St. Paul said that we are going to win. Our Lady promised that in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph. Like most of us I look around and wonder how this will come about. Doom and gloom are fed to us daily. By watching the news and following the flow of pessimism that rules the day it is easy to understand why despair is on the rise. A priest once suggested that I stop watching the news. It is said that “no news is good news.” I often think of former Vice-President Spiro Agnew’s famous depiction of the press, referring to them as the “nattering nabobs of negativism.” Obviously, we cannot totally ignore world events, but obsessive focus on things that we cannot directly affect is counterproductive. Strong devotion leading us to proper action is how we effect change.
There is much to be optimistic about, however. I have been in Fatima several times in these past months. Many events brought me to our hotel/retreat center, Domus Pacis – House of Peace. The international commonality of our Faith is apparent as I interacted with people from all parts of the world. Some I have known for years and others I just met. One thing that we have in common is our desire to bring order back to our individual nations and to the world.
As a member of The Order of The Archangel St. Michael we met on the feast day of this Prince of the Heavenly Host, September 29, to celebrate the benevolent work of the order globally and to enjoy fellowship, focusing on what we hope to see in our world. Members came, from Europe, America, Africa, Asia, and Oceana, in a spirit of fraternal unity to reaffirm their loyalty to the mission and renew their efforts to help bring sanity to our world. HRH Dom Duarte Pio, the Duke of Braganza, a long-time devotee of Fatima and a long-time pledged member of the Blue Army/World Apostolate of Fatima, presided over the weekend events.
This past week I returned to Fatima with 53 pilgrims from the United States. Our frequent pilgrimages to Fatima follow a program which encompasses participation in the many official events at the shrine and group devotions, while also allowing time for quiet prayer and reflection. This pilgrimage included an extension to Spain and Lourdes. Many of our pilgrims commented positively about the spirituality of Domus Pacis as they witnessed the different groups and activities.
When you participate in as many of these events as I do, it can become routine. This trip rejuvenated me when we arrived and saw how many groups were present. The spiritual energy was strong, and I must admit that from a business standpoint it made me happy to see the financial stability that a full house brings. Domus Pacis was in a dangerous financial position during Covid, but we felt that the mission of the center would not allow us to close. God is good and He is in charge. Our Lady brought us through that time, and we carry on the mission.
A group from the Czech Republic, led by my longtime friends Msgr. Pavel and Hana Francakova, with whom I served as a member of the WAF International board for many years, led this group. The devotion that these people, once under the thumb of communism, bring, is a perspective which we from the West need to understand.
The “Slovak Convention for the Family” from Slovakia came to pray and work on a documentary movie. Their name states their mission, to promote strong families.
A group of German devotees, who every year organize a procession with Our Lady of Fatima to the site of the former Berlin Wall, held all-night vigils of adoration in the Latin Chapel. At one point I witnessed people from most of the groups, including ours, in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament during the night.
As it has for many years now, the Byzantine chapel at Domus Pacis hosts the Ukrainian community, serving as their parish in Fatima.
When our founders built Domus Pacis, it was to be the international center for the Blue Army, a place where people from around the world could come to learn and live the message of Fatima. The office of our secretariat for the World Apostolate of Fatima/Our Lady’s Blue Army is located there.
The sacrifices that our founders made to build this house of peace have borne fruit. In the lobby on either side of the portrait of the Holy Father are those of Msgr. Harold Colgan and John Haffert. Having witnessed these present activities here, I believe they would be pleased.
This morning in Lourdes I went to the Grotto early. A German priest was celebrating an earlier Mass before ours. Although my understanding of that language is limited, I felt that his homily was speaking to my heart. Perhaps he realized the diversity of the crowd, which was then gathering, and as the consecration approached, in Latin we prayed, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus… Almost all there joined in and together we came to the consecration.
Catholic means universal. Our Faith does not know political differences. As we approach an election in our terribly divided nation and look at the state of our world, may we come to see all others as our fellow pilgrims. Only then will we understand what Our Lady taught us at Fatima when she stated that war is a punishment for sin. War begins with division. Peace is found in unity. Peace and unity are found in God, in His laws and in His love.
God bless you and Mary keep you in her Immaculate Heart.
David M. Carollo is the Executive Director of the World Apostolate of Fatima USA/National Blue Army Shrine. He wrote this for his Voice of Fatima column.
If you would like to comment on this post, please contact him at [email protected].
