Pope St. Pius V, the Rosary & Vision...

Pope St. Pius V, the Rosary & Vision...

St. Pope Pius V was a Dominican.  When the muslims were decimating the Catholics and the protestants revolting everywhere, he remembered his founder St. Dominic.  When St. Dominic was discouraged with the conversion of the Albigensians, Our Lady appeared to him and explained that praying the Our Father and the Angelic Salutation “Hail Mary”, he would have success.

So St. Dominic began praying the Holy Rosary as Our Lady taught him while meditating on the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious events of Jesus’ life.  He then had great success in his preaching and converting of the heretics and sinners.

For this reason, St. Pope Pius V asked all of Europe to pray the Holy Rosary for the success of the battle of Lepanto against the Muslim fleet.  It is said that Our Lady appeared and frightened the muslims.

When St. Pope Pius V was in a meeting he was given a supernatural vision that the Battle had been won by Don Juan of Austria.  He immediately turned to God and Our Lady in gratitude.  A week later the news arrived that indeed the vision was correct.

The Battle of Lepanto took place on Sunday October 7, 1571.  For this reason, October 7 is the feast of the Holy Rosary.  At first Our Lady was called Our Lady of Victory because of the victory over the muslims.  But latter called Our Lady Help of Christians, and then Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.  This is the same Our Lady that is in the town church at Fatima Portugal.  When Our Lady appeared to the children of Fatima, that is why she asked them to pray the Holy Rosary.

St. Louis Marie De Montefort also knew of the battle of Lepanto and that also encouraged him to promote the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
As concerned traditional Catholics, let us also have recourse to Our Lady by saying all three mysteries every day.  Our Lady will not let us down.  God listens to her.

Pope Saint Pius V has a vision announcing the victory of Lepanto

In the afternoon of that same day, the 7^th of October, 1571, the Pope was walking about his room, listening to the relation by his treasurer, Mons. Busotti de Bibiana, of various businesses committed to his care; the Pope suffered terribly from stone, and as usually the pain attacked him while seated, he had to receive and to do his business standing up or walking up and down. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the room and put out his head in the attitude of one listening, at the same time making a sign to Busotti to be silent. Then he went to the window, which he threw open wide, leaning out, still silent and in the same listening attitude. Busotti on seeing the face of the old Pontiff suddenly transfigured, his tearful blue eyes turned to heaven with an ineffable expression, and his joined and trembling hands raised; Busotti’s hair stood on end as he understood that something supernatural and divine was happening, and thus he remained for more than three minutes, as the same treasurer afterwards declared on oath.

Then the Pope shook off his ecstasy, and with a face radiant with joy, said to Busotti, “This is not the time for business. Let us return thanks to God for victory over the Turks.”

And he retired to his oratory, says Busotti, stumbling, and with beautiful lights coming from his forehead. The treasurer hastened to acquaint the prelates and Cardinals with what had happened, and these ordered that at once a record should be made, noting all the circumstances of time and place, and that it should be deposited, sealed up, at a notary’s office. On the 26^th of October a messenger from the Doge of Venice, Mocenigo, arrived in Rome, to announce the victory of Lepanto, and three or four days later the Conde de Priego, sent by D. John to give an account of the details of the battle.

Then they made a calculation, allowing for the different meridians of Rome and the Curzolari Isles, and they found that the Pope’s vision announcing the triumph of Lepanto took place exactly when D. John of Austria jumped, sword in hand, from the quarter-deck to drive back the Turks who were invading his galley, and when the “Sultana” was being attacked on the side and at the stern by the Marqués de Santa Cruz and Marco Antonio Colonna. Then they gave much importance to this event, and it afterwards figured with all its proofs and documents in the proceedings of the canonization of Pius V, from which we have taken them.

 Rev. Fr. Luis Coloma, The Story of Don John of Austria, trans. Lady Moreton, (New York: John Lane Company, 1912), pp. 272-273.