St. Louis de Montfort: The Secret of the Rosary — Second Rose

The Rosary is made up, in its essence, of the two great prayers given by Christ and the angelic greeting: the Our Father and the Hail Mary. Because of this, it has long been considered one of the earliest and most important devotions of the Church. It has been prayed throughout the centuries, from the time of the Apostles and the first disciples up to the present day.

According to tradition, the Rosary in its present form was given to the Church in the year 1214. It was entrusted by the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic as a powerful means for converting sinners, especially the Albigensians.

The story is found in the writings of Blessed Alan de la Roche. When St. Dominic saw how serious sin and false teachings were preventing people from coming back to God, he withdrew into a forest near Toulouse. There he spent three days and nights in constant prayer and penance, weeping and offering himself to God in reparation for the sins of the people. His penances were so severe that he became physically exhausted and eventually collapsed.

At that moment, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him, accompanied by three angels. She said to him:

“Dear Dominic, do you know what weapon the Blessed Trinity wishes to use to renew the world?”

Dominic replied humbly:

“My Lady, you know far better than I do, for next to your Son Jesus Christ, you have always been the greatest help in our salvation.”

Our Lady then said:

“I want you to know that, in this kind of battle, the main weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter. It is a foundation of the New Testament. If you want to bring souls back to God and reach hardened hearts, you must preach my Psalter.”

Strengthened by this message, St. Dominic went immediately to the cathedral and began to preach. According to the tradition, even the bells were miraculously rung by angels to gather the people.

As he began preaching, a powerful storm broke out. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, the earth shook, and darkness covered the sky. The people were filled with fear. Looking at an image of the Blessed Virgin, they saw her raise her hands toward heaven three times, calling them to conversion, repentance, and devotion to God.

These signs were meant to awaken hearts and lead people back to God through the Rosary.

When the storm ended, St. Dominic continued preaching with great power. He explained the value and importance of the Rosary so clearly that many people were deeply moved. A large number of them turned away from their former beliefs, returned to the faith, and began living Christian lives. In a short time, the whole region experienced a deep renewal as people abandoned sin and embraced the Gospel.