“Saint John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, said, ‘If anyone has the happiness of being in the Confraternity of the Rosary, he has in all corners of the world brothers and sisters who pray for him.’”

By Chris Sparks

A branch of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary will be established at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on Oct. 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (or Our Lady of Victory). And you are encouraged to enroll!

“The Rosary Confraternity is a great way to share in the prayers of others praying the Rosary,” says Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC, rector of the National Shrine. “It’s a great way to be placed under the protection of Our Lady as we fight the spiritual battles of our times. What a wonderful way to be connected to all the other shrines throughout the world where the Rosary Confraternity is established!”

WATCH: Father Chris Alar, MIC, speaks on the Rosary Confraternity.

Enrollment easy and free
Enrollment is free and easy, HERE 

What is required? Each member of the Rosary Confraternity promises to pray 15 decades of the Rosary each week and to include the other members of the Confraternity (in general) around the world in their intentions. This is sole obligation of membership, and does not bind under pain of sin.

A plenary indulgence is available to members of the Rosary Confraternity, subject to the usual conditions (see below).

The official decree establishing the Confraternity at the National Shrine.

A collaborative effort
The Rosary Confraternity is being launched at the National Shrine thanks to the collaborative efforts of the National Shrine and three organizations::

•    The Dominican Province of St. Joseph: rosaryconfraternity.org.
•    The Mother of Mercy Messengers (thedivinemercy.org/momm), an official apostolate of the Marian Fathers.
•    The Coalition of Eucharistic and Marian Apostolates (coalitionofapostolates.com), whose goal is: “To unify Eucharistic and Marian Apostolates in order to magnify the efforts to more effectively RECLAIM for Jesus Christ our families, our Church and our nations.” Their focus is on a three-fold effort to promote participation in the Confraternity of the Rosary, Marian consecration, and Divine Mercy Sunday.

Storied history
According to best-selling author and renowned Mariologist Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary was founded by St. Dominic (ca. 1170-1221), who is most famous as the founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, or Dominicans. 

“At various times it was described as the Confraternity of Prayer, the Confraternity of the Rosary, the Sodality of the Rosary, or even the Society of the Rosary,” explains Fr. Calloway in his Marian Press book Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon.

One of the greatest benefits of membership is that all members include the intentions of all other members in their own with each Rosary they pray. 

“They form a union of hundreds of thousands of the faithful throughout the world who, along with their own intentions, include the intentions and needs of all its members,” explains the Dominican Fathers’ website for the Confraternity in the United States. “As St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, said, ‘If anyone has the happiness of being in the Confraternity of the Rosary, he has in all corners of the world brothers and sisters who pray for him.’”

Rosary triumphs
The Rosary, as Fr. Calloway has shown in a number of books and talks, has been associated with some of the greatest triumphs of Christ and His Church over the world, the flesh, and the devil in salvation history. 

More recently, Our Lady of the Rosary requested the faithful to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world. She also asked for prayer in reparation for sin, and for the conversion of poor sinners everywhere.

The launch of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary comes at the outset of the Diocesan Rosary Congress, being held on the grounds of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy from Oct. 7-13. We need adorers! Sign up now!

Plenary Indulgence
For members of the Rosary Confraternity, a plenary indulgence is granted:

1.    On the day of enrollment. (When application is made, a certificate of membership is sent, indicating the day of the enrollment.)
2.    On the following feast days: Christmas, Easter, Annunciation, Purification, Assumption, Our Lady of the Rosary, and Immaculate Conception.
3.    A plenary indulgence is granted when the Rosary is prayed in Church, or in a Public Oratory, in a family (family Rosary), Religious Community, or Pious Association. Otherwise a partial indulgence is granted. 

To gain a plenary indulgence, the person must perform the indulgenced act, and satisfy these conditions: Sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intention, and freedom from all attachment to sin, even venial sin. If this detachment is not present, or if any of the above conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence is partial.

Photo by Dolina Modlitwy on Unsplash