Madonna of the Rosary, Rosary Monastery on Monte Mario in Rome
This is a truly wonderful thing: an army of Catholics from the four corners of the Earth, praying the rosary for these important intentions (see below), for which our Catholic Church is in such desperate need!
This Rosary Crusade commenced on 1st January 2014 – so apologies for a tardy alert – and will carry on till 8th June, for a total of just over five months. There is no need to pray extra rosaries (although anyone who does, will be giving a beautiful gift to the Blessed Mother) but just to pray one’s usual daily rosary for these three intentions mentioned. Please join us in this apostolate, and we shall reap great benefits for our beloved Church, and the whole world.
A new Rosary Crusade launched by the SSPX
The 5-million Rosary Crusade for 2014 announced recently by Bishop Bernard Fellay (SSPX Superior General) begins on January 1, 2014 and runs until June 8, 2014.
The three-fold object of this Rosary Crusade for the good of the entire Catholic Church is:
To implore from the Immaculate Heart of Mary a special protection for the traditional apostolate;
For the return to Tradition within the Church;
For the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the consecration of Russia.
Bishop Fellay has also suggested additional means in which we can add to the spiritual bouquet of rosaries to accomplish this object:
– Prayer and penance as asked for at Fatima;
– Sanctification through the duty of state;
– Spirit of sacrifice in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In a new video interview, Bishop Fellay speaks of the importance of this Rosary Crusade for the entire Church, while USA District Superior, Fr. Arnaud Rostand, speaks of the importance of having a “crusading spirit” in a special letter.
Anyone can join the Rosary Crusade!
Read more about it, and don’t forget to look into the links in the sidebar: http://sspx.org/en/join-rosary-crusade
Catholicism Pure & Simple 
Thank you for alerting us to this, Kathleen. I’ll try to join my poor efforts to this important Rosary Crusade. Although I’ve been praying the rosary daily for many years now, it’s still a real challenge to do it well without the mind constantly being distracted from the mysteries! Any advice would be greatly welcome…
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The Pius X Society is in schism with the Catholic Church. While I know the Rosary is not an issue, by publisizing this you are giving credence and recognition to a group that is outside the Church.
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@ Catholic Cat
Thanks for your comment. Let me just make clear that none of the Team on this blog are members of the SSPX, although some of us have sympathies with them.
I was hesitant about posting this SSPX link on the Rosary Crusade for the very reason you point out – that of their being outside the main body of the Church. But are they truly in schism?
It appears there are conflicting opinions on this, so the situation is confusing. In the 1988 Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei adflicta Pope John Paul used the word “schism“. And it looked like a schism, to be sure. But officials of the PCED (Pontical Commision Ecclesia Dei) have affirmed over the years that while Archbishop Lefebvre’s actions in 1988 were schismatic acts, the SSPX did not in fact go into schism.
In 2005 Cardinal Castrillón, former head of the PCED, stated: “We are not confronted with a heresy. It cannot be said in correct, exact, and precise terms that there is a schism. There is a schismatic attitude in the fact of consecrating bishops without pontifical mandate. They are within the Church. There is only the fact that a full, more perfect communion is lacking.”
There has been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and a great hope when the talks with Pope Benedict XVI were underway, that the difficulties between the SSPX and the main body of the Church would be overcome. To our great disappointment this was not to be.
The SSPX recognise the Pope as the head of the Catholic Church. They also hold to all the teachings of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church prior to Vatican II and continue to preach them. One of the main issues of course, was the Novus Ordo Mass (disliked by so many) that came to replace the Mass of the Ages. If it is true that this Council did not alter any of the Church’s Doctrines and Dogmas, there should be no problem. VII’s changes are the crux of the matter.
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@ mmvc
Distractions whilst praying the Rosary? Dear Maryla, we all know about those at some time or other in our lives! 😉
It is an amazing fact though, that the more one prays the Rosary, the more the deep hidden secrets each mystery contains are opened up to you. Consistency is very important.
There are many ‘tools’ to help us: some wonderful books by authors like St. Louis de Monfort, St. Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, Ven. Fulton Sheen, and many others, explaining the way to meditate whilst praying the Rosary. There are some people (like one of my sisters) who only likes to pray the Rosary in company, or with an audio tape or CD, finding that this helps her to keep focused. Others prefer to walk in the beauty of nature whilst praying it, and others prefer to kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
There is also a little booklet from the C.T.S. with a verse from Holy Scripture or the saints to be said before the praying of each Hail Mary. It takes longer to pray the Rosary like this, but it’s a good way to ward off distractions.
The Rosary is a wonderful prayer, and a very powerful one for interceding before the Throne of God, but not everyone finds it easy.
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Thank you for these suggestions, Kathleen. I’m sure that our readers will find them helpful too.
Like your sister, I find it easier to focus when praying with others and sometimes use the videos from ‘Catholic Devotions’ to pray along to: http://youtu.be/Uspbix_1P3M
Thanks also for your reading recommendations. My new resolution for this year: to try to pray the rosary more meaningfully!
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Kathleen you are correct that it is a confusing situation and I did some research before I wrote what I did. From the best I can determine, SSPX is still in schism. I found this quote – Asked about the position of the Society of St. Pius X, Archbishop Gerhard Müller said that while “the canonical excommunication” was revoked, “the sacramental one remains, de facto, for the schism: because they have removed themselves from communion with the Church.”
Your blog is entitled “Catholicism Pure and Simple” and that to me means following the teachings of the Church, and that is why I follow you. They do not do that and certainly have done so very vocally. By your endorsement, you are encouraging people to join a schismatic movement.
This is ALL in my humble opinion. God bless you.
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@ Catholic Cat
Thanks for this, but I still tend to doubt the term “schismatic” to describe the Society of St. Pius X. At least officially. It seems to me that there is a division of thought about this among the hierarchy of the Catholic Church itself.
However, here above they are requesting prayers for the intentions dear to all faithful Catholics: a return to Tradition within the Church. After decades of so much scandalous behaviour, abuse of the Sacred, and disobedience in the Church since Vatican II, we need to return to our fundamental Catholic identity and traditional values. Even non-Catholics who pray the Rosary (as I believe a few Anglicans do) are welcome to join in for these above-mentioned intentions if they want to. There can be no harm in that, surely?
[Edit: “They do not do that (follow the teachings of the Church).”
But they do follow the Teachings CC. What they refuse to do is follow the innovations of Vatican II that have nothing to do with Doctrine or Dogma.]
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Well Kathleen, I will leave the “terminology” to the higher ups. I am following a guideline my Trappist Spiritual Director set for me when I wanted to teach yoga. He said that he knew I was well grounded in my faith and would not become involved in the non-Catholic spirituality of yoga, he understands that for me it is a form of exercise ONLY! But he asked me if I wanted to be responsible for possibly leading someone out of the Church because they are NOT grounded in their faith and they get curious – curious enough to leave the faith. I said no and so do not teach it. Whatever the Church decides on their status, RIGHT NOW, they are not in good standing with the Church. Do you want to be responsible for leading someone away from the One, Holy, Catholic Apostolic Church? Which is the Church of Rome. I don’t. No matter what we may think, the Holy Father has the final say and he hasn’t said anything yet.
Yes, the rosary is universal and yes non Catholic’s pray it. But they don’t say or believe they are Catholic, as this group does. God bless you.
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@ Catholic Cat
Do you really think that promoting a “Rosary Crusade” for a return to tradition [read for this, orthodoxy, faithfulness] to the Catholic Faith could lead someone away from the Church? I really don’t see how that could happen. Promoting happy-clappy, pick-and-choose, liberal values is more likely to do that.
After a few days of dithering whether to post this article or not (for some of the very reasons you have pointed out) I finally decided it was a good thing to do. It was clearly not propaganda for the Society of St. Pius X, but a prayer to Our Blessed Lady to come to the aid of the whole Catholic Church. I also noticed that the article had also been re-blogged by other sound Catholic blogs that, like us, are not members of the SSPX.
Many thanks anyway for your arguments against this action. Perhaps we don’t quite see eye-to-eye on this, but I do appreciate you expressing your points of view.
God Bless you too.
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Thanks Kathleen!!! Glad we can agree to disagree!!! Have a wonderful New Year and I pray all the time for the Church and a healing of ALL factions and denominations. Christ wants us all to be one and I pray for that each day!!! God bless!
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To all our faithful readers who might have taken part in this Rosary Crusade for the three above-mentioned intentions:
Please now hand in your “tally sheets” (accessed via the link given in the article) to the organisers, as the deadline closed yesterday. Many thanks.
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