"Our Lady of the Rosary," Simone Cantarini, 17th C., Brescia, Italy
"The demons were attacking me," said the Exorcist, "So I grabbed my rosary and held it up. Instantly, the demons were undone and fled."
St. Bartolo Longo, the Apostle of the Rosary, was being crushed by demonic obsessions. He had been converted to the Faith from his practice of Satanism. But he was haunted by the idea that he remained consecrated to Satan and destined for hell. He was on the brink of despair and suicide. In desperation he began to pray the rosary. His devotion to the rosary cast out the demonic mental attacks and was the instrument of his road to sanctity.
Pope Pius XI wrote, "“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight." Padre Pio said, "The rosary is the weapon for these times." In our exorcism sessions, as the priest prays the solemn rite, we often have the laity praying the rosary. Fr. Gabriel Amorth, former exorcist of Rome, recalled an encounter with Satan. The Evil One, being forced to tell the truth, said, "Every Hail Mary of the Rosary is a blow to the head for me; if Christians knew the power of the Rosary, it would be the end of me!"
As exorcists, we are a particular target for Satan. Overall, we are protected but there remains a demonic bullseye on our back. Nightly I sprinkle my room with holy water and invoke the Virgin and St. Michael. And I sleep, just as I go throughout the day, with the rosary in my hands.