The rosary, Muslims, and the naval battle of Lepanto.

Vatican City -- St. Dominic received the rosary from the Blessed Virgin in a vision while trying to convert the Albigensians in 1208.

"They held that Christ was an angel with a phantom body, who thus did not suffer or rise again; His redemptive work consisted only in His teaching. Rejecting the Sacraments and believing that all matter was evil, they held a moral doctrine of extreme rigorism, condemning marriage and the use of all animal products" (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church).

Mary told the great saint that the rosary was a "weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world." At the Battle of Muret on Sept. 12, 1213, the Marian prayer brought about the defeat of the Albigensians and saw the first shrine built to Our Lady of Victory.

Throughout the centuries, the rosary has been recited especially in times of danger to implore the aid of the Blessed Virgin. October 7, 2006 was the 435th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, which led the Pope to create the liturgical feast of the rosary for the whole Church.

Throughout the sixteenth century, naval clashes with the Turkish fleet had been increasing. Having taken Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Turks were building a fleet (in the modern Gulf of Corinth) with the intention of conquering all of Europe, first by sea, then by land.

The Turkish fleet was seemingly invincible--well appointed, superbly led and unflinchingly aggressive. They captured Cyprus in 1570 (they skinned the Christian commander while he was still alive), Rhodes (1522) and had only been narrowly repelled at Malta.

Pope St. Pius V hoped to stave off the next inevitable attack before it happened and managed to bring together the fleets of Spain and of the republics of Venice and Genoa, as well as the papal fleet, to stop the Turkish fleet from leaving its own waters. This remarkable alliance was comprised of many traditional enemies who succeeded in putting aside their differences to aid their common cause. Two hundred ships set sail to engage the 220 ships of the Turkish fleet.

Pius V, besides his personal penances, enjoined the entire Catholic world to pray the rosary and organized processions throughout Rome for the Marian prayer. On October 7, 1571, while working with his cardinals, Pius V looked up and said, "A truce to business; our great task at present is to thank God for the victory which he has just given the Christian army."

Indeed, in a few short hours Don Juan of Austria, commander of the Holy Alliance, had won the day, not only defeating the Turkish fleet but also freeing over 12,000 Christian galley slaves from the Turkish ships.

Thus began the feast of Our Lady of Victory, later changed by Pope Gregory XIII to the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and extended to the whole church by Clement XI in 1716.

Pope John Paul II reminded Catholics that in our modern age we are in more need than ever of the rosary. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, he declared, "Within the current international context, I invite all--individuals, families, communities--to pray this Marian prayer, possibly every day, for peace, so that the world can be preserved from the wicked scourge of terrorism" (Zenit, Oct. 5, 2006; WorldNetDaily.com, Oct. 7, 2006).