Episode 159: Explore the Wonders of the Rosary with Fr. Donald Calloway

Meet Father Donald Calloway, MIC

Father Donald Calloway serves as vicar provincial and vocation director for the Mother of Mercy Province of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He is the author of numerous books, and is widely known for his remarkable conversion story told at conferences and appearances on EWTN. 

In this episode, we explore his book, Ten Wonders of the Rosary, now available on Shop Mercy and Amazon.

The Wonders

This episode focuses on a few wonders of the rosary: its divine origin, power as a spiritual weapon, it being feared by Satan, how it crowns Mary with spiritual roses, its role in bringing about conversion, its status as the favored Marian devotion of popes, its association with the lives of saints, its ability to change history and bring peace, and its power to overcome radical Islam.

Father Calloway quotes Pope Leo XIII, beginning with the first wonder: the Rosary is of Divine origin. He recounts a vision experienced by St. Dominic’s mother before his birth, where she saw a dog leaping from her womb with a flaming torch in its mouth. The dog ran throughout the world, setting it on fire. Though she didn’t understand its meaning at the time, her son Dominic would go on to found the Order of Preachers—more commonly known as the Dominicans. The Dominicans, whose Latin nickname Domini canes means "dogs of God," were entrusted with the mission to set the world ablaze with love for Christ through their passionate preaching of the sacred mysteries of Christianity.

Deep Roots

The Rosary has deep roots, closely tied to what is called the Marian Psalter. In the 12th century, monks developed a form of prayer that mirrored the Psalms but focused on the "Our Father" (Paternoster) and the "Hail Mary" (Ave Maria). This prayer sequence, made up of 150 beads divided into sets of ten (called decades), eventually became what we know today as the Rosary.

Father Calloway shares many remarkable accounts of the Rosary in his book, including the extraordinary case at Florida State University (FSU)  in 1978. In this instance, the Rosary saved a young woman from serial killer Ted Bundy, who was responsible for at least 30 brutal murders. On January 15, 1978, Bundy broke into a sorority house at FSU, and though one sorority sister came face-to-face with him, she was left unharmed. In shock, she later asked to speak to a priest. Monsignor William Kerr arrived at the scene, and the young woman shared that she had made a promise to her mother before leaving for college that she would pray the Rosary every night for protection. On that night, she had fallen asleep with the Rosary in her hand. When Bundy entered her room, he dropped his weapon and fled. Bundy himself later told Monsignor Kerr that he had no idea why he hadn’t killed the woman—he said that some mysterious force had stopped him.

Father Calloway's book overflows with powerful stories of the Rosary's incredible grace. He encourages us to pray the Rosary often so that through our prayers, our broken world may be brought back to the loving embrace of Jesus Christ.