The Graced Mother of God Calls Us All
No other woman on earth has ever moved townspeople (seventy-thousand of them) to their knees in a remote town in Portugal. A moment in history unfaded, and a Mother so determined to show her children how powerful it is to pray the Rosary that she appeared six times. Mary, the Mother of God touched earth in the village of Fatima, Portugal and called three young shepherd children to her feet initially on May 13, 1917, and finally on October 13, 1917. She stressed prayer, fasting, and sacrifice to obtain peace for the world and the conversion of sinners. These dutiful, obedient children held firm in their contact with the Blessed Mother and their experiences with Her for the entire time of their lives, amid much scornful skepticism and utter disbelief of their stories and personal sacrifices. Thanks be to God, for their convictions led to the building of a large chapel on the site of the apparitions (Cova da Iria) as Mary requested and a nightly candlelight procession which began in 1920 that draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims together to pray the Rosary. The Catholic Church officially recognized Our Lady of Fatima as worthy of belief in 1930.
After my visit to Fatima in 2023, I was moved to bring this tradition to Christ the King Parish and inspired to promote the praying of the Rosary. What happened next has far exceeded my expectations.
The forming of a Rosary Making Ministry, the creation of a Rosary Room and perpetual light, three candlelight Rosary events, regular praying of the Rosary on Fridays and Sundays, a prayer line for the ill and deceased, and a colorful, ample supply of handmade rosaries. My sincere gratitude goes out to the members of the Rosary Making Ministry who make all of this possible. Our processions are quite modest compared to Fatima’s, but for sure an expression of the divine in the Fatima apparitions shining through. Our Holy Mother of God calls everyone everywhere to her bosom and asks us to pray the Rosary every day. Check the bulletin for upcoming Candlelight Rosary dates and scan the QR code to view Fatima Marian Procession. For more information, contact Dolores Mozzillo, Director of Religious Education.
Dolores Mozzillo is the Director of Religious Education.
