MYKONOS CATHOLIC CHURCH

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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #f79646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-align: none; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 65.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 5400000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.4pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 5.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-angle: 5400000; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-fscaled: no; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shadetype: linear; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-stoplist: "0 \#A54200 9 100000 shade=20000 satm=200000\,78000 \#FF8C19 9 100000 tint=90000 shade=89000 satm=220000\,100000 \#FFF1E9 9 100000 tint=12000 satm=255000"; mso-style-textfill-type: gradient; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: .075pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: accent6;">07 October</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #f79646; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-align: none; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 65.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 5400000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.4pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 5.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-angle: 5400000; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-fscaled: no; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shadetype: linear; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-stoplist: "0 \#A54200 9 100000 shade=20000 satm=200000\,78000 \#FF8C19 9 100000 tint=90000 shade=89000 satm=220000\,100000 \#FFF1E9 9 100000 tint=12000 satm=255000"; mso-style-textfill-type: gradient; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: .075pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: accent6;">Our Lady of the Rosary</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-align: none; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 65.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 5400000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.4pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 5.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: .075pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EL; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">This feast was established in memory of the Christian
naval victory over the Turks (at Lepanto 1571). Our Lady is daily honoured in
the Rosary, which invites us to meditate the mysteries of the life, death and
resurrection of Christ her son.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Establishing
this feast<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">This feast, focussed on the intercessory power of
our Blessed Lady, was instituted by Pope Saint Pius V in thanksgiving for the
great naval victory of a Christian fleet over the Turks at Lepanto on October
7, 1571, a favour widely attributed to intense recitation of the Rosary. This
crucial battle saved Europe from being overrun by the forces of Islam. This
Lepanto victory over the Ottoman Empire, is commemorated by the invocation
“Help of Christians,” inserted in the Litany of Loreto. Many years later the
Turks were again defeated at Belgrade on the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, in
1716. Another victory that year on the Octave of the Assumption motivated pope
Clement XI have the Feast of the Rosary celebrated by the universal Church. Leo
XIII added the invocation “Queen of the most Holy Rosary, pray for us,” to the
Litany of Loreto.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">In modern
times successive popes have urged the faithful to pray the Rosary regularly, as
a form of contemplative prayer focussed on the life of Christ. It calls
prayerful attention to the saving mysteries of Christ and Mary’s close
association with her Son in his mission. Pope St John Paul II called the rosary
a “Christocentric prayer” containing the Gospel message in its entirety. His
letter <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Rosarium Virginis Mariae</span></em> (2002)
expanded the scope of the rosary to include five extra mysteries (“Mysteries of
Light”) to summarise the life and mission of Jesus. These are: 1) The Baptism
of Christ in the Jordan. 2) The Wedding Feast of Cana. 3) The Announcement of
the Kingdom. 4) The Transfiguration. 5) The Institution of the Holy Eucharist.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Praying the
Rosary<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">The Rosary invites us to reflect on the great
mysteries of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel presents
Mary as a deeply reflective person. In the second chapter of his gospel, in
response to the words of the shepherds, Luke says of her that she “treasured
all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Again, in response to the
words of the child Jesus to her in the temple, Luke says of Mary that she
“treasured all these things in her heart.” Luke presents Mary as a
contemplative person, reflecting deeply on all that was happening in the life
of her Son. To that extent, she embodies the attitude of mind and heart that we
are invited to bring to the praying of the Rosary. In praying that prayer, we
treasure and ponder upon the key moments in the journey of Jesus in this world
and from this world to the Father. Mary not only pondered on what God was doing
in the words and deeds of her Son, but she gave herself over to what God was
doing, as shown by her response to the visit of Gabriel in today’s gospel, “Let
what you have said be done to me” or “Let it be to me according to your word.”
As we ponder on all God is doing in the words and deeds of Jesus, we too will
hear the call to give ourselves over more fully to God’s purpose for our lives.
</span></b><b><span style="color: #984806; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">[MH]<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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