The Pope of the Rosary – Pope St. Pius V
Remember Pope St. Pius V on April 30, the eve of the Marian month. It was in 1569, Pope Pius V officially named the Rosary as a devotional prayer in the Church. Therefore, he is affectionally called “The Pope of the Rosary.”
Pope St. Pius V also established the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
The saint was a Dominican friar devoted to praying the standard 15 decades of the rosary (joyful, sorrowful, and glorious) as given through St. Dominic.
Born Antonio Ghislieri in 1504 near Milan, Italy, he was a shepherd boy until he entered the Dominican order at the age of 14, when he took the name Michele. He was ordained a priest in 1528; then at the age of 62 was elected pope, taking the name Pius V, in honor of his predecessor.
It is because of St. Pope Pius V that popes wear white. The tradition came to be after Pope Pius V refused to change out the Dominican white habit after elected pope. His successors acknowledged and honored his holiness by wearing the same garb.
Pope St. Pius V wholeheartedly gave credit to the Virgin Mary for the Oct. 7, 1571, victory for the Church and Christians of Spain and Venice over Turks, who waged war on all Christianity. The day of the battle at sea was the same day the Rosary Confraternity of Rome gathered to recite the rosary for the Blessed Virgin to intercede and go to Jesus to protect and empower the Christians at battle. Pope Pius V declared the day the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. A year later, his successor, Pope Gregory III, changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary to emphasize the power of our Blessed Mother’s intercession.The art: It is believed to be by August Kraus, 1849-1926. Some believe the original painting did not include the Rosary. It was added to a later version.
