IT is an ongoing project for 200 days—countries, including the Philippines, agree to pray 1 million rosaries a day. In July my OB-GYN, Dr. Josefiña Ponciano of Medical City, and I started our mission—the Rosary Prayer Rally for Peace, which we presented to Philippine Navy families at the Bonifacio Naval Stadium Chapel under Col. Tirso Dolina, the military chaplain.

Dr. Ponciano presented slides of disasters from around the world starting January this year—calamities, death by the thousands of fishes, birds and animals, followed by earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricane and flood. The message of Our Lady of Fatima warned us to repent, go back to God, go to confession and pray the rosary. We started giving out rosaries and leaflets on how to pray the rosary.

From the time of Magellan in 1521 to the present, praying the rosary has been a powerful Catholic devotion. Many miracles have been recorded from the time of Our Lady of La Naval and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (celebrated every first Sunday of October at Sto. Domingo Church).

These miracles involve people getting healed, bloodshed being avoided (like in Edsa 1 in 1986 where the nuns used the rosary to win the soldier so they will not attack with the tanks). Families who pray the rosary together reap the reward of a happy family, no divorce, no separations and no tragic death.

The late Fr. Patrick Peyton of the Family Rosary Crusade says that the family who prays together stays together. I personally attribute my survival for five years to my daily devotion of the holy rosary. I am suffering from a blood disorder that can lead to blood clotting, stroke, leukemia and other illnesses like diabetes and depression.

My rosary is with me all the time. I sleep while holding my rosary and I cannot imagine a day without my rosary. There are many other miracles attributed to praying the rosary—many problems solved, many lives saved. Satan is said to be afraid of the rosary for it depicts life of Jesus and Mary in a meditative way.

My friend Rose Dizon from Philippine Airlines has been making and giving away red rosaries with healing powers to friends and patients in hospitals. Counted among the latest miracles attributed to Rose’s devotion are the patients who were healed from dengue during an outbreak in August. Even veteran journalist Julie Yap Daza experienced a miracle from the rosary with her grandson and friend.

Pray the rosary and be blessed.