country, robbing and plundering wherever they
went. This lawless band, under the direction of this godless prince,
robbed churches of their treasures, murdered