October is the month for the Rosary, and its power was recognised when the whole of Christendom, led by Pope Pius V, prayed for a victory over the Ottoman forces against enormous odds in the sea battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571.
The Church invites us to pray the Rosary each day in recognition and thanks for that great victory and the ongoing freedoms we have received. It is also a way we can ask the Holy Spirit to intervene where these freedoms have been abused or taken away. We may be ineffective politically or diplomatically to bring change and often interference proves counter-productive, as we have seen with Afghanistan and Iraq.
New initiatives are being started in our diocese, e.g. the ‘Archbishop’s Certificate’, others restarting like ‘Some Definite Service’ and CCRS course, a part of the work of the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis, at Tooting Bec. The Pope has asked bishops to prepare for the Synod in Rome 2023 by consulting with their people as a continuation of the work of Vatican II to include ‘The People of God’ and give them a voice.
By mid-October the new Southwark Archdiocese website will be activated. Why not take a look?
Calendar for October, Ordinary Time I, Year B
1st St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
2nd Holy Guardian Angels
4th St Francis of Assisi
7th Our Lady of the Rosary
9th St John H Newman National Calendar
11th St Pope John XXIII
12th St Wilfred National Calendar
13th St Edward the Confessor Diocesan Calendar
15th St Teresa of Avila
18th St Luke Evangelist
22nd St Pope John Paul II National Calendar
28th Ss Simon & Jude Apostles, Martyrs