Please
join the Knights of Columbus of Blessed John XXIII Council 4976 and their
guests from the Knights of Malta and the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; and the Toronto
Traditional Mass Society-UNA VOCE TORONTO, as we gather to honour Our Lady and
her victory at the Battle of Lepanto. The Mass will be held on the Feast of the Holy Rosary, Monday, October 7, 2013 at St. Cecelia's Catholic Church at 161 Annette Street, just east of Keele Street in Toronto. A
public recitation of the Holy Rosary will begin at 6:30 P.M and the Sacrament
of Reconciliation (Confession) will be available with the Solemn Mass according
to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite following at 7:00 P.M. We are
pleased to announce that the homilist is Father Raymond J. de Souza.
A
collection will be taken to support the ongoing restoration at St. Cecelia's
and this will be specifically granted to the church hall. Cheques may be made
out to St. Cecelia's Catholic Church Building Fund.
Battle
of Lepanto
On
October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by
Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command
of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared"
ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with
between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of
Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Knowing
that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy
pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for
victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic
invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At
the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the
Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and
exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!"
and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.
What
you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces
at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of
Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano
in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe
in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the
Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria
in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In
the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that
is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary
Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was
once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it
was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.
The
Rosary
At
Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the
Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were
overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said:
"The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!
The
Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of
Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of
the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement
XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).
And
with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name,
said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to
pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave
us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of
sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion
of Islam. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Taken
from:
Soul
Magazine
© 2001
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.
September
- October 2001, page 6
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subscription information:
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