Pope Leo XIII's First Rosary Encyclical "Supremi Apostolatus Officio"
Get Those Beads Rattlin'
I, like many others, am cautiously optimistic about our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. So far, there have been many signs for optimism, and I am relishing in them! There’s obviously some reforms that I would like to see, mainly leaning towards the “traditional” side of the Catholic Church’s treasury. I’m not sure when that will happen (or IF it will happen), but in the meantime, I have found myself wanting to get familiar with Leo XIII’s encyclicals. They not only show us what we might expect from our Holy Father if he wants to continue the legacy of his predecessor in name, but I’ve also heard that Leo XIII was a prolific writer as Pope. Not only that, but he wrote an astounding TWELVE encyclicals on the Most Holy Rosary.
The Rosary is a timeless devotion, good for all times. I find it incredibly important to write about this beautiful devotion, particularly in the month of May, devoted to Our Lady. (If you’re reading this at a different time of the year, please continue! Like I said, the Rosary is important regardless of which month it is!)
With all of that in mind, I just wanted to give a quick synopsis of Pope Leo XIII’s first encyclical on the Rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio. It’s a short document, and I encourage everyone to go read it for themselves. You can do so here. If you’re like many of my high school students, you’d rather just be given the “Sparknotes version” of this letter. Since this isn’t a mandatory assignment, I can happily oblige you!
The encyclical is only 11 paragraphs long, so I will just give a quick quote from each section and give a quick synopsis of what Leo was writing about.
1.) “We constantly seek for help from Heaven - the sole means of effecting anything - that our labours and our care may obtain their wished for object. We deem that there could be no surer and more efficacious means to this end than by religion and piety to obtain the favour of the great Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. . .”
At the time that Leo wrote this, he felt that the Church was experiencing great trials- both in the present and near future. With this in mind, Leo does what ANY good Christian should do- entrust all those whom he is responsible for and all of his concerns in the hands of the Blessed Mother of Jesus. She is our surest guide for interceding on our behalf before her Son. What better way to seek out her help than to pray her Most Holy Rosary?
2.) “And truly the Immaculate Virgin, chosen to be the Mother of God and thereby associated with Him in the work of man's salvation, has a favour and power with her Son greater than any human or angelic creature has ever obtained, or ever can gain.”
In case you weren’t paying attention before, Leo highlights AGAIN how crucial Mary is to helping us in our endeavors. It is her intercession that obtains what we really need.
Whenever encountering a great difficulty, like the election of a new Pope, then we can entrust it to the Blessed Virgin and be assured that she has a special intercessory power before her Son.
3.) “This devotion [the Most Holy Rosary], so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven, has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy spread abroad, or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies.”
Whenever there was a: heresy- the Church being attacked from within, moral corruption- the Church being attacked from within and without, or the threat of war- the Church being attacked from without, the Rosary has been shown to be the sure means of victory.
It is through Our Lady’s intercession that the Rosary has power and grace, and it is easily wieldable by all Christians. To use it confidently is to ensure victory and God’s will being done. It is a spiritual hammer against all foes.
4.) “Our Sovereign Lady did grant her aid; for in the naval battle by the Echinades Islands, the Christian fleet gained a magnificent victory, with no great loss to itself, in which the enemy were routed with great slaughter. And it was to preserve the memory of this great boon thus granted, that the same Most Holy Pontiff desired that a feast in honour of Our Lady of Victories should celebrate the anniversary of so memorable a struggle, the feast which Gregory XIII. dedicated under the title of ‘The Holy Rosary.’”
Our Lady, like the Trinity, isn’t only worried about our spiritual care. Like any good mother, she is also worried about our temporal well-being and safety. This was clearly evidenced by her intercession in the Battle of Lepanto.
With the encouragement of Pope Pius V, the entirety of Christendom petitioned Our Lady through the Rosary. The result was such a lop-sided victory that a special feast day in honor of Our Lady was created. At first, it was Our Lady of Victories, but soon became Our Lady of the Rosary.
It was only through that most powerful devotion that the battle was ultimately won.
5.) “Since, therefore, it is clearly evident that this form of prayer is particularly pleasing to the Blessed Virgin, and that it is especially suitable as a means of defence for the Church and all Christians.”
If you are ever worried about the state of the Church, or you are worried about someone who has abandoned the Sacraments, then the Rosary should be a part of your daily routine.
It is by the Rosary that heresy is defeated and truth reigns. The Rosary is what connects us so intimately with she who was so closely united with the God-Man. That closeness of Jesus and Mary means that calling on her intercession through the Rosary guarantees that Christ will be intimately involved.
6.) “You have before your eyes, Venerable Brethren, the trials to which the Church is daily exposed; Christian piety, public morality, nay, even faith itself, the supreme good and beginning of all the other virtues, all are daily menaced with the greatest perils.”
. . .Well, that sounds familiar. New Pope, the emergence of AI, the threat of global war, etc. It’s all alarming, and there’s nothing that we can do about it on our own.
We all can diagnose the problem. If you want to bring about the medicine for the sickness, start using those Rosary beads!
7.) “[F]or it is one of the most painful and grievous sights to see so many souls, redeemed by the blood of Christ, snatched from salvation by the whirlwind of an age of error, precipitated into the abyss of eternal death.”
Similar to the state of the world, many are familiar with the rapidly declining state of the Church. Vocations are drying up, the average age of Mass attendance is getting older, and the amount of Catholics abandoning the Sacraments is at an alarming ratio- roughly 8 leaving for every 1 entering.
When confronted with this harsh reality, it is necessary to seek the sweet intercession of the Mother who loves those souls more than we could possibly imagine. Surely, she will reveal to them the love and mercy of her Son, bringing them back to the Church and, in turn, the state of grace.
8.) “We, who seek a remedy for similar evils, do not doubt therefore that the prayer introduced by that most blessed man with so much advantage to the Catholic world, will have the greatest effect in removing the calamities of our times also. Not only do We earnestly exhort all Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion of the Rosary publicly, or privately in their own house and family, and that unceasingly, but we also desire that the whole of the month of October in this year should be consecrated to the Holy Queen of the Rosary.”
St. Dominic faced very similar issues to what we Catholics are experiencing now. If his solution was to use the Rosary for whatever problem arose, then we can be assured that doing the same is sure to grant us victory.
Use the Rosary liberally and at all times! Let down your guard on this beautiful devotion, and you will see the sanctity of all those participating rise to Heaven!
9.) “We are pleased to open the heavenly treasure-house of the Church that they may find therein at once encouragements and rewards for their piety. We therefore grant to all those who, in the prescribed space of time, shall have taken part in the public recital of the Rosary and the Litanies, and shall have prayed for Our intention, seven years and seven times forty days of indulgence, obtainable each time.”
Pope Leo XIII deemed the Rosary so beneficial that he would grant a special indulgence, removal of some of our Purgative punishments, if we pray the Rosary as a group in public.
This means that the Rosary, the antidote, is being spread like wildfire, and the laity is growing in personal holiness as they also pray for the holiness of all the Church’s consecrated members.
10.) “The heavenly Patroness of the human race will receive with joy these prayers and supplications, and will easily obtain that the good shall grow in virtue, and that the erring should return to salvation and repent; and that God who is the avenger of crime, moved to mercy and pity may deliver Christendom and civil society from all dangers, and restore to them peace so much desired.”
Pope Leo’s writing here is very reminiscent to Psalm 23. When you adopt the practice of praying the Rosary, “goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6).
You will obtain the favor and mercy of Heaven if you ask for it through the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
11.) “Encouraged by this hope, We beseech God Himself, with the most earnest desire of Our heart, through her in whom he has placed the fulness of all good, to grant you. Venerable Brethren, every gift of heavenly blessing. As an augury and pledge of which, We lovingly impart to you, to your clergy, and to the people entrusted to your care, the Apostolic Benediction.”
This last paragraph is just an encouragement to Bishops to furth promote the Rosary; however, it’s not limited to the Bishops only! Get out there and encourage all those you know to pick up this most wonderful and sanctifying of devotions!
In Conclusion
I only have one critique of Leo XIII’s first encyclical- why’d it take him so long?! This is all pure gold! He wrote this in the 6th year of his pontificate. I could only imagine the spiritual fruit that those 6 years prior to its publication would have borne for the Church. I love you, Leo, but hearing about the Blessed Virgin Mary could never come to soon!
Other than that, this is an incredible, short, and fruitful read. I highly recommend it to EVERYONE! If you never read this encyclical, at least take its advice of praying the Rosary as often as possible. Our Lady will surely bless you for doing so.