October is the Month of the Rosary. Why the Rosary is an Essential Prayer

The Rosary is a necessary prayer for all Christians. It helps us to grow in holiness and in our prayer life. Moreover, it is necessary to love our Lady; that is, to be Marian. According to Pope Paul VI, "If we want to be Christians we must be Marian." Being a Christian means imitating Christ in all things. Our Lord loved his mother and honored her. We also must love and esteem our Blessed Mother. The Marian prayer par excellence is the Holy Rosary because it is a compendium of the Gospel and the mysteries of our salvation. If you have the Rosary in your hand it is like holding our Lady by the hand. The month of October is dedicated to the Rosary of the Virgin Mary. These statements by men and women of faith testify to the Rosary's power, and why it should be prayed frequently, even daily.

Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.

— Pope Pius IX

Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.

— Our Lady of Fátima

[The Rosary] contains within itself the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the centre of each 'Hail Mary'.

— Pope Benedict XVI

The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you'll be amazed at the results.

— Saint Josemaria Escriva

There is no surer means of calling down God's blessings upon the family . . . than the daily recitation of the Rosary.

— Pope Pius XII

We do not hesitate to affirm again publicly that we put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils of our times.

— Pope Pius XII

No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary.

— Bishop Hugh Doyle

The Rosary is a magnificent and universal prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations and the entire world.

— Pope John XXIII

The Rosary is the compendium of the entire Gospel.

— Pope Paul VI quoting Pope Pius XII

Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary ... can be an excellent preparation for the celebration of those same mysteries in the liturgical actions [i.e. the Mass] and can also become a continuing echo thereof.

— Pope Paul VI

My impression is that the Rosary is of the greatest value not only according to the words of Our Lady at Fátima, but according to the effects of the Rosary one sees throughout history. My impression is that Our Lady wanted to give ordinary people, who might not know how to pray, this simple method of getting closer to God.

— Sister Lucia, one of the seers of Fátima

There is no problem that we cannot resolve by praying the Holy Rosary.

— Sister Lucia

How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening.

— Pope John Paul II

The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life.

— Pope Leo XIII.

Pope John Paul II has called the Rosary his "favorite prayer," after the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

St. Louis de Montfort warns us against both the ignorant and scholars who regard the Rosary as something of little importance..."the Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God."