October was Rosary Month
Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows celebrated October as Rosary Month in a big way. On the first day, October 1, a Sunday, the Holy Rosary was recited and flowers offered at 4:20 pm. before the 5 pm Sunday mass. The Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, was prayed in all masses starting with the October 1 5 pm mass. It went:
“O Mother Mary, grant that the recitation of your Rosary may be for me each day, in the midst of my manifold dutes, a bond of unity in my actions, a tribute to filial piety, a sweet refreshment, an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path to duty.”
“Grant, above all, O Mother Mary, that the meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary may form in my soul, little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding, my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being.”
“I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Oh Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us. Amen.”
From October 2 to 31, the rosary was recited at the Divine Mercy Chapel after the 7am masses and before the 6 pm weekday masses. The rosary was also prayed before the 6 pm Saturday mass and before the 5 pm Sunday mass at the main church. It was then followed by the flower offering.
Starting October 12, the White Plains Cenacle Group, led by Betsy Tenchavez, began to pray the rosary every 4 pm on the sidewalk beside the Greenmeadows 1 gate all the way up to October 31. The group put up a banner on the subdivision fence entitled Praying the Rosary for our families, our Church, and our country. The rosary crusade rally was a response to the call to pray the rosary for the crisis in our families, our church and our country. The proponents hoped that they had inspired passers-by to pray too.
Each afternoon, the group sang the Immaculate Mother song, prayed the prayer intentions and the rosary, went through the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recited the St. Michael Prayer, followed by the Prayer of Total Consecration, then Divine Praises. The afternoon rally would end with the Lady of Fatima song.
The different villages also held their daily recitation of the Rosary, mostly in the evenings. For Acropolis, for example, Acropolis village coordinators Maan del Rosario and Irene Robles assigned a different Rosary Leader Family for each day in October. To ensure that there would be enough villagers who would assist the prayer leader family, all Acropolis-based LeComs and EMHCs were asked to commit seven different dates in October when they would show up for rosary praying. On the very first day, Fr. Jimmy Mathew CSC, Director of the Family Rosary Crusade in the Philippines, led the Acropolis faithful in their reflection and prayers. He also blessed the Blessed Virgin Mary images and rosaries brought by those who came. The last Acropolis rosary session was held on October 30, a Tuesday, at the Acropolis Clubhouse. It was well- attended and was followed by a village salu-salo. Unlike Acropolis where the rosary recitation was always in their Acropolis Park gazebo, in GreenMeadows 1, the rosary recitation moved from house to house.
