The rosary is a powerful weapon against evil
The feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was celebrated with a Triduum from Oct 2 to 4 at the Church of the Holy Rosary. On the first day, Fr Alberto Irenus SJ from SFX parish in Petaling Jaya preached on the topic Let Christ Be Known.
Oct 30, 2014
By Bernard Anthony
The feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was celebrated with a Triduum from Oct 2 to 4 at the Church of the Holy Rosary. On the first day, Fr Alberto Irenus SJ from SFX parish in Petaling Jaya preached on the topic Let Christ Be Known. Day 2 saw Fr Lucas Ng CDD from SIC parish in Petaling Jaya preaching on the sub-theme Deepening Our Catholic Faith. On both days, the recitation of the Rosary preceded Mass.
On Day 3, the day of the celebration, the programme began with Hymns of Praise to Our Lady. The Mass followed at 5.00pm. Fr Philip Tan CDD presided, with Holy Rosary parish priest, Fr Joachim Tan concelebrating. Despite the drizzle, the Church was packed. Two tents were erected adjacent to the Church to accommodate the additional larger crowd.
Fr Tan preached The Rosary in English and Mandarin. He gave the history of how the feast of the Holy Rosary was instituted in the Church. “On October 7, the Catholic Church celebrates the yearly feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Known for several centuries by the alternate title of “Our Lady of Victory,” the feastday was inaugurated by Pope Pius V to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary whose intercession brought about a naval victory which secured Europe against a Turkish invasion.
Looking back now, we see many Europeans who have left the faith because secularism and materialism have made them lukewarm. Fr Tan observed that only a low percentage of Catholics go to Mass on Sundays in Germany. There is an increase of Muslims in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. In the our country Islamisation is ongoing. Why? This is because people are not doing penance, making sacrifices and praying. What do we do? Our Lady asks us to pray the Rosary for the conversion of peoples.
Fr Tan emphasized that many manifestations of evil in our lives can be overcome by praying earnestly and by receiving the Eucharist frequently. “If Christians knew the power of the Rosary, the devil will be finished,” stressed Fr Tan. “Let Mary take you to Jesus.”
Many have rosaries hanging in their cars but do not pray. Fr Tan reminded the assembly to pray the Rosary. Saints talk about it. They recognize the Rosary as a devotional prayer to Our Lady to intercede for us. We need to recognize this simple prayer which is so powerful. On this feast day, Mother Mary invites us all to pray the Rosary, as a ‘weapon’ to fight against evil.
After Mass, the intended procession in honour of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary could not take place due to the rain.
Nonetheless, the celebration continued with a dinner fellowship in Dewan John Hsiong, where the youths gave a short song presentation as the parishioners enjoyed their sumptuous meal.
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