Feast of the Most Holy Rosary
Knights of Columbus Board Meeting
October 7, 2022
Introduction
I would venture to say that I am the most qualified bishop in the United States to celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary – “And why might that be?” you ask. The answer is simple. As the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, I have blessed more Rosaries than any other bishop possibly in the whole world – sometimes truckloads, sometimes pallets in large warehouses. On one occasion, Mr. Feiler arranged for a truckload of Rosaries to show up outside my chancery office in downtown Baltimore. There can be a lot of strange sights in downtown Baltimore and surely one of them was me on a hydraulic lift wearing a stole and holding a bucket of holy water.
I am, of course happy to bless as many Rosaries as possible, for the Rosary is a truly beautiful prayer. Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis have called it their favorite prayer and together with Pope St. Paul VI have warmly encouraged us to pray it. When my dog Bayley takes me on a 4-mile walk through the streets of Baltimore, I often pray all the mysteries of the Rosary, combining spiritual and physical exercise. With good reason, in the exemplification of charity the Knights of Columbus places a Rosary in the hands of each new knight. For when we pray the Rosary, Mary leads us with tender, maternal love to enter more and more deeply into the mysteries of her Son, those saving events wherein we encounter the overflowing love and mercy of the Triune God. As we go from decade to decade, we join with Mary in contemplating the face of her Son. As we lovingly recall the mysteries of his life, death, and resurrection, she gently guides us into the depths of her Son’s love for us. Indeed, she guides us towards the One who loves us like no other, the One who is the foundation and source of that charity which our Blessed Founder, Michael McGivney placed at the heart of our Order.
In the Upper Room with Mary
During her life on earth, Mary never prayed the Rosary. But more than anyone, even the greatest saints, she gazed upon the face of her Son. Her gaze was joyful as she held her Infant Son in her arms. Her gaze was questioning, as with Joseph she anxiously searched for Jesus. Her gaze was penetrating as she asked her Son to perform the first of his signs out love and concern for a couple in need. With deepest sorrow she gazed upon her crucified Son, sharing more than anyone else in the depths of his saving love. So too, her sinless eyes beheld the glory of her Risen Son so much so that she shares his destiny in heaven.
No, Mary did not pray the Rosary, she lived the Rosary. But as we pray the Rosary, we share her lived experience and in the process are more and more conformed to the holiness of her Son. Mary, who is full of grace, ardently desires that this would happen in our lives. And isn’t this what we seek so ardently for ourselves, for our brother knights, and for the families with whom we are united by bonds of fraternal love. As baptized members of the People of God, we are seeking to be disciples, followers of Christ and the first step on that path is prayer – not the mere recitation of words – but a prayer that leads us to encounter the One we claim as Savior and Lord. And as St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort has taught us, all perfection, all holiness consists in being conformed to Christ. If Christ is the Way, Mary shows us the Way.
In the first reading we read how Mary joined the Apostles at prayer. It is not hard for us to imagine that Mary shared with the Apostles what was in her heart as they prayed in the power of the Holy Spirit and celebrated the Eucharist just as Jesus had commanded them to do. Praying the Rosary is a lot like being in that room with Mary and the Apostles. For if we pray the Rosary thoughtfully, Mary will confide to us what is in her heart and by praying with us and for us will see to it that our hearts become like her Son’s. Just as the Apostles gathered with Mary, so too we as Knights should gather to pray the Rosary in common and we should lead our families to pray the Rosary together, whenever possible, for as Servant of God Patrick Payton taught, “the family that prays together, stays together.”
Praying for Others
After saying “yes” to Jesus in the Annunciation, Mary went in haste to help her cousin Elizabeth. A heart that seeks the will of God in all things is a heart that loves the other, indeed a heart that seeks the good of others before that of oneself. As in the Rosary, we contemplate the face of Christ through the eyes of Mary, she invites us to pour forth our prayers for ourselves and for others. Often, while praying the Rosary, I find myself confiding to Mary’s prayers whatever is weighing heavy on my heart. It might be a problem that seems to have no solution or it might be a difficult decision that I am facing. At other times, I find myself asking Mary’s help in giving thanks for some special blessing God has bestowed on me or upon the Church.
Many times, with Rosary in hand, I will think of an encounter in which I was asked to pray for someone who is ill or in trouble. I will pray for a priest or seminarian who is struggling. All of us have had similar experiences. When we pick up a Rosary, we instinctively pray for family members and loved ones. We pray for brother knights and their families. We find ourselves praying for peace at home and abroad. We may find ourselves praying to forgive someone who has harmed us or to find the way to love an enemy just as Jesus loved us ‘while we were yet sinners.’ Opening our hearts to Christ, Mary teaches us, opens them to our neighbor.
Installation of Officers
As this Mass concludes, the Supreme Knight will install new members of the Board. The installation ceremony, though brief, outlines the high responsibilities for the good of the Order entrusted to each of you. As you assume this office, I entrust you, together with your wives and families, to the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and urge you, if you are not already doing so, to make the daily Rosary a staple in your spiritual life and to pray the Rosary as a family whenever possible. I invite you to pray the Rosary in fraternal charity for your brother knights and their families.
Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may your service to the Order be marked by deep wisdom and charity and bear great fruit in the lives of brother knights and their families and in the Church throughout the world. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!