In the fifth century, St. Brigid urgently commended the devotion of the rosary, and she chose as its prayers the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Creed, and united them into a wreath of prayers.  In order to count their recital she strung little beads of stone or wood and made a wreath of them.

This custom subsequently spread through all Christian lands, and through the centuries, to our own days.  That this devotion was always in great favor and esteem among pious Christians may be concluded from the fact that in the grave of St. Norbert, who died in 1134, a rosary similar to ours was found.

We have proof, then, that the devotion of the rosary, such as we have it, was practised already in the early days of Christianity.  And it was practised not only by monks and nuns, but found adherents among all the faithful.

The particular manner in which we now pray the rosary was brought into vogue by St. Dominic.  This is attested by the tradition of six centuries.  Twelve Popes bear witness to this fact.  We will now speak of the introduction by St. Dominic, and will also refer to the great efficacy of this devotion since its inception.  May our reflections contribute to the greater honor of God, and of the glorious Queen of the rosary.

I. The devotion of the rosary in its present form dates its origin from the thirteenth century, and St. Dominic was selected by God as the instrument of its introduction.  Spain was the home of this great saint.  In one of the valleys of Castile there is situated an humble little village named Calarunga, where his parents possessed a small estate.  He was born there in the year 1170.  While being baptized his sponsor saw, as if in a vision, a brilliant star over the forehead of the future saint, shedding its brilliant light through the church.  As Dominic advanced in years he increased in wisdom, virtue and piety.  In due time he devoted himself to theology, believing that in this pursuit alone he could find the wisdom of God.  Not in the pleasures of this world, but in the knowledge of God, he sought his pastime.  His favorite place was the church and the solitude of the sanctuary.  Two incidents from his schooldays throw a light upon his character.  At the time of a famine Dominic gave all that he possessed to the poor, even all but the necessary clothes, and when he had nothing more to give, he sold even his beloved books and gave the proceeds to the poor.  When berated by people for his excessive generosity, he said:  “How could I dare indulge in these lifeless books, when human lives are in danger of starvation?” At another time St. Dominic met a woman who was weeping bitterly because she had no money with which she could release her brother, who had been imprisoned by the Saracens.  Dominic offered to sell himself into bondage to release this brother; but since God had destined him to release sinful mankind from the bondage of sin, of error and unbelief, He did not permit Dominic to do as he offered.