The Holy Rosary is an enormous source of grace and spiritual protection, one of the most powerful sacramentals of the Catholic Church. Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the children to whom Our Lady appeared at Fatima, once said,
"There is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families ... that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."
After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the prayer most pleasing to Our Lady. In honor of the Blessed Mother, we would like to share her15 promises to those who pray the Rosary.
Our Lady revealed the following promises to St. Dominic (the saint to whom the rosary was first given in the 12th century) and later to Blessed Alan de la Roche (who reignited devotion to the rosary in the 15th century).
See alsoThe Spot Where Our Lady Gave the Rosary to St. Dominic
Mary, in virtue of her perfect union with the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, now reigns in heaven as Queen next to her Son, Christ the King. She has been given the privilege to bestow God's graces to her spiritual children, for whom she earnestly intercedes as the Mother of all Christians.
Although there is much suffering in this world, these promises from Our Lady ensure her assistance in the cares and worries of this life, and in interceding for us to obtain a holy death, eternal salvation, and everlasting happiness with the angels and saints in heaven.
1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
[A signal grace may be a simple sign in daily life that answers a question made in prayer or points towards God’s will. For example, seeing a rose after finishing a novena to St. Therese of Lisieux could be considered a signal grace. Signal graces are often subtle or seemingly coincidental.]
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means!
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
[In other words, anyone who faithfully prays the Rosary and asks for Mary’s intercession will be saved from hell.]
6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.
[An unprovided death means dying while not in a state of grace (that is, in dying with unconfessed mortal sin in the soul). The Blessed Mother promises that anyone who regularly prays the Rosary, andearnestly tries to live according to God's will, will be spiritually prepared when their time of death comes.]
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
[Our Lady ensures that the soul will receive sanctifying grace through the Sacraments prior to its departure from the body.]
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
[By this the Blessed Mother means that a devotion to the Rosary is a good indication that the devotee is on the path to Heaven.]
It is amazing to realize how much grace and heavenly help we can receive by an act so simple aspraying the Rosary regularly. Itonly takes 15 minutes to pray! Set aside time alone, with your family, or with some friends to start the habit of reciting a daily Rosary. If you don't think you have time, try praying on the way to work in the morning. You will surely notice the grace it brings to your life, as promised by Our Lady!
Read next: The Spot Where Our Lady Gave the Rosary to St. Dominic
This article has been updated and was first published in 2014. © The Catholic Company. All rights reserved.
