Q&A: Montfort’s Secret of the Rosary was handed out free at a rather large rosary rally I recently attended. It is absolutely magnificent. All my friends love it. I was surprised then to hear our pastor tell our Rosary Guild that the Secret of the Rosary does not really represent Saint Louis de Montfort. He suggested that we read other more important works of the saint. Is the Secret an Important Writing?
Fr. Gaffney, SMM
Submitted from a Member located in San Diego, CA
Secret of the Rosary
As happy as we are to learn of the wide diffusion of Montfort’s Secret of the Rosary (millions of copies have been distributed), it must be said that as beautiful as it is, it is the least personal of all his writings. It is not as original in its composition as his other works. Moreover, the purpose of the book is to demonstrate the value of one particular devotional practice without giving a general overview of his spirituality.
The saint’s primary source for his Secret of the Rosary is a book by Father Antonin Thomas, o.p., Le Rosier Mystique, which in turn borrows extensively from the common source of most material on the rosary, the teachings of the Dominican, Alan de la Roche.
However in accepting and adapting the thought of these authors, Montfort is not only approving them, but making them his own. It must be said, then, that the book does represent his ideas on the rosary, one of the special practices of his total consecration spirituality.
God Alone
Let Montfort’s Secret of the Rosary be an introduction for you and your friends to his evangelical spirituality. A prayerful study of the Love of the Eternal Wisdom would be an excellent means of becoming better acquainted with the saint and his spirituality. The True Devotion and The Secret of Mary must also be read, for they explain in some detail Montfort’s fourth means of attaining union with Divine Wisdom (cf Love of Eternal Wisdom, #203 ff.), a tender and true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The volume, God Alone, The Collected Writings of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort is a necessity if you are interested in knowing Montfortian Spirituality. It will also enable you to place The Secret of the Rosary in its proper context. The book (Montfort’s Writings) can be ordered from Montfort Publications here .
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