The month of October is dedicated to the rosary, a Catholic prayer that Christians believe bestows "spiritual roses" upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, a priest told Fox News Digital.
In October, "believers are encouraged to begin or deepen their praying of the rosary," Fr. Jeffrey Kirby told Fox News Digital via email.
Kirby is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, as well as the host of the YouTube channel "Daily Discipleship with Father Kirby."
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Throughout the month, he said, "there are rosary processions, living rosaries, retreats and special talks on the rosary."
Although the rosary is traditionally associated with Catholics, it is growing in popularity with other denominations, Kirby said, "especially Lutherans and Methodists."
October has been known as the "month of the Rosary" for nearly 500 years, Kirby said.
In the 16th century, there was a naval battle at Lepanto off the southern coast of Greece, he said.
"The battle was between Christian forces in Europe and Islamic forces with an expansionist drive toward the West. If the Islamic forces had won, the Christian faith would have been lost on the European continent," Kirby said.
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The Christian forces were "greatly outnumbered," Kirby said, and the pope requested that everyone pray the rosary for their victory.
"Against all odds, the Christian forces were victorious," Kirby said.
Since then, "the triumph was marked with a feast day on Oct. 7."
That day was originally referred to as "the feast of Our Lady of Victory," but was renamed to "the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary," he said.
Over time, the celebration of the rosary grew to cover the entire month of October, Kirby told Fox News Digital.
There are many reasons Christians find themselves drawn to the rosary, Kirby said.
"Through the rosary, many Christian believers come to see the Blessed Virgin Mary as a spiritual mother who cares for them and who wears combat boots in protecting them and getting things done for them," he said.
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When praying the rosary, many people like to use rosary beads to keep their place in the lengthy prayer.
The differently sized beads indicate which part of the prayer they are on.
"The rosary itself is a simple circle of beads divided into five sets of 10 called a decade," Kirby said. "For each decade, there's a reflection on a 'mystery,' which is an event in the life of Jesus or Mary."
Traditionally, Kirby said, there were three sets of mysteries – "Joyful," about the birth and early years of Christ; "Sorrowful," about the events around the crucifixion of Christ; and "Glorious," about the events around Jesus' resurrection.
An additional set of mysteries, the "Luminous" mysteries, were added in 2000 by St. John Paul II and revolves around Jesus' public ministry.
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"This custom began so that the illiterate or those who were farming and in manual labor could spiritually join in with the monks who would chant the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament," he said.
"And so, the rosary is biblically inspired from the Book of Psalms and follows the repetitive nature of many psalms in the Old Testament."
While illiteracy is less common than it was centuries ago, the rosary can still be prayed during everyday activities, Kirby said, such as "walking, jogging, driving in the car, waiting for appointments or running errands."
"Even if we are distracted, the beads of the rosary help us to focus on spiritual things, keep a peaceful spirit and encounter God in the midst of the twists and turns of life," he said.
"As we're busy in life, there's always time for a quick decade since the rosary is as easy as prayer can get," Kirby said.
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