Fatima Prayers

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 

A useful Novena to our Lady of Fatima for those who wish to grow in the Devotion. This can be used at any time to support general prayer intentions.

These meditations were very popular and can be used at any time of the year, but particularly in run up to 13th May and 13th October. Click here for the amended text of the series of Fatima Novena meditations which Fr Richard Nesbitt Litany of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto Lord, have mercy on us Christ, have mercy on us Lord, have mercy on us God the Father, Creator of the world, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of mankind, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Perfection of those who are chosen, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us. Francisco and Jacinta, children blessed by God, pray for us. Children so dear to the Heart of Our Lady, pray for us. Children so loved by all of us, pray for us. Little Shepherds, in admiration of the glories of creation… Little Shepherds, gazing in wonder at the starry sky… Little Shepherds, fondling your furry white lambs… Little Shepherds, with your clear innocent gaze… Little Shepherds, with your angelic smile… Little Shepherds, with your pure soul… Hearts enchanted by beauty, pray for us. Hearts yearning for truth… Hearts overflowing with love… Amazing wonders of prayer… Wells brimming over with sacrifices… Children totally committed and ready for martyrdom… Francisco, seeker of peace and contemplation, pray for us. You who would console God… You who died smiling… Jacinta, faithful helpmate of the Holy Father, pray for us. You, the apostle of the Immaculate Heart of Mary… You, the friend of sinners… You two, who enjoyed the company of angels, pray for us. Confidantes of our Lady… Living witnesses of her Message… You who loved God so deeply… Watchers beside the Hidden Jesus… Adorers of the Most Blessed Trinity… Stars of light for all human beings… Burning Bushes of the Most High… Flames of love for all eternity… Our Lady of Fatima…Pray for us. Saint Jacinta Marto…Pray for us. Saint Francisco Marto…Pray for us. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, forgive us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Let us pray: O God who granted to our two little Shepherds the grace to become little burning bushes on fire with love for the Holy Father and for sinners, and burning with love for Our Lady and the “hidden” Jesus, grant that we, too, may be other Franciscos and other Jacintas, so that we, too, may burn with the same love and, with them, all meet together again in Heaven around Our Lady in adoration of the Blessed Trinity. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is also this lovely Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary by Saint John Henry Newman Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us, Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Heart of Mary, pray for us. Heart of Mary, after God’s own Heart, pray for us. Heart of Mary, in union with the Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Heart of Mary, the vessel of the Holy Spirit, pray for us. Heart of Mary, shrine of the Trinity, pray for us. Heart of Mary, home of the Word, pray for us. Heart of Mary, immaculate in your creation, pray for us. Heart of Mary, flooded with grace, pray for us. Heart of Mary, blessed of all hearts, pray for us. Heart of Mary, Throne of glory, pray for us. Heart of Mary, Abyss of humbleness, pray for us. Heart of Mary, Victim of love, pray for us. Heart of Mary, nailed to the cross, pray for us. Heart of Mary, comfort of the sad, pray for us. Heart of Mary, refuge of the sinner, pray for us. Heart of Mary, hope of the dying, pray for us. Heart of Mary, seat of mercy, pray for us. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. V. Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of heart. R. Conform our hearts to the heart of Jesus. Let us pray: O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in tenderness and pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate her most sweet and loving heart, may by her merits and intercession, ever live in the fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pardon Prayer taught to the children by the Angel in the spring of 1916 My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love thee! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love thee. The Angel’s Prayer, taught to the children in the autumn of 1916 O most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—I adore thee profoundly. I offer thee the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ—present in all the tabernacles of the world—in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. Eucharistic Prayer – repeated by children in their hearts during 13 May 1917 apparition Most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Sacrifice Prayer – taught to the children by Our Lady O my Jesus, it is for love of You, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners. Decade Prayer – Our Lady asked that this prayer be said at the end of each decade of the Rosary O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls into Heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.