The Word Rosary Means Crown of Roses (IV)

On October 7, 1571 the naval battle of Lepanto took place, in which the Christians defeated the Turks. The Christians knew that if they lost this battle, their religion would be in danger and therefore sought the help of God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Saint Pius V asked the Christians to pray the rosary for the fleet. The Pope was in Rome taking care of some other concerns, when he suddenly stood up and announced that the Christian fleet had been victorious. He gave orders to ring the bells and have a procession. A few days later, messengers arrived with the official news from the victorious Christian army. Later, Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of the Victories on October 7. One year later, Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast to "Our Lady of the Rosary" and moved this feast to the first Sunday of October (the day of the actual victory). Today the feast of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7, but some Dominicans continue celebrating it the first Sunday of the month.