Virgo Potens

HYMN Dear Guardian of Mary ! dear nurse of her Child ! Life's ways are full weary, the desert is wild; Bleak sands are all round us, no home can we see; Sweet Spouse of our Lady ! we lean upon thee. For thou to the pilgrim art father and guide, And Jesus and Mary felt safe by the side; Ah ! blessed St. Joseph, how safe should I be, Sweet Spouse of our Lady ! if thou wert with me. O blessed St. Joseph ! how great was thy worth, The one chosen shadow of God upon earth, The father of Jesus — ah ! then, wilt thou be, Sweet Spouse of our Lady ! a father to me ? ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 7th 7th DAY Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee, Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. Matt. 1:20 PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH By order of the Supreme Pontifif the "Prayer to St. Joseph" is to be recited daily during the October Devotions in honor of Our Lady. St. Joseph was Mary's unfailing protector in life, and it would be an unpardonable slight to him were we to appeal to Mary and exclude St. Joseph. Were such exclusion deliberate we should certainly fail to obtain Mary's aid; for a slight to him is an ofifense to his immaculate spouse. They shared each other's joys and sufferings in life, and they are today sharing each other's triumphs and glories in heaven. They are one in mind and heart and victory, and they are not to be separated in our petitions and prayers. ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 7th DAY Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee, Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. Matt. 1:20

HYMN A glorious voice sounds through the night, And chides the darkness into light; The mists of sleep are driven afar, And Christ shines forth, the morning star. Now from its torpor leaps the mind. And leaves all taint of earth behind The new-born Planet flames on high. And bids all care and sorrow fly. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 6th 6th DAY For of Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things; to Him be glory for ever. Amen. ~ St. Paul, Rom. 11:36 GLORY BE TO THE FATHER This is the prayer known as the doxology. It is a short verse praising God, used since about the seventh century all over Western Christendom in the form in which we know it today. It is commonly called the lesser doxology. The greater doxology is the ''Gloria in excelsis Deo" in the Mass. In the Rosary the ''Glory be to the Father'' is as it were a bond linking together the prayers of the rosary, or a transition from the oft repeated "Hail Mary" to the less often said "Our Father." It is essentially a prayer of praise, and as such is most appropriately incorporated in the little chaplet of Our Lady's rosary. ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 6th DAY For of Him, and by Him, and in Him are all things; to Him be glory for ever. Amen. ~ St. Paul, Rom. 11:36

HYMN Mother, Mary, at thine altar We thy loving children kneel; With a faith that cannot falter To thy goodness we appeal. We are seeking for a mother O'er the earth so waste and wide, And from off the cross our Brother Points to Mary by His side. Thou wilt love us, thou wilt guide us, With a mother's fondest care; And Our Father, God above us, Bids us fly for refuge there. Life's temptations are before us, We must mingle in the strife. If thy fondness watch not o'er us All unsafe will be our life. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 5th 5th DAY You therefore shall pray in this manner: Our Father Who art in heaven. Matt. 6:9 THE OUR FATHER The Our Father—often called ''The Lord's Prayer"—has come to us from the divine lips of Jesus Himself. He taught it publicly to the multitude who listened to His Sermon on the Mount, and privately to His Apostles when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. In the brief compass of fifty-six words are incorporated the threefold purpose of all prayer, namely, praise, thanksgiving and petition. In the recitation of the Holy Rosary we repeat the Our Father at the beginning of every decade. How marvelously fitting it is that the prayer of her Divine Son should begin each decade of our Blessed Lady's chaplet. Let us strive to say the Our Father with the love and delight with which Our Lady said it! ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 5th DAY You therefore shall pray in this manner: Our Father Who art in heaven. Matt. 6:9

HYMN Daughter of God the Father Virgin pure and mild; I venerate and love thee Accept me for thy child; My soul and all its powers I consecrate to thee; Chorus Be pleased most holy Mother, From sin to keep me free, Be pleased, most Holy Mother, To pray our Lord for me. Mother of our Redeemer, Virgin, pure and mild, I venerate and love thee Accept me for thy child ; My body and its senses I consecrate to thee: Chorus Be pleased most holy Mother, From sin to keep me free, Be pleased, most Holy Mother, To pray our Lord for me. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 4th 4th DAY The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall over-shadow thee. Luke 1:35 THE CREED Long-standing custom has firmly established the practice of beginning the rosary with the Apostles Creed. And this is most fitting, for in that creed we assert our belief in the fundamental truths of our religion, and as it were, announce anew our steadfast and unhesitating adherence to the dogmas and doctrines declared by the infallible authority of the Apostles to be essential to salvation. This creed according to a pious belief was the first catechism of the church, a document drawn up and subscribed to by all the Apostles before their dispersion from Jerusalem, whence they went to teach all nations. Our Blessed Lady herself was present at the council which produced and promulgated this CREED, and aided by her advice and prayers in its construction. Let us repeat it with respect, with reverence and with great devotion as we begin the rosary. ~ The Rev. .Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 4th DAY The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall over-shadow thee. Luke 1:35

2 of 2 ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀ THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS MARY’S GREAT PROMISE AT FATIMA (continued from above) This devotion and the wonderful promises connected with it were revealed by the Blessed Virgin with these words recorded by Lucy, one of the three children to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917: I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1. Confess and receive Holy Communion. 2. Recite five decades of the Rosary. 3. And keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me. NOTE: Confession during the week, preceding the first Friday, will suffice for the first Saturday, or conversely when Saturday is the first day of the month. The Rosary May be recited at any convenient time of the day, and the fifteen minute meditation may be made at any time during the day on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. A sermon for the occasion may be substituted for the meditation. ~ St. Joseph Daily Missal (1950) ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀

October 4, 2025 FIRST SATURDAY of OCTOBER 💙 1 of 2 ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ •°❀°•❀ THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS MARY’S GREAT PROMISE AT FATIMA THE observance of the First Saturday in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is intended to console her Immaculate Heart, and to make reparation for all the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. (continued)

HYMN Mary, my Mother, most lovely, most mild, Look down upon me a poor weak lowly child; From the land of my exile I call upon thee, Then Mary, my Mother, look kindly on me; Then Mary, my Mother, look kindly on me. If thou dost forsake me, ah! where shall I go,— My comfort and hope in this valley of woe? When the world and its dangers with terrors I see, Sweet hopes come to cheer me in thinking of thee; Sweet hopes come to cheer me in thinking of thee. In sorrow, in darkness, be still at my side; My light and my refuge, my helper and guide. Though snares should surround me, yet why should I fear? I know I am weak, but my Mother is near! I know I am weak, but my Mother is near. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

2 of 2 The Month of the Holy Rosary October 3rd 3rd DAY And His mercy is from generation to generation, to them that fear Him. Luke 1:50 THE BEADS That we may not grow weary with the undue length of the rosary, our Holy Mother the Church has seen to it that only a third of the rosary—five decades—shall be recited at any one time; this division is known as the beads. Mary's youthful Joys, are expressed in the first five decades; the Sorrows of her maturity, in the second five; and the Glorious rewards of her youthful joys borne with serenity, and the sorrows of her maturity sustained with resignation, are recorded in the final five. Thus we learn that Mary's life, like that of all faithful followers of her Divine Son, was the normal life that begins in gladness, progresses in suffering, and closes in the eternal happiness of heaven. If we imitate her humility in our prosperity; her submission in adversity; we may rest assured that like hers our crown in heaven will be precious. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)

1 of 2 3rd DAY And His mercy is from generation to generation, to them that fear Him. Luke 1:50

2 of 2 FIRST FRIDAY of October ❤️ ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧ ACT of CONSECRATION of B. Margaret Mary ❤️ I, N.N., give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, penances, and sufferings, not wishing to make use of any part of my being for the future except in honouring, loving, and glorifying that Sacred Heart. It is my irrevocable will to be entirely His, and to do everything for His love, renouncing with my whole heart whatever might displease Him. I take Thee then, O most Sacred Heart, as the sole object, of my love, as the protector of my life, as the pledge of my salvation, as the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, as the repairer of all the defects of my life, and as my secure refuge in the hour of death. Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and remove far from me the thunderbolts of His just wrath. O Heart ot love, I place my whole confidence in Thee. While I fear all things from my malice and frailty, I hope all things from thy goodness. Consume then in me whatever can displease or be opposed to Thee, and may Thy pure love be so deeply impressed upon my heart that it may be impossible that I should ever be separated from Thee, or forget Thee. I implore Thee, by all Thy goodness, that my name may be written in Thee, for in Thee I wish to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in very bondage to Thee. Amen. i. 300 Days, once a day. ii. Plenary, once a month. Leo XIII, January 13, 1898 Pius X, May 30, 1908. ~ The Raccolta, 1910) ✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

October 3rd, 2025 FIRST FRIDAY of October ❤️ O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee! If possible, receive Holy Communion today and make reparation to Our Lord and Saviour for past and present offenses against His Most Sacred Heart. (continued)

HYMN Hail Mary, Mother mild, O sweet, sweet Mother, Hear, O hear, thy feeble child, O sweet, sweet Mother. Chorus O exult, ye Cherubim And rejoice, ye Seraphim, Praise her! praise her! O praise our spotless Mother. Tossed on life's tempestuous sea, O sweet, sweet Mother, Cast thy tender eyes on me, O sweet, sweet Mother. Chorus O exult, ye Cherubim, And rejoice, ye Seraphim, Praise her! praise her! O praise our spotless Mother. ~ The Rev. Mark J. Smith, S.J., The Rosary Devotions: A Thought for Every Day in October (circa 1924)