From the Rector: 100th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

Fatima, Portugal is one of the most revered sights in the Roman Catholic religion. It was in this tiny village where, starting in 1916, three small Portuguese shepherd children had encounters first with an Angel and later with the Lady who has become known as Our Lady of Fatima.

The Message of Fatima is an invitation and a school of salvation. It was initiated by the Angel of Peace (1916) and completed by Our Lady (1917). It was lived, to a heroic degree, by the three Little Shepherds, Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco.

The Message of Fatima, which is that of the Gospel, emphasizes the following points:
permanent conversion;
prayer, and namely the Rosary;
the sense of collective responsibility and the practice of reparation.

The acceptance of the Message brings with it Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is a symbol of commitment to faithfulness and to the apostolate.
Afterwards, when Lucia was a Religious Sister of Saint Dorothy, Our Lady appeared to her again in Spain, in the Convent of Pontevedra, on the 10th December 1925. By her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was a Child. The most holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucia’s shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child said: “Have compassion on the Heart of your most holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them”.

Then the most holy Virgin requested the devotion of the Five First Saturdays.

The request consisted in:
-praying the Rosary
-meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary
-confessing and
-receiving Holy Communion, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

You can complete the 5 first Saturdays between now and the Anniversary of the first apparition which is in May.

Confession times at Cathedral parish are:
Weekdays 7:15 -7:45am
Wednesday 12noon -1pm
Thursday evening 6-7pm
Saturday 9-10am
Saturday 3-5pm

Don’t miss the opportunity to follow Bishop Wall during his visit to Fatima, March 13th to the 22nd at voiceofthesouthwest.org!