The Rosary for Battle

"You are a silly old bugger, aren't you", said an unwise customer today. "Oh ? " said I, pulling a pint for him. "Why's that?" "Just look at those bottles", he said. "There's a crucifix with a Rosary hung around it amongst them. What's that doing there? Call yourself a warrior?"

Soldier's Paracord Rosary

Some customers are a tad 'slow'. But being without knowledge is forgivable and can be improved upon. I pointed out that they are always there - it is a Tavern for Saints and sinners and heroes -  and warriors - and I also always have a rosary hanging from my top pocket. 

"I am a warrior, and warriors need special protections".

An old lady nearby wanted to tell a tale about warriors - airmen as it happened - my sort of warrior - and I fixed her a drink too while we all listened to what today was about and what was 'going down' as they say. The prayerful holy warriors of Poland are on the march today, just as the warriors the lady wanted to tell about were a long while back in WW2.

But first Poland. It is holding out against the pressures of the EU and all the false refugee invasion, just as they endured the Nazis and the Communists. Plucky people the Poles.

Polish Catholics to form border prayer chain 'for world peace'

Hundreds of thousands of Polish Catholics are expected to descend Saturday on the country's borders to recite the rosary "to save Poland and the world" from the dangers facing them, organisers say, but others claim the event is aimed at protecting Europe from what they term a Muslim onslaught.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4955750/Polish-Catholics-form-border-prayer-chain-world-peace.html

The episcopate insists that the "Rosary to the Borders" is a purely religious initiative, but some Catholics view it as a weapon against "Islamisation."

The date was not chosen at random. October 7 is when Catholics celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, marking the 1571 victory of Christianity over the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.

A victory attributed to the recital of the rosary "that saved Europe from Islamisation", the Solo Dios Basta foundation said on the website of the event it is organising.

Many Poles see Islam as a threat. The conservative government, which enjoys the backing of a sizeable portion of the population, refuses to welcome migrants to Poland, which has very few Muslims of its own.

Twenty-two border dioceses will take part in the event, whose faithful will congregate in some 200 churches for a lecture and mass before travelling to the border to say the rosary.

The goal is to have as many prayer points as possible along the 3,511 kilometres (about 2,200 miles) that make up Poland's borders with Belarus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine and the Baltic Sea.

Fishing boats will join in at sea, while kayaks and sailboats will form a chain along rivers and lakes. Prayers will also be said at the chapels of a few international airports.

Organisers hope one million people will show for the event. The railways are offering tickets for a symbolic 1 zloty (27 cents, 23 euro cents) to around 40 destinations on the border.

Those who are unable to attend can instead catch the event live on ultra-Catholic broadcaster Radio Maryja.

A Gentleman in Oklahoma

The goal is to pray for world peace, according to Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, spokesman for the Polish Bishops' Conference.

"The initiative obviously received the approval of Poland's bishops," he told AFP, emphasising that it would be wrong to view the event as a prayer against the arrival of Muslim refugees.

Despite the Mail slightly downplaying the National spirit and even the number ( a million are expected) it should be noted too that recently Poland was dedicated to Mary, the Immaculate Mother of Christ, with the President and Prime Minister of Poland attending the ceremony. 

Poland is Catholic to its Ancestral bones.

"Europe has been invaded by Islam, which doesn't respect our mores, our civilisation. The (terrorist) attacks leave behind hundreds of victims. Europe only makes a show of protecting borders," he said.

Dybowski, an editor of religious books, is behind the Rosary Crusade for the Motherland, a religious and political initiative bringing together ultra-Catholic nationalists.

"The reality is that there are no borders. (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel opened them up to a large extent," he told AFP.

"Poland is in danger. We need to shield our families, our homes, our country from all kinds of threats, including the de-Christianisation of our society, which the EU's liberals want to impose on us," he said.

"Austria and Hungary built barbed-wire walls against refugees. We're using prayer to create a spiritual barrier against the dangers of terrorism."

That news made a fine backdrop to the story related to us by the old lady.  The chap still thought it was a silly idea. He was not a Catholic and why should he believe anything I tell him, let alone the mass of Polish people?  Perhaps he was an atheist, in which case the Ale from my Supplier might help him see the light. Perhaps he was a 'christian' but a protesting one that does not seem to understand the special position Mary holds in Human, natural, and Divine & Supernatural history. Nor her Power.

Perhaps a protestant showing the power of the Rosary might help him.

The old lady told her tale:

Protected by the Rosary

It was a busy day in March. As a teacher-principal in the 1950's, I had to make sure that each day provided the time for the two separate roles. On that March fourth, an incident between a teacher and a parent had kept me out of my class for almost an hour that morning, so for the rest of the day, I was desperately trying to make up class time. Hence, the knock on my door at 2:00 p.m. was not welcome.

 http://www.michaeljournal.org/articles/roman-catholic-church/item/the-rosary-a-powerful-weapon-against-the-devil

With relief, I found it was only a salesman who needed my signature and even produced his pen. As he did so, his Rosary had caught onto the pen's clip and came out as well. I signed as I said indifferently, "So, you are a Catholic." 

"Oh no," he said, "but a lot of us owe our lives to Our Lady, and I promised Her I would always keep my Rosary with me and say it every day."

Today's warriors Pray the Rosary too

Twenty minutes later, I was still at the door listening, fascinated, to the account of one of the wonderful experiences a group of airmen had had with Our Lady. My visitor hesitated to start, for he had noticed my "non welcome" opening of the door. But eager now to hear his story, I assured him that the class was doing an exercise, and I begged him to proceed. He continued:

It was May, 1940, and we had joined the Air Force in late September. At Halifax, we were given an intensive training course, because they needed us overseas, and to us young lads, the whole program was exciting.

We were grouped into squadrons, each of which consisted of six to ten planes, and each was trained to maneuver as a unit. Therefore about thirty to fifty men made up a squadron, along with the squadron leader who gave all the orders and kept the group functioning in unity.

In May, our squadron was told we were going overseas and would be in action at once. We would work on nightly missions over enemy territory until the war was over. We were waiting for our new squadron leader, due to arrive in two days on a 9:00 p.m. air-force flight. Being an officer, he would, we thought, go at once to the officers' quarters.

We watched the plane, glimpsed him from the distance, and resigned ourselves to waiting until the next day to "size him up." A couple of hours later, this squadron leader, Stan Fulton, in full uniform, entered our bunk house.

“Well men, we're going to spend some dangerous hours together, but let's hope we all meet back here when it's over. Ah, there's a free bunk and I am tired! I'll meet each of you tomorrow.”

With that, he threw his bag on an upper bunk. Our squadron leader, an officer, sleeping here with us! We liked him at once and our liking and our admiration grew each day.

That first night he knelt on the floor and prayed his Rosary in silence. 

Astounded, we were struck dumb. 

When he finished, he looked at us with his friendly smile and said, “I hope you guys don't mind a fellow saying some prayers because where we're going, we're going to need them.”

The next day our maneuver practice, under his command, assured us that Fulton was not just our military leader, but our friend. He was one of us; he never tried to intimidate us with his rank.

That night, he repeated his prayer session. Although our group had trained together for six months at least, I had never seen anyone kneel in prayer, and had no idea that any of our group was Catholic; but the third night three of our companions joined Fulton in saying the Rosary. 

The rest of us did not understand but we kept a respectful silence.

A few nights later — we were quick learners — we all answered the Hail Marys and Our Fathers. Fulton looked pleased, and thus we ended each day in prayer.

On June 1, 1940, we were to leave Halifax to begin a series of night raids from England over Germany. The evening before, Fulton gave each of us a Rosary.

“We shall be in some tight situations, but then, if you agree, we'll say the Rosary. If you will promise to keep the Rosary with you always throughout your life and to say it, I can promise you that Our Lady will bring you all back safe to Canada.”

We answered, “Sure thing.” Little did we dream we would be in action for four years, many times in dreadful danger with fire all around us. At such times, Fulton's voice would ring through each plane, “Hail Mary...” How reverently and sincerely did we respond! How many hundreds of Rosaries we must have said.

After two years, it was noted that ours was the only squadron that had not lost a plane nor a single life. 

We said nothing, but we knew.

Finally, the terrible war was over. During those years, we lost all sense of excitement and adventure. All that concerned us was survival! We did survive, too. All returned to Canada in 1945, fully convinced that Our Lady had taken care of us.

So I never forget to keep my Rosary with me and say it every day although I am not a Catholic. When I change my trousers, the first thing I transfer, even before my wallet, is my rosary.

That inspiring episode from World War II, was written by Sr. Mary Sheila O'Neil and reported in the October-December, 1979 issue of Garabandal Magazine (P.O. Box 606 Lindenhurst, New York 11757 USA) and illustrates the power of the Rosary.  I am indebted to my good friend and Priest Fr G Pragash Suresh who first told me of it in a sermon ! 

This old Knight says his Rosary every day. I say it for my beloved Daughter - the one who will not speak to me. And her husband. And for my beloved Son and his lady. And for my special cyber daughter and her husband. And for all my friends. And for all my customers. As you might imagine, one recitation is not enough so several times a day you will find me, in quiet moments, with my beads.

I am a warrior. I have lived many years and seen many battles. I say my Rosary.

To my Mum.

Drink up and get yourself a Rosary.

Pax.