Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary which commemorates Christian Europe’s naval victory over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The victory was ascribed at the time, and since, to a heavenly favor granted through Our Lady in response to the praying of the Holy Rosary. Thus Europe was saved from further conquest by the formidable Muslim empire. Ave Maria!
The battle was celebrated in verse by G.K. Chesterton in his 1911 poem, Lepanto. Running to over 1300 words, you don’t meet many people who can recite Chesterton's epic but Collin Cousino of Saint Andrew parish in Saline is somebody who can…and here’s the video to prove it. We hope you enjoy it. Happy feast day. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
* If you would like to read along with Collin, here is the text of the poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47917/lepanto