Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

The Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, a feast that designates October as the month of the rosary.

The memorial honors a naval battle at the Bay of Lepanto off the coast of Greece on October 7, 1571. According to the Diocese of Little Rock, Pope St. Pius V requested that the faithful pray the rosary to seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother against a Turkish navy that threatened the Mediterranean Sea. The Christian fleet prevailed despite being outnumbered.

Following the victory, Pope Pius V established the date as the feast of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary. This change occurred two years after Pope Pius V officially approved the rosary as a devotion of the Church.