About the Celebration
Our Lady of the Rosary is observed on October 7 as a memorial. In the United States liturgical calendars for 2026, 2027, and 2028, it is listed in Ordinary Time with white as the liturgical color. The celebration is closely connected with the Rosary, which the Church describes as a Scripture-based prayer, Marian in character and Christocentric at heart.
Why Catholics Celebrate This Day
Catholics celebrate this memorial to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of the Rosary and to give special attention to the Rosary as a way of contemplating the mysteries of Christ with Mary. Rosarium Virginis Mariae describes the Rosary as Marian in character and Christocentric at heart, and the USCCB describes it as a Scripture-based prayer whose mysteries center on events in the life of Christ.
History / Biography
The feast has roots in thanksgiving after the Battle of Lepanto. Franciscan Media states that Saint Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory after Lepanto, and that Pope Gregory XIII changed its name to the Feast of the Holy Rosary in 1573. The same source states that Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716, and that Saint Pius X set its date as October 7 in 1913. In 2002, Saint John Paul II issued Rosarium Virginis Mariae, dated October 16, 2002, in which he said that the Rosary gradually took form in the second millennium and proclaimed October 2002 to October 2003 the Year of the Rosary.
Symbols & Iconography
- Rosary
Notable Facts
- The USCCB daily readings page identifies October 7 as the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary and lists Lectionary number 653.
- The suggested readings for the memorial include Acts 1:12-14, Luke 1:46-55 as the responsorial psalm, See Luke 1:28 as the Alleluia, and Luke 1:26-38 as the Gospel.
- The readings may also be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, numbers 707-712.
- Saint John Paul II called the Rosary a “compendium of the Gospel” in an address at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompei on October 7, 2003.
- The USCCB lists four sets of Rosary mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous; it states that Saint John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries in 2002.
- Franciscan Media notes that the tradition of Mary giving the rosary to Saint Dominic is recognized as a legend.
Devotional Traditions
- Praying the Rosary privately or with a group.
- Meditating on the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
- Contemplating the salvific mysteries of Christ in union with Mary through the Rosary.
Our Lady of the Rosary Prayer
Our Lady of the Rosary, teach us to contemplate the life of Jesus with you. Help us to pray with faith, patience, and love, and to keep the mysteries of Christ close to our hearts. Through the Holy Rosary, draw us nearer to your Son, strengthen our families, protect us from sin, comfort us in times of trial, and lead us always toward peace and holiness. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Amen.