Dear Friends in Christ,

October is the month of the Rosary. Of course, the Rosary belongs to every month, but in October the Church celebrates this prayer in a special way: reminding us of its simple beauty and gentle power. It is a time of grace for us to return to this prayer if we have let it slip away: or perhaps to discover for the first time, in the company of Mary, how the Rosary can guide us into unpretentious prayer.

In prayer, we tune in to the voice of God and learn to distinguish it from among the many voices that surround us. In prayer, we can learn to love God’s will and want to do it. In prayer, we can find the perseverance and hope that will sustain us when following God’s call becomes difficult or when its fruits do not appear at once.

The words we repeat in the Rosary come mostly from the Scriptures. The events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that we reflect on in each “decade” – an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be – repeat the story of our salvation.

Our Lady of the Central West, pray for us.

+Michael McKenna

Bishop of Bathurst