Praying the Rosary with
the Smiling Pope
by Br. John Samaha, S.M.
the Smiling Pope
by Br. John Samaha, S.M.
While some misinterpreted the Second Vatican Council as downgrading devotion to
Our Lady, Bishop Albino Luciani of Vittorio Veneto, Italy (later Pope John Paul I), was
concerned about his people that no longer prayed the rosary. He continued to promote
devotion to Our Lady and to the rosary. But he urged more than superficial devotion.
At times Bishop Luciani was approached by simple faithful who asked him out of pious
curiosity what title of Our Lady he liked best. Without satisfying their curiosity he would
reply with a twinkle in his eye, “If you would let me give you some advice, may I suggest
that you have devotion to Our Lady of the Pots and Pans, or Our Lady of the Broom.
You see, Our Lady became a saint as a simple life, washing the dishes, preparing
meals, peeling the potatoes, or things like that.”
“What I was trying to tell them,” he explained to his priests, “was that, yes, they should
have great devotion to Our Lady, they must pray to her and have great confidence in
her, but above all, they must imitate her virtues.”
Albino Luciani, now affectionately remembered as “The Smiling Pope” and recognized
as a superb catechist, loved the rosary and was frequently seen with it in his hands. In
1972 he wrote, “The rosary becomes a look at Mary, which grows in intensity little by
little as one proceeds. It ends by being a refrain which springs from the heart and
when repeated sweetens the soul like a song….When I speak with God and Our
Lady, I prefer to think myself a child rather than a grown-up. The miter, the zucchetto,
the ring disappear. I send the grown-up on vacation, and the bishop with him, and
abandon myself to the spontaneous tenderness that a child has for its papa and
mama. To be for a while before God as I am in reality, with the worst of myself and
the best of myself; to let rise to the surface from the depths of my being the child I
once was, who wants to laugh, to chatter, to love the Lord, and who sometimes feels
the need to cry so that he may be shown mercy, helps me to pray. The rosary, a
simple and easy prayer, helps me to be a child, and I am not ashamed at all.”
Used with permission, courtesy Brother John Samaha, S.M. - Marianist Brother:
Our Lady, Bishop Albino Luciani of Vittorio Veneto, Italy (later Pope John Paul I), was
concerned about his people that no longer prayed the rosary. He continued to promote
devotion to Our Lady and to the rosary. But he urged more than superficial devotion.
At times Bishop Luciani was approached by simple faithful who asked him out of pious
curiosity what title of Our Lady he liked best. Without satisfying their curiosity he would
reply with a twinkle in his eye, “If you would let me give you some advice, may I suggest
that you have devotion to Our Lady of the Pots and Pans, or Our Lady of the Broom.
You see, Our Lady became a saint as a simple life, washing the dishes, preparing
meals, peeling the potatoes, or things like that.”
“What I was trying to tell them,” he explained to his priests, “was that, yes, they should
have great devotion to Our Lady, they must pray to her and have great confidence in
her, but above all, they must imitate her virtues.”
Albino Luciani, now affectionately remembered as “The Smiling Pope” and recognized
as a superb catechist, loved the rosary and was frequently seen with it in his hands. In
1972 he wrote, “The rosary becomes a look at Mary, which grows in intensity little by
little as one proceeds. It ends by being a refrain which springs from the heart and
when repeated sweetens the soul like a song….When I speak with God and Our
Lady, I prefer to think myself a child rather than a grown-up. The miter, the zucchetto,
the ring disappear. I send the grown-up on vacation, and the bishop with him, and
abandon myself to the spontaneous tenderness that a child has for its papa and
mama. To be for a while before God as I am in reality, with the worst of myself and
the best of myself; to let rise to the surface from the depths of my being the child I
once was, who wants to laugh, to chatter, to love the Lord, and who sometimes feels
the need to cry so that he may be shown mercy, helps me to pray. The rosary, a
simple and easy prayer, helps me to be a child, and I am not ashamed at all.”
Used with permission, courtesy Brother John Samaha, S.M. - Marianist Brother:
Legion of Mary - Diocese of Phoenix, AZ
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Danial Tibi
Praying the Rosary with the Smiling Pope
Br. John M. Samaha, S.M.
Br. John M. Samaha, S.M.
Pope John Paul I: affectionately known as "Il Papa del sorriso"
("The smiling Pope") and "Il sorriso di Dio" ("God's smile")
("The smiling Pope") and "Il sorriso di Dio" ("God's smile")