The Fatima Message One Hundred Years Later

The Catholic Church will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13^th. It was announced earlier this week that the International Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Fatima will visit the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday, May 12^th. That is a very important symbolic gesture because the main message of the Fatima apparitions centered upon world peace.

The current geopolitical situation in our world today with the increased tensions between the United States and North Korea as well as the continual war in Syria provide an even more profound context to the Fatima message. The persistent terror attacks by ISIS and other terror groups as well as the military response to those acts of hatred have furthered the violence gripping this world.

The Blessed Mother, in Her appearances at Fatima in 1917, encouraged prayer, particularly daily prayer of The Holy Rosary to bring peace to the world. This message was first provided amid the backdrop of World War I with the horrors of war having fully enveloped Europe and the rest of the world.

This message is applicable certainly in the uncertain and tense times which our society faces today. The routine commitment to prayer of the Rosary has been attributed to many miraculous events throughout history. Our Lady promises many graces and blessings to those who are dedicated to prayer of the Rosary, and it is truly “the weapon for our times” to combat evil.

The apparitions at Fatima, Portugal took place over a six month time period. The monthly sightings of Our Lady each had a unique message but a common theme: prayer for peace, prayer of the Rosary, and to repent from sinfulness. These messages and themes will be explored in greater depth in a series of TV specials on EWTN that will air starting this month and run through October. Each special episode will focus on the events surrounding the Fatima appearance of that corresponding month, back 100 years ago.

The need for prayer for peace has not changed, and it is so critically important for our world today. The prayer and reflection on the Rosary messages will have a profound effect on your life and the lives of so many others. It is just like any other routine: daily exercise, playing a musical instrument, or learning a new skill; it takes practice and repetition.

The hope we have in the merciful and saving love of Our Lord is another focus point for our prayers for peace. Someone once told me, “in order to pray for peace, you have to believe that peace is possible through prayer to God”. The world certainly needs those prayers as it moves closer to the brink of major conflict in a number of different regions.

In the decades since Fatima took place, The Blessed Mother in Her other apparitions has placed a tremendous importance on praying for peace. The fast paced technology of today provides several different Rosary “apps” for tablets, smart phones, and other portable devices. These platforms provide easy access to prayer of the Rosary from wherever we may be throughout the hectic nature of daily living.

The other related outcome of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima was the dedication of First Saturday by the Catholic Church. This traditional observance originated from an encounter that Our Lady had with Lucia, one of the three children from the apparitions in Fatima. Their meeting came about at a later point, in 1925, when The Blessed Mother appeared to Sister Lucia in a convent where she was serving as a nun.

It was during that appearance that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave Sister Lucia the directive to honor the First Saturday devotions every month. This involved prayer, receiving the Sacrament of The Eucharist, living in a state of grace, and completing a good Confession on that day. The Holy Catholic Church recognized and validated this devotion in the coming years and has adopted the observance of First Saturday in parishes throughout the world.

I know people who have traveled to Fatima, Portugal and have been forever changed by that experience. They have told me that there is a peace present there that is unmatched anywhere else they had been in the world. Our Lady of Fatima comes to us as a Mother filled with love and concern for Her children, and we are all children of God because of what Our Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed for us on Calvary.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, as well as his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, have spoken about the importance of shrines for the saints or other Catholic devotions. The shrine in the United States that is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima is in Lewiston, NY which is in the western part of the state, near Buffalo.

The time, cost, and other factors involved in overseas travel to Europe may certainly preclude people from making the pilgrimage to Fatima. The shrine in upstate New York could become a more viable option to consider, while providing an opportunity to pray to Our Lady of Fatima in a very special, sacred place.

Our Lady of Fatima appeared one hundred years ago to three children in Portugal with a message of prayer for peace. Our world needs those prayers now more than ever in our history, and it needs a renewal of the prayer of the Holy Rosary to combat the evil forces at play in our society.

I hope that you will join me in dedicated prayer for peace in our world. May Our Lady of Fatima bless us all with her constant maternal love and mercy. May our prayers be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart for the salvation of the world. May Our Lady of Fatima intercede for us before the Throne of God for peace to reign in our world and for respect for human life. May God bless all of you.