World Apostolate of Fatima England and Wales
July-August 2025 Newsletter
Featured this month: a beautiful insight into our children embracing the Fatima Message at a school visitation in the Archdiocese of Westminster - more here ...
Dear Readers,
We are pleased to present the second edition of our updated newsletter, highlighting the months of July and August. We trust you will enjoy reading about Fatima and our endeavours during the pilgrimage in Spain and Portugal, as well as here in England and Wales.
PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A DOUBLE ISSUE FOR JULY AND AUGUST - THE NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL BE IN SEPTEMBER
JULY - MONTH OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, AUGUST MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
One of the major themes of the Fatima messages is the importance of the the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that of the Precious Blood of Jesus appears in the apparition at Tuy in 1929.
The Precious Blood of Jesus serves as a powerful reminder of His love and sacrifice for humanity. It symbolizes redemption and grace, inviting us to reflect on our own relationship with Christ. By honouring His sacrifice, we grow closer to understanding God's unconditional love and mercy.
On the other hand, the Immaculate Heart of Mary represents pure love, compassion, and devotion. Mary, as our Mother, offers a model of faith and obedience. Her heart is filled with love for Jesus and for all of us, and she continually intercedes for us.
At Fatima, Mary urged the faithful to pray for the conversion of sinners, and this emphasises the profound connection between these two themes: through Jesus’ Blood and Mary’s heart, we find a path to healing and salvation.
NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
๏ปฟMESSAGE FROM OUR NATIONAL PRESIDENT
NEW / RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
FOCUS ON FIRST SATURDAYS!
WAF AGM & VOLUNTEERS - URGENT APPEAL
FROM OUR NATIONAL SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
NOTICES - FOCUS ON ACTIVITY
PLEDGE MEMBER FEEDBACK FEATURE
FATIMA ARTICLES
FATIMA GLOBAL NEWS FEATURE
EVENTS / VISITATIONS
DONATIONS
News updates from Patrick Cunningham
Dear Members,
The World Apostolate of Fatima is a public association of the faithful who undertake a mission to live, spread, and make known the message of Our Holy Mother, who appeared in Fatima in 1917. The message is a call to holiness, as we make our pilgrimage of faith, and as we were reminded at Fatima by the Angel and Our Lady, it also highlights the importance of:
• Prayer, and particularly the rosary
• Penance
• Sacrifice
• Conversion
• Consecration to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart
• Eucharistic Reparation
By living the message of Fatima and calling upon these spiritual weapons we can help to bring peace to a world where there is conflict and unrest. Our Lady will help us and guide us to her Son, if we trust in her protection, and embrace devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
When she appeared in October 1917 she said to the three seers, “I am the Lady of the Rosary,” and requested that a chapel be built in her honour. This chapel is now the Capelinha, and later on the Basilica of the Holy Rosary was constructed.
Please promote the importance of praying the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners and for world peace, and join us in a monthly on-line rosary, at 7pm every first Sunday of the month, commencing in this month on 6th, which is tomorrow. For further details refer to the image below.
Ave Maria
Patrick Cunningham
NEW / RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Useful Resources and Media๏ปฟ
Our new website
We have now completed our new website. Please visit and explore the wide range of content:
www.worldfatima-englandwales.org.uk/
Insights from Archbishop O'Toole
Our Patron Bishop Archbishop Mark O'Toole reflects on the Fatima message and the First Saturday devotion in a
short video.
New - WAF Introductory Video
Our new video emphasises the importance of the Fatima message for our times and how we can best respond.
View the video here.
Portiuncula indulgence
From midday 1st August to midnight 2nd August, the Portiuncula indulgence can be obtained: that is, a plenary indulgence may be gained by visiting a parish church and reciting there the Lord’s Prayer and the Profession of Faith (the Creed), in addition to the usual conditions of receiving the sacrament of penance and Holy Communion, and saying prayers for the Pope’s intentions.
The Portiuncula indulgence was originally petitioned for by St Francis, in the little church of Portiuncula, near Assisi.
For the teaching of the Church on indulgences, see paragraphs 1471-1479 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The details of the indulgence are:
From noon of August 1st until midnight of August 2nd the faithful can gain a plenary indulgence applicable to themselves or the souls in purgatory on the usual conditions:
1. Be in the state of grace.
2. Confession (8 days before or after).
3. Holy Communion.
4. Prayers for the intention of the Pope (usually Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be.)
5. And by visiting a cathedral, parochial, quasi-parochial or Franciscan church and there praying at least one Our Father & one Creed.
In addition, it is necessary to have the intention of gaining the indulgence and to be detached from all affection to sin even venial, otherwise the indulgence is gained partially.
The intentions of the Pope are:
1. The exaltation of the Church
2. The propagation of the faith.
3. The extirpation of heresy
4. The conversion of sinners
5. Concord between Christian princes
6. All other goods of the Christian people.
It is well worth trying to gain a plenary indulgence at it means the complete remission of the temporal punishment for sins that have been forgiven - so it is a way of avoiding purgatory.
Also, Saturday 2nd August 2025, is the First Saturday of the month, so we hope you will be able to participate in the Fatima Five First Saturdays devotion next month. There are details about this below.
FOCUS ON FIRST SATURDAYS
We hope you were able to participate in the Fatima Five First Saturdays devotion recently. Here are some useful resources to help you understand better this important devotion.
WAF AGM & VOLUNTEERS - URGENT APPEAL
๏ปฟPlease look at this information about the WAF AGM in October this year, and our need volunteers to help our mission to spread the message of Fatima. The poster can be printed off and shared from the link below. Also this image can be shared on social media.
FROM OUR NATIONAL SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Spiritual reflections from Canon Jason ๏ปฟ
My Dear WAF family,
In a few days time, WAF England and Wales will be undertaking a special Jubilee Pilgrimage to Fatima.
We shall be in Fatima for the anniversary celebrations of the 12/13th July. This year however, we will be making a detour before we arrive at Fatima as we shall stay at Santiago for two nights enabling us to visit the Basilica of St James, and to visit the nearby town of Pontevedra where on 10th Dec 1925, Our Lady fulfilled the promise made on 13th July in 1917, that she would come to ask for the First Saturdays devotion to be practised.
At Fatima during the July apparition after the vision of Hell, Our Lady said to the Shepherd Children.
“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.
“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and a of peace will be granted to the world.”
Our Lady kept her word and came to Lucia at Pontevedra in 1925.
It will be a special joy for WAF members on the pilgrimage this year to celebrate Holy Mass at the convent chapel where Sr Lucia saw Our Lady in 1925 and received the full message of the Five First Saturdays devotion and its significance.
The Pilgrimage this year will be led by the WAF Bishop Patron, His Grace Archbishop Mark O’Toole of Cardiff-Menevia.
The centennial anniversary of the Pontevedra apparition is the reason for the present Cathedral Visitation of both the NVPS and the Centenary Pilgrim Virgin Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so as to promote and raise awareness of a neglected part of Fatima message concerning the Five First Saturdays Devotion.
The Pilgrimage providentially falls in the Holy Year of 2025 in which we consider the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
As we journey through life, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is our refuge of hope that leads us to God.
There is a double promise in undertaking the First Saturdays devotion: we grow in our Christian discipleship through the regular reception of the Sacraments of monthly Confession and Holy Communion, which trains for us the final reward of assistance at the hour of death.
The Five first Saturday Devotion is the plan of Hope for the world, and this is the year to make it a reality in our parishes and in our own lives.
One day our Pilgrimage will be over and there to welcome us and lead us to God will be the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Be assured of my prayers and those of fellow WAF pilgrims during the National Pilgrimage.
Fr Jason
Canon Jason Jones
National Spiritual Director
WAF England and Wales
FATIMA NOTICE BOARD
Click on the section below for more about our important events or activites
PLEDGE MEMBER FEEDBACK
Reflections, thoughts and insights from members
Do you have something to share? A story or an experience which helped with your journey of faith ... please let us know.
FATIMA ARTICLES
Informative and topical articles related to the Message of Fatima
July is the month dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus
Although the Precious Blood of Christ isn't mentioned directly in the Fatima messages, there is a connection as regards the theme of sacrificial blood. This is found in the third part of the Fatima secret, as revealed in the year 2,000.
In the text of the secret as written down by Sr Lucia, she describes how the Pope, Bishops, Priests, and men and women Religious, were going up a steep mountain at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks. When they reached the top of the mountain the Pope and his followers were martyred. Sr Lucia then says,
"Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God."
So we have an image somewhat similar to the above traditional image of angels collecting the Precious Blood of Christ when he was crucified.
This consideration emphasises the connection between Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body and his members, his followers, and particularly those who have shed their blood as martyrs.
There is a good book on the devotion to the Precious Blood, entitled, Why is thy Apparel Red or Glories of the Precious Blood, by Fr Max Francic Walz, which is available to download here:
https://archive.org/details/whyisthyapparelr00walzuoft
Here are some other resources relating to this devotion:
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/07_1.cfm
https://www.catholicaldridge.co.uk/litany-of-the-precious-blood.html
Catholic Herald Article published 13 May 2025
Just over a century ago, between May and October 1917, Our Lady appeared at Fátima in Portugal, at the height of World War I – as Europe was tearing itself apart in a fratricidal struggle – with a message of peace and salvation for all. In our own time, we can see that we live in a world where peace is still at a premium; particularly in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia we have a situation reminiscent of the worst aspects of the terrible trench warfare of the First World War. Read more.
August and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
August is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and this is a theme which is very much at the centre of the Fatima Message.
We can see this if we look at some extracts from what Our Lady said about her Immaculate Heart during her apparitions at Fatima and later on.
On 13 June 1917, in responding to Sr Lucia, she said: "Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."
She also said: "Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”
On 13 July 1917, Sr Lucia made some requests for sick people, to which Mary replied that she would cure some but not others, and that all must say the rosary to obtain such graces, before continuing:
“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
After showing the children the vision of hell, the Blessed virgin said, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart."
"I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and a of peace will be granted to the world.”
On 13 June 1929, at Tuy in Spain, Our Lady said, “The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops in the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.”
So we learn from Our Lady’s words at Fatima that God wants the devotion to her Immaculate Heart to be spread throughout the world, and also that this Heart is a sure refuge for believers.
We also learn that in order to save souls from hell, God likewise wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and also that the consecration to this Heart will be the means by which Russia will be saved.
All of this underlines just how powerful and important the Fatima Message and also how important it is that this devotion be spread throughout the world. That is one of the tasks of the the World Apostolate of Fatima which we all need to bear in mind, and particularly during the month of August.
FATIMA GLOBAL NEWS
Fatima News highlights from around the World
Vatican Grants Pontevedra Jubilee Year
Vatican grants a Jubilee Year to the Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pontevedra for the centenary of Our Lady’s Apparition to Sister Lucia.
The Vatican has granted the Convent-Shrine of Pontevedra, in Spain, the privilege of celebrating a Marian Jubilee Year from December 10, 2025 to December 10, 2026, on the occasion of the centenary of the apparition of Our Lady and the Child Jesus to Sister Lucia. It was during this apparition, on December 10, 1925, that the devotion of the First Five Saturdays of the month was requested by Our Lady. Read more.
EVENTS / VISITATIONS
Some video highlights of recent Fatima events and media.
Video from the first ever school visitation in the Archdiocese of Westminster, in June - St Thomas More Language College in Cadogan St., Chelsea, London.๏ปฟ
Procession of the Fatima Pilgrim Virgin Statue opened event at St Chad's Cathedral
On Saturday 28 June, St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham hosted the Visitation of the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and the Relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco. You can see more details about this event, including a photo gallery and video, here...
๏ปฟMessage from the WAF International Secretariat about Online Events
We are sharing with you below the Zoom link for anyone willing to attend the 7th Formation Session, this Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 7:00 pm (Philippine Time) with the topic: THE BROWN SCAPULAR (Our Lady's Garment of Holiness).
Reynald & Debra Andales, from the WAF Philippines will conduct the session.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9079929592?pwd=QJauzuvuWbfLJHEe3qWpZMqb5wtx7d.1&omn=85084108379
Meeting ID: 907 992 9592
Passcode: 998379
We are also posting here below, the link to the cloud recording of the 4th Session done on March 9, 2025 with the topic: MARY'S ROSARY (Our Lady's School of Holiness):
Share Link
Passcode: $6DQqRe9
Recording Summary
Reynald led a discussion on online formation focused on modesty and dress as a sacrifice pleasing to the Blessed Mother, sharing stories and teachings about Jacinta Marto's experiences and messages from the Virgin Mary. The discussion covered various Catholic teachings on sins of the flesh, societal responsibilities, and the impact of immodest dress on spiritual welfare and personal conduct. Reynald emphasized the importance of prayer, following religious guidelines for modesty in dress, and the need for personal responsibility in rejecting inappropriate desires, concluding with plans for future topics and arrangements for sharing the presentation recording.
