October - Month of the Rosary
A new reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS (Oct 8, 2025)
Our Lady of the Rosary, also called Our Lady of Victory, was established by Pope St. Pius V in 1571 to celebrate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on Oct. 7 of that year. Prior to the decisive battle, St. Pius V had requested all Western Christians to pray the rosary; thus, he attributed the victory to the power of the Marian prayer rather than the power of ships and cannons.
Pray to Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, for many of your needs. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 965): “After her Son’s Ascension, Mary “aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers”.” She assists us whenever we seek her guidance. She is the most formidable intercessor at our disposal. A daily Rosary will strengthen your relationship with the Blessed Mother.
On October 4th, the world celebrated the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis has universal appeal. For his closest followers, members of the Franciscan Order founded by Francis, he is our Seraphic Father. There are basically three Orders, but the one I write about most often is the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). I’ve been an active member for 32 years. I love all parts of the Franciscan family, the first Order (Order of Friars Minor: OFM, OFM Capuchin, Conventual and the TOR (Third Order Regular). Then, with the help of St. Francis and St. Clare, the Second Order was founded: the Poor Clares. The OFS (originally known as the Third Order of St. Francis), was founded after the Poor Clares. There are also numerous sister orders and a few brother orders, who follow the Franciscan Rule.
The overall size of the Secular Franciscan Order seems to be declining. There is a new report you can look at here: https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/2025/09/2025-state-of-the-order. There is hope, great hope, that vocations will pick up again and that more people will be called to join. One of the problems, I believe, is natural aging. When the median age of professed members in a local fraternity exceeds 70, new and younger people won’t join. At least that’s been my experience in my neck of the woods. Secular Franciscans are Franciscans who live and work in the world. The other Franciscan groups are in monasteries, cloisters, friaries, etc.
People who live in the world move, usually for job-related reasons. When they move outside of an area covered by a local fraternity, they will seek to transfer to another fraternity closer to where they live. Then there are members who go to the Father (they have passed away). And without sufficient new people joining, pretty soon there will be only a handful left, insufficient for forming a council according to canonical rules. There is more to this story in regard to my local fraternity, but we’ll save this for a later reflection.
Praise and all Good,
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
October 8, 2025