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The Secret of the Rosary

and bas been in use all through the centuries; from the time
of the apostles and disciples down to the present.
But it was only in the year 1214, however, that Holy Mother
Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was
given to the Church by Saint Dominic who bad received it from the Blessed Virgin as a powerful
means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners.
I will tell you the story of how he received it, which is found in the very well-known book "De
Dignitate Psalterii" by Blessed Alan de la Roche.1 Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of
people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near
Toulouse where he prayed unceasingly for three days and three nights. During this time he did
nothing hut weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of Almighty God. He used his
discipline so much that his body was lacerated, -and finally be fell into a coma.
At this point Our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by
three angels, and she said:
"Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed
Trinity wants to use to reform the world?"
"Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "'you know far
better than I do because next to your Son Jesus Christ you
have always been the chief instrument of our salvation." Then Our Lady replied:
"I want you to know that, in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Angelic
Psalter which
is the foundation stone of the New Testament. Therefore if you want to reach these hardened souls
and win them over to God, preach my Psalter."
So he arose, comforted, and burning with zeal for the conversion of the people in that district
he made straight for the Cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people
together and Saint Dominic began to preach.
At the very beginning of his sermon an appalling storm
broke out, the earth shook, the sun was darkened, and there
was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when
looking at a picture of Our Lady exposed in a prominent place they saw her raise her arms to heaven
three times to call down God's vengeance

1De Dignitate Psalterii. The importance and Beauty of the Holy Rosary, by Blessed Alan de la Roche,
O.P., French Dominican Father and Apostle of the Holy Rosary.

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