The Catholic Defender: Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima is a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary due to her apparitions to three shepherd Children at Fatima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, beginning on May 13th. The three children were Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children–Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos–received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.

Mary gave the children three secrets. Following the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta in 1919 and 1920 respectively, Lucia revealed the first secret in 1927. It concerned devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell. When Lucia grew up she became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a “bishop in white” who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him. Many people linked this vision to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in 1930; it was added to the Church’s worldwide calendar in 2002.

The message of Fatima is simple: Pray. Unfortunately, some people—not Sister Lucia—have distorted these revelations, making them into an apocalyptic event for which they are now the only reliable interpreters. They have, for example, claimed that Mary’s request that the world be consecrated to her has been ignored. Sister Lucia agreed that Pope John Paul II’s public consecration in St. Peter’s Square on March 25, 1984, fulfilled Mary’s request. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared a June 26, 2000, document explaining the “third secret.”

Mary is perfectly honored when people generously imitate her response “Let it be done to me as you say” (Luke 1:38). Mary can never be seen as a rival to Jesus or to the Church’s teaching authority, as exercised by the college of bishops united with the bishop of Rome.

Prayer, Peace, and Penance: The Message of Our Lady of Fatima.

Monday, May 13th is celebrated by the Catholic Church as the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. It marks the first day in 1917 on which the Blessed Mother appeared to the three shepherd children of Fatima in Portugal.

A crowd, estimated at about 70,000, gathered at Fátima, Portugal, on that day and witnessed what has been described as a miraculous solar phenomenon, in which the Sun appeared to fall toward Earth—sometimes called the Miracle of the Sun—immediately after her final appearance to the children.

In the second, she warned that World War I would be followed by a far worse conflict unless people stopped "offending God." She called for the "consecration of Russia to my immaculate heart"; otherwise, Russia would "spread her errors throughout the world."Oct 11, 2017

The three secrets of Fatima are: A vision of the souls in Hell. Prediction of the end of WWI and a prediction of the beginning of WWII as well as a request to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A vision of the Pope, along with other bishops, priests, religious and lay people, being killed by soldiers.May 10, 2017

As Mary had predicted, Jacinta and Francisco died during the Spanish flu epidemic. Francisco died in April 1919 and Jacinta, in February 1920. They were both beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 13 of the year 2000. A few years after their death, Lucia joined the Sisters of St.

Often the "Fatima Hand" is decorated with an eye. It represents the eye that sees everything. The eye watches out for the person in possession of the "Fatima Hand" and warns about and protects against evil encounters. The "Fatima Hand" also represents femininity, as it is shown as the woman's holyhand.Oct 20, 2017

The prayer of the rosary marks the prayerful rhythm of the Shrine of Fatima since its beginning and continues to give voice to the prayers of the pilgrims who, through the meditation of the mysteries of the life of Christ, are configured to him, in the company of the Virgin Mother.

On that day, Oct. 13, 1917, the crowd of believers had swelled to 70,000. About 2 p.m., some began to see what later became known in the Catholic Church as “the Miracle of the Sun.” The rains that had plagued the day ceased, and the sun emerged from behind clouds to spin and tremble for 10 minutes.Oct 13, 2017

1- Fatima has a population of 10.369 inhabitants. 2 – Fatima, a city in Portugal, owes its name to a Moorish princess from the 12th century. 3 – Fatima has been a famous Marian Shrine since 1917 after the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children: Lúcia dos Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

The Third Secret of Fatima was finally disclosed in 2000, on the day of the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The third secret was a vision of the persecution of Christians and, in particular, the attack on 'a Bishop dressed in white'.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary signifies, first of all, the great purity and love of the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary for God.

The pope solemnly canonized the children on 13 May 2017 during the centennial of the first apparition. They are the Catholic Church's youngest saints who did not die as martyrs, with Jacinta the youngest.

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, at Fatima in 1917 are not only one of the most important events in the Church in the twentieth century, but also one of the greatest Mariophanies in the life of the Church.

Praying the Rosary allows us to encounter Mary and to enter the mysteries of Jesus Christ. From his Incarnation, to the Cross, to the Resurrection, we come to understand that God has revealed himself and saved us. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, continue to inspire us to a life of discipleship.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech Thee from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in Your hands.

He explained that it was because of five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely: blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, against her perpetual virginity, against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary, blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images

The sacred heart is one of the most revered symbols in Roman Catholicism, and it specifically represents Christ's love for mankind through his sacrifice on the cross for human sin. Christ's suffering is portrayed in the sacred heart with a knife going through it and a crown of thorns surrounding it.

After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Rosary is the prayer most pleasing to Our Lady. Why is it so pleasing to her? Because it brings us closer to Jesus. That is the single most important reason we should pray the Holy Rosary: through it, we grow closer to Our Lord.

Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

While the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the source of Christ's burning love for humanity, and is largely spurned by the indifference of mankind towards Him, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the source of Our Lady's burning love for God and her desire to bring souls to her Son.

White rosary beads are a symbol of purity, holiness, and virtue. It also relates to respect and reverence for Our Lord. White beads are often used for baptism and wedding rosaries. Another popular design is to combine white beads with other colors.

A sterling silver or hematite bead or glass bead in a grey color is associated with mourning and mortality. This is a very important aspect of the rosary as we reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary.

Many confirmation rosaries use a red colored bead and this is because red is the color for Pentecost. Red beads symbolize blood and fire and are associated with the life and death of the saints. A red rosary is also often paired with the Divine Mercy centerpiece to match the red rays beaming from the Lord's heart.

An ideal color for a woman or girl to choose as a prayer devotional. The pink colored beads are associated with happiness, grace, gentility, and admiration.

The yellow beads represent the resurrection of Christ, joy, hope, and renewal. Other special symbolism of a yellow rosary is its reminder of the warmth of the sun, God's bounty, Divine light, marriage, and unity.

The black rosary bead symbolizes grounding and protection. When black beads are used in combination with prayer (including the rosary) it calls for the feelings of self-control and resilience. Although considered to many to be a formal or elegant color it is used in a variety of rosaries from elaborate to simple.

In the Catholic Church, the color blue symbolically represents purity and truth. The blue rosary bead is also associated with fidelity, honesty, and consistency of character.

Turquoise Rosary Bracelet – The Turquoise stone promotes wholeness, peace of mind, loyalty, self expression and creativity. This stone brings good luck and enables spiritual grounding.

The green rosary has had a long tradition as a symbol of hope and renewal and the promise of a new life! Many green rosaries will include an Irish or Celtic theme to them as Ireland is referred to as The Emerald Isle.

The most famous three types of rosaries are necklaces, bracelets, and finger rosaries.

yellow, green, white (or clear), red and blue. This rosary was created by Archbishop Fulton Sheen when he was national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.Oct 18, 2019

The word rosary itself comes from the Latin “rosarium,” meaning a garden or garland of roses. During the Middle Ages, agriculture metaphor was common. Writing often drew comparisons to plowing a field, and collecting prayers was seen as growing a garden or arranging a bouquet.

Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title.

A brown rosary is very popular for a men's rosary as it has rustic tones that combine with simplicity and quality. The color brown is associated with the earth and when combined with the powers of the rosary symbolizes responsibility, stability, and protection as well as that of belonging and of strong family ties.

Roses and lilies have been symbols of Mary since earliest times. The rose, emblematic of her purity, glory and sorrow, was her attribute as Queen of Heaven and a symbol of her love for God and for Christ, her son. The lily represented her immaculate purity, her innocence and virginity.

In paintings, Mary is traditionally portrayed in blue. This tradition can trace its origin to the Byzantine Empire, from circa 500 AD, where blue was "the color of an empress".

While the blue represents the Virgin's purity, and connotes her royal status, the red garment signifies traits connected with motherhood, including love, passion, and devotion.