The Most Important But Ignored Feast Day on 8 September

Blessed Alan (Alain) de la Roche OP

Born: 8 September 1428

Died: 8 September 1475

Today is the feast day of the saint (in this case blessed) that I am named after.* For way too long it has been ignored so I am going to do something about that.

OK people calm down, I'll grant it is with good reason that his feast is ignored. In fact, as you will see, even he doesn't mind.

As you will notice he was born on this date. That was a portent of what was to come. When he grew up he joined the Dominicans. In his studies at Saint Jacques, Paris, he distinguished himself in philosophy & theology. From 1459 to 1475 he taught almost uninterruptedly at a variety of places. In 1473 he was made Master of Sacred Theology. H e regarded as his special mission, the preaching & re-establishment of the Rosary, which he did with success throughout northern France, Flanders, & the Netherlands. During this time he also founded The Confraternities of the Rosary that continue to this day.

He is reported to have had several visions of Jesus as well as the Blessed Virgin. 1 vision occured in 1460. It was the 1 that gave him his impetus to promote the rosary. It could be described as a special warning from Our Lord in order to spur him on to preach the Holy Rosary. Jesus spoke to him in the Sacred Host: "How can you crucify Me again so soon?" Jesus asked. "What did You say, Lord?" replied Blessed Alan, horrified. "You crucified Me once before by your sins," answered Jesus, "and I would willingly be crucified again rather than have My Father offended by the sins you used to commit. You are crucifying Me again now because you have all the learning and understanding that you need to preach My Mother's Rosary, and you are not doing so. If you only did this you could teach many souls that right path and lead them away from sin - but you are not doing it and so, you yourself are guilty of the sins that they commit."

Later Mary spoke to him to inspire him to preach the Holy Rosary more and more: "Your were a great sinner in your youth," she said, "but I obtained the grace of your conversion from my Son. Had such a thing been possible I would have liked to have gone through all kinds of suffering to save you because converted sinners are a glory to me. And I would have done this also to make you worthy of preaching my Rosary far and wide." (Taken from The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort)

Mary also gave to him the 15 Rosary Promises that she had originally given to St. Dominic.

By now I am sure that you understand why I said his birth date was a portent of things to come. It is also said that he specificly asked for & was granted the privledge of dying on the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary's birth.

Blessed Alan's call to pray the Rosary is needed now more than ever. I am sure that he would be preaching loud & clear telling us that we must pray it to end abortion. He would remind us of the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571 & how it was won by praying the Rosary.

Like I said, he is willing to let Mary's Birthday take the spotlight. But, I think he would like us to remember why he felt that way & listen to what he had to say in obedience to the call God gave him about praying the Rosary. & if we do that, then he will be truly honored as he would like on his feast day.

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* Note: I celebrate Blessed Alan's feast day because he was the ist Alan in any form of the spelling that I found. Since then I have found several others including a St. Allen. Little is known of this saint except he has been identified with a Breton bishop of Quimper who came from Wales.