Shrine Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima

11 a.m. Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC, gave a beautiful presentation on Our Lady of Fatima today in the new St. Faustina Pilgrim Welcome Center in honor of the 100th anniversary of the May 13 apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

"God wants the children shepherds to shepherd us," Fr. Anthony said as he went through the various apparitions that St. Jacinta, St. Francisco, and Sr. Lucia dos Santo received of Our Lady and the Angel of Portugal.

One hundred years ago today, Our Lady made her first appearance to the children in Fatima. Our Lady asked the children that day, "Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you? In atonement for all the sins that offend Him? And for the conversion of sinners?"

The children replied, "Oh, we will, we will!"

Our Lady then said, "Then you will have a great deal to suffer, but the grace of God will be with you and will strengthen you."

Fr. Anthony said, "These children didn't have to say yes; they could have said they didn't want to suffer. But they did."

It was on May 13, 1917, that Our Blessed Mother also asked the children to begin praying the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to war."

"We must heed Our Lady's call to prayer," Fr. Anthony said. Communism was brought down by the Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We must pray for the conversion of sinners and our own hearts so that the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary may come.

See Fr. Anthony's full presentation here:



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2 p.m. Father Anthony celebrated the Holy Mass and gave a homily on the newly canonized Fatima visionaries, Sts. Francisco and Jacinto Marto.

Father Anthony described the virtue which each of these little children had. They lived lives of great penance, and died at a young age. Francisco, 9 years old at the time of the apparitions, especially loved to console the Heart of Jesus by his penances.

Saint Jacinta Marto was a "little firecracker," Fr. Anthony said. She loved to dance and be joyful. Jacinta was 7 years old and was especially affected by the vision of hell that they received. She said, "Why doesn't Our Blessed Lady not show the vision of hell to sinners? If they did, they would not commit sin." Jacinta often felt a fire of love in her heart
for Jesus and Mary.

Although they were young children, they would fast from food often, pray many Rosaries, and even wear ropes around their waist for penance in reparation for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Father Anthony said, "The message of how these children lived is just as fresh and new for today. We are to live lives of prayer and penance... we must pray that the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary comes in our hearts and souls, and the world."

See Fr. Anthony's homily here:



Visit marian.org/fatima.

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