The Secret of the Rosary - Thirty-first Rose

FOURTH DECADE


The surpassing merit of the holy Rosary as seen in the
wonders God has worked through it.

Thirty-first Rose - Blanche of Castille – Alphonsus VIII


BLANCHE OF CASTILLE, Queen of France, was deeply
grieved because twelve years after her marriage she was still
childless. When Saint Dominic went to see her he advised
her to say her Rosary every day to ask God for the grace of
motherhood, and she faithfully carried out his advice. In
1213 she gave birth to her eldest child, Philip, but the child
died in infancy.
The Queen's fervor was nowise dulled by this
disappointment; on the contrary, she sought Our Lady's help
more than ever before. She had a large number of Rosaries
given out to all members of the court and also to people in
several cities of the Kingdom, asking them to join her in
entreating God for a blessing that this time would be
complete. Thus, in 1215, Saint Louis was born----the prince
who was to become the glory of France and the model of all
Christian kings.
Alphonsus VIII, King of Aragon and Castille, had been
leading a disorderly life and therefore had been punished by
God in several ways, one of these being that he was worsted
in battle and had to take refuge in a city belonging to one of
his allies.
Saint Dominic happened to be in this city on Christmas Day
and preached on the Holy Rosary as he always did, pointing
out how great are the graces that we can obtain through it.
He mentioned, among other things, that those who said the
Rosary devoutly would overcome their enemies and would
regain all that they had lost in warfare.
The King listened attentively and sent for Saint Dominic to
ask if what he had said about the Rosary was really true.
Saint Dominic assured him that nothing was more true, and
that if only he would practise this devotion and join the
Confraternity, he would see for himself. The King firmly
resolved to say his Rosary every day and persevered for a
year in doing so. The very next Christmas Our Lady
appeared to him at the end of his Rosary and said:
"Alphonsus, you have served me for a year by saying my
Rosary devoutly every day, so I have come to reward you: I
have obtained the forgiveness of your sins from my Son.
And I am going to give you this rosary; wear it, and I
promise you that none of your enemies will ever be able to
harm you again."
Our Lady vanished leaving the King overjoyed and greatly
encouraged; he immediately went in search of the Queen to
tell her all about Our Lady's gift and the promise that went
with it. He held the rosary to her eyes (she had been blind
for some time) and her sight was instantly restored.
Shortly afterwards the King rallied some troops with the
help of his allies and boldly attacked his enemies. He forced
them to give back the territory that they had taken from him
and to make amends for their other offences against him,
and put them completely to rout. In fact, he became so lucky
in war that soldiers rushed from all sides to fight under his
standard because it seemed that whenever he went to battle
the victory was sure to be his.
This is not surprising because he never went to battle
without first saying his Rosary devoutly on his knees. He
made certain that all the members of his court joined the
Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary and he also saw that
his officers and servants were devoted to it.
The Queen joined the Confraternity and started saying the
Rosary too, and she and her husband persevered in Our
Lady's service and lived really holy lives.

The Canada54 National Novena includes a daily reading from the Secret of the Rosary.

There are exactly 54 readings. 
  • A white rose for priests;
  • A red rose for sinners;
  • A mystical rose tree for devout souls;
  • A rosebud for little children;
  • Plus 50 roses representing each Hail Mary recited during 5 decades of the Rosary

JesusMarie.com  - Le Secret du Rosaire - ICI

To purchase a hard copy of this defining work by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, please visit

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Read the not-for-profit public domain PDF version HERE

Do you pray the Rosary? For the most powerful way to pray, click HERE

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Visiting Our Lady of the Cape on Pilgrimage? What you need to know HERE

A priest discovers a pig chewing on a Rosary. What he does next transforms his dying parish into a National Shrine!

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