On A Moveable Milestone and a Moving Feast Day- Oct 2, 2022

As I hope you have heard, we have postponed and rescheduled the “Slab Signing” event for our new construction. It was originally planned for October 2nd. But due to some delays and some safety concerns, it has been rescheduled to Sunday, November 13. The good news is that it will be after all Masses on Sunday, November 13. Unfortunately, due to the home UT football game, there will NOT be a slab signing event after the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 12. So plan to join us after one of the Masses on Sunday, November 13. You must wear closed-toed shoes. No flipflops or open-toed shoes on the construction site. We will be limited to groups of ten people at a time, so it may take a while. We also will have alternative opportunities for people to express their wishes and prayers OUTSIDE the construction site, for those in a hurry or with mobility issues. We will be as accommodating as we can. Please join us!

On another topic completely, this coming Friday, October 7 is the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. It is a beautiful feast, for the Rosary has been a favorite form of prayer for many Catholic for many centuries. The Rosary has been prayed by families in their homes, by groups at wakes and funerals and other occasions, and by individuals for centuries and centuries. However, the occasion of this Feast is rather dubious. This feast was a response to an enormous naval battle with thousands of ships and many thousands of men that occurred near the town of Lepanto, in Greece, on October 7 in 1571. A combined naval fleet of Catholic states in Europe met the mighty fleet of the Ottoman Empire, which of course was Moslem. It was a struggle for the control of the faith of Europe. If the Ottomans had won we would very likely all be Moslems, for there would be little to
prevent the Ottomans from conquering Europe, especially as Europe was rent by religious divisions between Catholics and Protestants.

The Turks had the advantage of more men and many more ships than the Catholics. The Catholics however had more canons and bigger ones, and firepower was the key element of the battle. The result was an overwhelming victory for the Christians, halting the Moslem expansion into Europe. The Pope at the time, Pius V, had played a large part in bankrolling the Catholic fleet. He also called on all people throughout Europe to pray for victory, especially by praying the Rosary. Therefore, Pope Pius V attributed the lopsided Christian victory to the intervention of the Blessed Mother. In gratitude, Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on the anniversary of the great Christian victory at Lepanto.

As we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, we do not call upon Mary to intercede as a warrior queen to crush our enemies, but rather to intercede on our behalf for better relations and understanding between all the children of Abraham, our Father in faith, including Jews, Christians, and Moslems. If the power of the Rosary can help win battles it can also help foster understanding, cooperation, and respect among the children of Abraham.

Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary!