Our Lady of the Holy Rosary 2009
In 1571, a naval battle was fought between the Catholic Spaniards led by Don Juan of Austria against the Turkish fleet in Battle of Lepanto (others commemorate this as “La Naval”, hence the Our Lady of La Naval). In Rome, members of the Holy Rosary fraternity made a procession praying for the victory of the Spaniards. That is why the victory at Lepanto was attributed to the miracle of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
Pope Clement XI raised the commemoration of the feast to the Universal Church after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary. Pope Leo XIIIhas since raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class and has added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary”. The Dominican pope, St. Pius V, did much to further the spread of the Rosary and it thereafter became one of the most popular devotions in Christendom. It was the same Pope St. Pius V, who in 1569 officially approved the Rosary in its present form with the Papal Bull, Consueverunt Romani Pontifices. It had been completed by the addition of the second half of the “Hail Mary” and the “Glory be to the Father” at the conclusion of each mystery.
Northern Mindanao Parishes commemorating the feast of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary today.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Tipanoy, Iligan City
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Agusan, Cagayan de Oro City
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Sagay, Camiguin
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Salawagan, Quezon, Bukidnon
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Damulog, Bukidnon
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Magallanes, Agusan del Norte
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Rosario, Agusan del Sur
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Bacuag, Surigao del Norte
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish – Gamut, Tago, Surigao del Sur
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Its almost semestral break and also vacation for the All Saint’s Day. A lot of people will be travelling this coming days. I know how it is to travel during the passenger season especially also that Christmas is just a couple of months away. It would be very terrible and taxing for a traveller. I remember when I was still a student in one of the Visayan cities, traveling by sea needs steel nerves. You have to jostle for tickets and of course, the bus terminals, oh boy, its crowded and your once easy ride in the buses becomes like a crowded pilgrimage.
Anyway, I recommend people to ride Kinglong buses of the monopolistic Bachelor Express. Its clean, fast, efficient and has limited stop (5 stops at most). Their seats are large and very comfy. For sea craft, Trans Asia Shipping Lines has some sort of a Renaissance. Once hobbled by labor problems, its now reclaiming its premier place in the shipping industry. Its now parading new ships, foremost of which is Trans Asia 3 plying regularly the Cagayan de Oro-Cebu route and vice versa. It leaves at 8:00 in the evening and arrive at its destination at 4:00 in the morning. Its tourist class boasts of flat screen TV in every cubicle. The cubicles had four or two double deck beds. Its airconditioning units are brrrr…. very cold. Not to mention those leggy attendants. 
It’s roofdeck features an al fresco eatery ala Nite Cafe serving barbecue and grilled chicken and other beverages.
Trans Asia has come back.
That “a naval battle was fought between the Catholic Spaniards led by Don Juan of Austria against the Turkish fleet in Battle of Lepanto” is a blunder. The battle of Lepanto was fuoght between Venice (more than half of the galleys and all the 6 galleasses were Venetian), Florence, Naples, Sicily, Vatican AND Spain. Don Juan, as half-brother of Philip the II of Spain, was just the “puppet” leader.
Who then is the real leader? History is consistent that the Battle of Lepanto was fought between Christians and the Ottoman Turks. Unless of course, another conspiracy theory is now in the offing.