Northern Dioceses Fatima Pilgrimage, September 2024 - Part 1
Webmaster
Northern Dioceses Fatima Pilgrimage, 19-26 September 2024 - Part 1 By Pilgrimage organiser Patrick Cunningham๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Over recent years the World Apostolate of Fatima has visited a number of Churches in the Northern dioceses of England and Wales (WAF-E&W), primarily to promote awareness of the events that took place in Fatima, Portugal, over 100 years ago, and also to encourage devotion to our Holy Mother who constantly intercedes for all Humanity. ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Due to this increased awareness WAF-E&W arranged a pilgrimage to Fatima for pilgrims from the Northern Dioceses, with the help and support of Canon Stephen Watson from St Pauls, Alnwick, Fr Manoj Punchakunnel from St Pauls, Cramlington, Fr Saji Thottathil from St Matthews, Jarrow, and Fr Bill Serplus from St Aelred’s at York. ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Forty-eight pilgrims inclusive of the four parish priests, plus Deacon Rob Wareing from St Pauls, Cramlington and Sister Bridget Okoye from the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation, Birmingham, joined the pilgrimage which took place between 19th to 26th September 2024. ๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Pilgrims travelled by coach to Manchester Airport, to board the flight to Lisbon, Portugal, and then finally via coach transfer to Domus Pacis Hotel in Fatima.๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
The Hotel was initially funded by the founding members of the Blue Army (now known as the World Apostolate of Fatima) to provide accommodation for pilgrims from all over the world. Apart from its many rooms and dining facilities, it also has a large conference room, a chapel at ground floor level, and a Byzantine chapel above. We arrived in the early hours of Friday morning, and all went to their rooms to catch up on sleep.๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
The pilgrimage began with a talk by Mr. Nuno Prazeres and Mrs. Ana Reis, from the WAF-International Secretariat. Fatima is probably the most prophetic apparition the world has witnessed and came at a time when the world was turning away from God. Our Lady came with a message to restore the centrality of God in people’s lives and with a message of hope to bring peace back to the world. We may well ask what have we learnt and what have we done since then.๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
This is why prayer is so important. Praying the rosary will bring peace to the world.๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
The talk was especially interesting given that Nuno and Ana related personal stories about the events in Fatima during the apparitions from the eyewitness accounts of their respective grandparents.๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Nuno told a story from his grandfather who had known Francisco. One day his grandfather was playing Hide and Seek with Francisco and some other boys.๏ปฟ๏ปฟ
๏ปฟ
Everyone had been found except Francisco, so all the boys started to look for him and eventually they found Francisco on a tree praying the rosary. He had simply forgotten they were playing a game and prayed the rosary. For Francisco God was the centre of his life, and the meaning of his life was to pray.
Ana recalled that her grandmother was about 2 years old at the time of the apparitions. The people of the village were mainly farmers and shepherds, and often quite poor, and so handed down clothes. When her grandmother turned 6-7 years old, she was given a blouse to wear by Jacinta Marto’s mother, Olympia, and she was told that now she was wearing the blouse of Jacinta she now has to be as good as Jacinta was!
Her grandmother lived a long life and died a few years ago at the age of 97. She would pray the Rosary every day of her life and follow the requests of Our Lady of Fatima.
Later, that day we had a tour of the shrine which lies over the apparition site of the Cova da Iria, at Fatima. The Shrine has two Basilicas, one at either end of the sanctuary area. The Basilica of the Holy Rosary was begun in 1928 (11 years after the apparitions of Our Lady in 1917) and was consecrated on 7th October 1953. It has 15 altars and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.
The painting above the high altar depicts the message of Our Lady to the little shepherds (Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta), prepared by the Angel of Portugal through their encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. The tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta lie on either side of the high altar, and Blessed Lucia lies next to Jacinta’s tomb.
The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, dedicated on October 12, 2007, has a seating capacity of 8,633. A smaller chapel, the Capelinha, was built at the apparition site and is the heart of the sanctuary. The marble pillar on which the statue of Our Lady rests is the exact spot where she appeared. Four million people visit the sanctuary each year.
The pilgrimage itinerary for the week included daily Mass and visits to sites of interest as well as free time to explore the shrine’s many chapels, including those for perpetual Adoration and Reconciliation. Masses were held each day, most of which were presided over by the priests and deacon from our pilgrimage group. This included a Mass at the Chapel of the Angel of Peace at the shrine, Mass at St Anthony’s, the local Fatima church where the seers went to Mass and to pray, and the church at Santarem (This visit included veneration of the Eucharistic bleeding Host).
A Rosary and candlelight procession was held each night at the Chapel of Apparitions; this was a very moving experience and well worth attending. Every Sunday, the Sanctuary holds a morning international Rosary, followed by an international Mass. Thousands of people were in attendance as the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was processed to the outdoor altar.
On the Sunday we were in attendance there was a special blessing of helmets for motorcyclists. The event is held annually, drawing many thousands of motorcyclists from across the region. The blessing added to the atmosphere at the shrine showing reverence in a spiritual gathering and fostering community support by raising funds for the purchase of an adapted wheelchair for a 23-year-old resident of Peniche who became a paraplegic after a motorcycle accident in 2021.
The second part of this account will continue next month
Our WAF England and Wales Fatima pilgrims participated in the anniversary celebrations of the 12/13th July. This year they made a detour before arriving at Fatima - staying at Santiago for two nights enabling them 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. Canon Jason (WAF Spiritual Director - England & Wales) reminded us: 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. Read More from Fr Jason
๏ปฟ 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.
An inspiring talk by the WAF, England & Wales Spiritual Director, Canon Jason Jones As we commemorate the anniversary of the First Five Saturdays, Canon Jason provides invaluable insights into how the Immaculate Heart of Mary beautifully mirrors the Sacred Heart of Jesus, emphasizing the deep interconnectedness between both devotions.
Join us as we pray together for The Holy Father's prayer intentions during the month of July 2025.
World Apostolate of Fatima England and Wales
World Apostolate of Fatima England and Wales
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. The devotion consists in going for Confessing, receiving Holy Communion, reciting five decades of the rosary, and keep Our Lady’s company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Her Immaculate Heart. The commemoration will begin on December 10, 2025, date of the apparition and will be extended to December 2026. In granting this Jubilee Year, the Holy See is offering a special period of spiritual graces to all those who shall make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Pontevedra and fulfill the required precepts to obtain the indulgences of the jubilee. The World Apostolate of Fatima has launched an International Congress in Fatima and a pilgrimage to Pontevedra and Santiago of Compostela from December 5 to 12, 2025 , with the purpose to grow in knowledge and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to join the solemn celebrations of the centenary of the apparitions in Pontevedra, reinforcing the importance of the First Saturdays request. Registrations are still open! If you have not registered yet, please rush to do it and do not miss this unique opportunity. For more information and registration click here: https://congress.worldfatima.com/#info The House of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pontevedra, is run by the religious congregation “Servants of the Lord”, who are now setting up a network of volunteers to assist in welcoming the pilgrims and visitors during the centenary year. A set of pastoral activities will also mark the occasion. The official program for the celebrations of the centenary will hopefully be soon released. Here is the webpage, in Spanish, with more information: https://www.casadelinmaculadocorazon.es/ Let us start preparing our hearts for this, with our prayers. Kind regards, Nuno Prazeres / Ana Reis World Apostolate of Fatima – Intl. Secretariat
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. Eight years after her apparitions to the children of Fátima – Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and Lucia dos Santos – the Blessed Virgin appeared to the eldest of them, Sr Lucia, while she was a postulant in the Dorothean convent at Pontevedra in Spain. 10 December 1925, she fully revealed the Five First Saturdays devotion associated with the Fátima message. The centenary of this apparition is being celebrated this year by the World Apostolate of Fátima (WAF) in England & Wales, which is part of a worldwide organisation which is the officially approved Fátima body in the Church. The Apostolate is arranging for two Fatima statues, and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto, to visit all the cathedrals in England and Wales between May of this year and October 2026, in a repeat of what happened in 2017, the Fátima centenary year. The Five First Saturdays is a monthly devotion, to be done over five consecutive months, which involves the recitation the rosary with a 15-minute mediation, plus Confession and Holy Communion, with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary afflicted by the sins of mankind. In return, Our Lady promised to those who complete the devotion assistance at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation – that is a promise of heaven. This devotion is a very important part of the Fátima message, not least because it was linked by the Blessed Virgin to the conversion of Russia during her July 1917 apparition, when the children were given the Secret of Fátima in three parts. In this centenary year of the First Saturdays devotion, the current world situation has become increasingly more serious and worrying, and so a renewed promotion of the Fátima Message, with its promise of the conversion of Russia, the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and an era of peace, has become an even more urgent necessity. As regards Russia and its conversion, this is especially so, given the current aggression in Ukraine, which is also a threat to Europe as a whole, but particularly Eastern Europe. The situation is further complicated with what looks like less American involvement in Europe. At the same time, more countries, for example Iran and North Korea, are striving to develop their nuclear-weapons programmes. The Holy Land and the lands around it are seeing renewed bloodshed, and the China/Taiwan stand-off is an ever-present worry – and this is to say nothing of the continuing humanitarian crises, and the increasing persecution of Christians worldwide. If this seems alarmist or exaggerated, then it is sobering to recall that during her July 1917 apparition, Our Lady spoke of the danger of various nations being annihilated. On 13 July 1917, she requested, “the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays.” The first part of her request was fulfilled when Pope St John Paul II consecrated Russia collegially with the bishops of the world on 25 March 1984; thereafter the Soviet Union and its Communist ideology collapsed from within. It now remains for the Church to fulfil the second part of Our Lady’s request – the promotion of the Five First Saturdays devotion. Then she will fulfil her promise, that “Russia will be converted and a period of peace will be granted to the world.” That is why the Five First Saturdays devotion is so important and why the centenary is being celebrated this year. In this centenary year of the First Saturdays devotion, humanity is entering a more precarious, indeed perilous era, and thus the Fátima Message must surely assume a much greater importance for the Church and the world. As individuals we can do very little to ameliorate the global problems we are now facing in a direct way, but at Fátima, Our Lady gave us the means to bring about real and lasting change in the world, and peace, and that is through the power of prayer to change minds and hearts. The Centenary of the Five First Saturdays devotion is an opportunity to present the Fátima message anew, through increased commitment to prayer and devotion. The World Apostolate of Fátima in England and Wales, through its programme of visits of the Fátima statues and relics to all the cathedrals in England and Wales is leading the way. Donal Anthony Foley is a committee member for the World Apostolate of Fátima (WAF) in England & Wales .
Prayer is the mainstay of the Christian and Catholic life and so it isn’t surprising to see how, once the Fatima children had experienced the awesomeness and power of the angel of Fatima and the beauty and goodness of Our Lady, they increasingly devoted their lives to prayer. We can learn some important lessons from this and from the Fatima message, generally, for our own prayer lives. The Angel of Portugal, or Angel of Peace, as he identified himself, appeared to the three seers during the summer of 1916, when they were playing on the stone slabs of the well at the bottom of the garden belonging to Lucia’s parents. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Pray, pray very much! The most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.” That the angel should have spoken to the children in this way is highly significant. He had previously appeared to them in the spring and invited them to pray with him as follows: “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You!” – telling them that the Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to their supplications. He appeared again in the fall and taught them a prayer of adoration of reparation for sins against the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, known as The Angel Prayer. Sister Lucia tells us, “His words engraved themselves so deeply on our minds that we could never forget them. From then on, we used to spend long periods of time, prostrate like the Angel, repeating his words, until sometimes we fell, exhausted.” Later on, during the apparitions of Our Lady, she too, was insistent on the great importance of prayer, calling them to pray the Rosary every day, and relating that Francisco must pray “many Rosaries” before he would be called home to heaven. Following their kidnapping by the local mayor on August 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin implored, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.” From all of this, we can deduce that their vocation was so exalted that a complete dedication to prayer was demanded of them and that this ought to come before everything else. Sister Lucia later wrote that the Blessed Virgin was not just speaking to three little children. Surely, we who seek to follow in the footsteps of the seers, need to make prayer much more the center of our lives. Prayer Makes A Difference When the Blessed Virgin appeared in Belgium in the early 1930s, at Beauraing and Banneux, the message she delivered then also focused on the importance of prayer. During the apparitions, she told the children at Beauraing to “pray, pray very much,” and to “pray always,” while at Banneux, she told the seer to “pray much.” This was in the context of the rise of Nazism in neighboring Germany, with all the terrible evils that it would bring down on the world. It can be difficult to pray, at times, even when we are in a calm and recollected mood – it becomes much more difficult if we are disturbed by a spirit of fear or discontent at what is going on around us or in the news, or on social media. Somehow, we have to be so focused on prayer that it acts as a rock in our lives and prevents the currents of discontent which swirl around us from overwhelming us. The reality is that rather than neglecting prayer we need to realize that, following the teaching of Our Lady, our prayers and sacrifices really do matter and really do make a difference, and also that they enable us to remain steadfast in the Faith, regardless of what is happening in the world. If, as she repeatedly reminded us at Fatima, the Rosary has the power to stop wars and bring about peace, then praying it devoutly can certainly help us to deal with the lesser problems that we have to deal with in everyday life. Sister Lucia is reported to have said, “The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given new efficacy in the recitation of the Holy Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families … that cannot be solved by the Rosary.” It’s very easy to get caught up in the idea that the “end times” are upon us, or just around the corner. But Our Lady promised at Fatima that in the end her Immaculate Heart would triumph and that a period of peace would be granted to the world. Therefore, despite the chaos that flares up in our modern world periodically, we are, in a deeper sense, moving onward towards a time of peace, and we ought to concentrate on that rather than on the transitory events of each day. The Fatima seers are our models regarding prayer, and we too must allow ourselves to be led deeper into prayer by the Blessed Virgin, and particularly the prayer of the Rosary. If we do that, we will be truly living the message of Fatima. Donal Anthony Foley
A Novena to Our Lady of Fatima To run from 4th to 13th May or 4th to 13th October A wonderful resource provided by Fr Richard Nesbitt ๏ปฟ
