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Fourth Rose
 
This scourge of God was quickly followed by two others: the heresy of the Flagellantes and a tragic
schism in 1376.
Later on when these trials were over, thanks to the mercy
of God, Our Lady told Blessed Alan to revive the ancient
Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. Blessed Alan was one-of the Dominican Fathers from the
monastery at Dinan, in Brittany. He was an eminent theologian and was famous
for his sermons. Our Lady chose him because, since the Confraternity had originally been started
in this province, it was most fitting that a Dominican from the very same province should have the
honor of re-establishing it.
Blessed Alan began this great work in 1460 after a special
warning from Our Lord. This is how he received His urgent message, as he tells it himself:
 
One day when he was saying Mass, Our Lord, Who wished to spur him on to preach the Holy Rosary,
spoke to him in the Sacred Host: "How can you crucify Me again so soon?" Jesus said. "What did
You say, Lord?" asked Blessed Alan, horrified. "You crucified  Me once before by your sins,"
answered Jesus, "and- I would willingly be crucified again rather than have My Father offended by
the sins you used to commit. You are crucifying Me again now because you have all the learning and
understanding that you need to preach My Mother's Rosary, and you are not doing so. If you
only did this you could teach many souls the right path and lead them away from sin-but you are not
doing it and so you yourself are guilty of the sins that they commit."
This terrible reproach made Blessed Alan solemnly resolve
to preach the Rosary unceasingly.
Our Lady too spoke to him one day to inspire him to preach the Holy Rosary more and more:
"You were a great sinner in your youth," she said, "but I obtained the grace of your conversion
from my Son. Had such a thing been possible I would have liked to have gone through all kinds of
suffering to save you because converted sinners are a glory to me. And I would have done this also
to make you worthy of preaching my Rosary far and wide." Saint Dominic appeared to Blessed Alan as
well and told him of the great results of his ministry: he had preached the Holy Rosary
unceasingly, his sermons had borne great fruit and many people had been converted during his
missions.
He said to Blessed Alan:
"See the wonderful results I have had through preaching
the Holy Rosary! You and all those who love Our Lady ought

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