07/10/2025
SALVE FESTA DIES! (Mga Kapistahan ni Inang Maria)
Our Lady of the Rosary
October 07
Muslims had already swept away Christianity in North Africa, the Middle East, and other regions. Spain and Portugal had been freed after eight centuries of struggle. The threat loomed once again over all of Europe. The Turks were preparing to dominate it and wipe out Christianity.
The situation for Christians was desperate. Italy was devastated by famine, and the Venetian arsenal was destroyed by fire. Taking advantage of the situation, the Turks invaded Cyprus with a formidable army. The defenders of Cyprus were subjected to the most cruel tortures.
Pope Saint Pius V tried to unite Christians to defend the continent, but he received very little support. The alliance was finally ratified in May 1571. The responsibility for defending Christianity fell primarily on Philip II, King of Spain, the Venetians, and the Genoese. To avoid disputes, the Pope was declared head of the league, Marco Antonio Colonna commander of the galleons, and Don Juan of Austria commander-in-chief. The army consisted of 20,000 good soldiers, in addition to sailors. The fleet consisted of 101 galleons and other smaller ships. The Pope sent his apostolic blessing and predicted victory. He also ordered that any soldier whose behavior might offend the Lord be removed.
Saint Pius V, a member of the Order of Saint Dominic and aware of the power of devotion to the Rosary, asked all of Christendom to pray it and to fast, imploring the Blessed Virgin for her help in the face of that danger.
Shortly before dawn on October 7, the Christian League found the Turkish fleet anchored in the port of Lepanto. Upon seeing the Christians, the Turks reinforced their troops and sailed out in battle formation. The Turks possessed the most powerful fleet in the world, with 300 galleys, and they also had thousands of Christian slaves as rowers. The Christians were at a great disadvantage, their fleet being much smaller, but they possessed an unbeatable weapon: the Holy Rosary. On the flagshipβs banner, the Holy Cross and the Holy Rosary waved.
The battle line was two and a half kilometers long. The Christian fleet had difficulty maneuvering due to the rocks and reefs jutting out from the coast and a strong headwind. The larger Turkish fleet, however, had ample room to maneuver in the wide gulf, and the wind greatly favored it.
Meanwhile, thousands of Christians around the world were raising their prayers to the Blessed Virgin, rosary in hand, asking her to help the Christians in that decisive battle.
Don Juan held the center and for a few seconds had Colonna and the Venetian general Venieri. AndrΓ©s Doria commanded the right wing, and Austin Barbarigo the left. Pedro Justiniani, who commanded the Maltese galleons, and Pablo Jourdain were at either end of the line. The Marquis of Santa Cruz was held in reserve with 60 ships, ready to relieve any part in danger. Juan de CΓ³rdova, with eight ships, advanced to scout and provide information, and six Venetian ships formed the fleetβs vanguard.
The Turkish fleet, with 330 ships of all types, had almost the same battle formation, but in its customary crescent shape. They did not use a reserve squadron, so their line was much wider, giving them a great advantage at the start of the battle. Hali was in the center, facing Don Juan of Austria; Petauch was his second-in-command; Louchali and Siroc commanded the two wings against Doria and Barbarigo.
Don Juan gave the signal to attack by raising the flag sent by the Pope, which bore the image of the crucified Christ and the Virgin, and he made the sign of the cross. The Christian generals encouraged their soldiers and gave the signal to pray. The soldiers fell to their knees before the crucifix and remained in that posture of fervent prayer until the fleets drew near. The Turks charged at the Christians with great speed, for the wind was very favorable to them, especially since they were superior in number and in the width of their line. But the wind, which had been very strong, died down just as the battle began. Soon the wind began to blow in the opposite direction, now favoring the Christians. The smoke and fire from the artillery swept over the enemy, almost blinding them and finally exhausting them.
The battle was terrible and bloody. After three hours of fighting, the Christian left wing, under Barbarigo, managed to sink Sirochβs galleon. His loss demoralized his squadron, and pressed by the Venetians, he withdrew toward the coast. Don Juan, seeing this advantage, redoubled his fire, killing Hali, the Turkish general, boarded his galleon, lowered its flag, and shouted: βVictory!β The Christians proceeded to devastate the center.
Louchali, the Turk, with a great numerical advantage and a wider front, kept Doria and the right wing at bay until the Marquis of Santa Cruz came to their aid. The Turk then escaped with 30 galleons, the rest having been sunk or captured.
The battle lasted from around 6 a.m. until nightfall, when darkness and choppy waters forced the Christians to seek refuge.
Pope Pius V, from the Vatican, never ceased to pray to God, with hands raised like Moses. During the battle, a rosary procession was held in the Church of Minerva, where prayers were offered for victory. The Pope was conversing with some cardinals, but suddenly he left them, stood for a while with his eyes fixed on the sky, and, closing the window frame, said: "It is not time to speak any more, but to give thanks to God for the victory He has granted to Christian arms." This fact was carefully attested and authentically recorded at that time and later in the canonization process of Pius V.
The authorities later compared the precise moment of Pope Pius Vβs words with the battle records and found that they matched exactly. But the greatest reason to recognize the miracle of the naval victory is the testimonies of the prisoners captured in the battle. They testified with unquestionable conviction that they had seen Jesus Christ, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and a great multitude of angels, swords in hand, fighting against Selim and the Turks, blinding them with smoke.
In the Battle of Lepanto, about 30,000 Turks died, along with their general, Hali. 5,000 were taken prisoner, among them high-ranking officers. 15,000 slaves were found chained in the galleys and were freed. They lost more than 200 ships and galleons. The Christians also recovered a large haul of treasures that the Turks had pirated.
The Turks, with their proud emperor, were seized with the utmost dismay at the defeat. God, who in his justice had allowed some Christian nations to fall under Turkish oppression, that day set a limit and did not allow Christianity to disappear. The God who sets limits to the waters and knows every grain of sand heard the prayer and manifested his saving power. It was the last battle between oar-powered galleons.
The Christians achieved a miraculous victory that changed the course of history. With this triumph, devotion to the Holy Rosary was greatly reinforced.
In perpetual gratitude to God for the victory, Pope Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victories, later known as the feast of the Rosary, on the first Sunday of October. He added "Help of Christians" to the Litany of Our Lady. Pope Pius V died on May 1, 1572; he was beatified by Clement X in 1672 and canonized by Clement XI in 1712. His mortal remains are in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.
In 1569, two years before the battle, the Pope himself, in his Apostolic Letter βAcostumbraron los Romanos PontΓfices,β illustratedβand in a sense definedβthe traditional form of the Rosary.
In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Clement XI extended the feast of the Holy Rosary to the entire Western Church in 1716 (the same Pope canonized Pope Pius V in 1712). Pope Benedict XIII introduced it into the Roman Breviary, and Saint Pius X fixed it on October 7 and declared: "Give me an army that prays the Rosary, and it will conquer the world."
What happened at Lepanto thru the intercession of the Virgin and the praying of the Rosary was repeated:
-in Vienna, liberated by John Sobieski
-in Poland, where, in gratitude to Our Lady for the victory won, the feast of the Sweet Name of Mary was established.
-In Romania.
In 2002, the Church dedicated the year to the Holy Rosary, and Saint John Paul II gave us the precious encyclical βRosarium Virginis Mariae.β Leo XIII and Saint Paul VI (in βMarialis cultusβ) had also already given their perspective on the value of the Holy Rosary. Numerous saints have had a deep devotion to this βsweet chain that binds us to God,β as Blessed Bartolo Longo called it.
