Everyone is speculating about our new pope and what he will be like. If we don’t know anything else about the man, we should know that he is devoted to the Holy Rosary. As Catholics around the world welcome Pope Leo XIV, it is worth reflecting on the significance of his chosen name. By taking the name Leo, he echoes Pope Leo XIII, remembered not only for launching the modern tradition of Catholic social teaching but also for being the great “Pope of the Rosary.”
 
Pope Leo XIII promoted the Rosary with great fervor. In a time of political upheaval, cultural confusion, and spiritual drift, he turned not to political ideology or institutional reform alone, but to Our Lady. He saw in the Rosary a weapon of peace, a school of virtue, and a contemplative lifeline to Christ. In twelve encyclicals, he urged families and parishes to rediscover this “simple yet profound” prayer, capable of forming the heart and renewing the Church.
 
The Rosary invites us to see Christ through Mary’s eyes, to ponder His mysteries slowly, lovingly, and deeply. It teaches us to dwell in the mysteries of faith, not rush past them. In this way, the Rosary cultivates patience, humility, trust, and above all, hope—even when the world is restless or uncertain.
 
Now, as Pope Leo XIV begins his pontificate, we are reminded that the path forward for the Church is not only through programs and policies, but through prayer and penance, through contemplation and communion, through becoming once more a people who listen with the heart.

Everything about Leo XIV overflows with Marian spirituality. He began his pontificate in May, the month of Mary, on the Feast of Our Lady of Pompaeii. He led all those watching his first address to the faithful in praying the Hail Mary, and he ended his first homily as pope by calling for the intercession of the Blessed Mother. He is a child of Mary to whom Jesus entrusted to all those who would follow him when Jesus said from the cross, “Behold your mother,” and he said to Mary, “Behold your son.”
 
The Rosary is not outdated. It is not for the sentimental. It is for spiritual warriors, for disciples on the road, for families seeking peace, and for a Church rediscovering its roots and identity.
 
In this new chapter of the Church’s life, let us return to this “go-to” prayer of the saints. Let the beads become the rhythm of our days. Let the mysteries guide our hearts. Let the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, form us again in the image of her Son.
 
St. Michael, defend us. Mary, lead us. Jesus, be our peace.