The Rosary was given by our Blessed Mother to Saint Dominic. Dominicans popularized both devotion to Mary and the mysteries of the rosary. Some scholars theorize that Saint Dominic worked out a combination of the rosary’s mental and vocal prayer in connection with his preaching, so that when his audience returned home and said the rosary in private the mention of the mystery would help them recall the sermon’s text. Tradition also holds that Mary made various promises to Christians who recite the rosary: those who faithfully recite the rosary shall receive many graces, shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of his graces, and at the moment of death shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. Shrine of Saint Jude/ Saint Dominic’s Church, Washington, DC. Photos by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.