These Times call for Greater Sacrifice and Reparation
As Lent approaches, one begins to let go of the celebratory Christmas season and all the feasting that comes with it and settle into a new season of penance. Making sacrifices does not come natural to us, especially here in the United States. It’s hard to discipline ourselves in the practice of it. But as […]
Can the fulfillment of Our Lady’s request for the First Saturdays Devotion in this Extraordinary Marian Jubilee Year bring about a lasting peace?
The call of Fatima is more urgent than ever today. As an apostolate we have been charged with disseminating this call for fidelity in an age of apostasy. Ponder for a moment what the world would look like if Our Lady’s call for adherence to the laws of God and respect for civility had been followed in 1917. The peace and stability that only God can provide would rule the day. Instead, confusion about the very nature of the human person and the dehumanization which always precedes conflict is overbearing. The constant upheaval that defines our world today is a product of our insistence on following our own path and not the lead of God. Today society is in a desperate state as we set on the brink of global war and uncertainty. Suicide rates are on the rise as desperation, the most powerful tool of the devil, is prominent among those who do not see the hope that God shows us. People are judged by a secular vision which sees only their apparent usefulness and not their intrinsic human dignity; thus suicide, abortion and euthanasia are easily rationalized.
Members of the World Apostolate of Fatima from many countries gathered for an International Congress
The World Apostolate of Fatima held an international theological-pastoral congress on “The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary”, Dec. 5 – 7, 2025, along with a pilgrimage to Pontevedra, Spain for the Dec. 10 opening celebrations of the centennial of the First Saturday Devotion. Members and friends of the WAF from 26 nations […]
Celebrate This Christmas United to Her Immaculate Heart
In these last days of Advent let us join Our Lady in anticipation of the birth of the Savior. She trusted that the words given to her at the Annunciation would be fulfilled and that the promise made to our fallen first parents would soon become a reality. The O antiphons that mark the final […]
The Promise of Devotions: Not Just Checking a Box
There are many devotions that have promises connected with them. One popular example is the recitation of the prayer of St. Gertrude for the deceased, especially during the month of November. It is said that 1,000 souls are released from purgatory each time it is prayed. Likewise, whenever we pass a cemetery, we offer this prayer for the holy souls: “Eternal Father, I offer thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church for those in my home and within my family, Amen”. While we cannot guarantee the release of these suffering souls or the conversion of sinners, we nevertheless continue to pray and to hope.
A Mile for Mary: A Walk of Love, Reparation, and Hope
“A Mile for Mary” is a prayerful procession offered in love and reparation—a way to console the hearts of the Blessed Mother and Her Son, Jesus. In a world that often feels loud, confusing, and indifferent to faith, this procession becomes a peaceful act of unity—bringing hope, prayer, and presence into the streets.
The Luminous Mysteries as Mysteries of Change
The Luminous Mysteries, which are usually associated with the theme of “Light” can also be seen as mysteries of “Change.”
These mysteries were introduced by Pope St. John Paul II on Oct. 16, 2002, and are made up of five meditations on key events during the public ministry of Jesus Christ. The Pope proposed these “Mysteries of Light” as an addition to the traditional Rosary to make it a more complete “compendium of the Gospel.”
Pray Every Day for World Peace
At Fatima, Our Lady stated that if her requests were heeded there would be peace in the world. Peace has been illusive in these 108 years since she appeared to the three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria. Why is this? She stated that war was a punishment for sin. How simple this is. Not […]
We must be Christ’s Light in the Darkness
The news has once again been filled with a horrific story of a mass shooting at a school. This time, at a K-8 Catholic parish/school where students, parents, teachers and grandparents had gathered for worship at the opening Mass for the new school year. Because it happened in my city, in my diocese, it hit close to home. That people in my Catholic circles knew some of the parishioners, victims and the perpetrator’s family, made it even more troubling.
Balasar and the Fatima Connection
Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) lived the Fatima Message in a heroic way. She is often referred to as the “fourth seer of Fatima,” embracing suffering and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners, much like the children of Fatima. She lived in the small village in northern Portugal named Balasar, a pilgrim stop during many pilgrimages to Fatima. The Message of Fatima is a call to prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and the conversion of Russia and the world. Alexandrina is one of those unusual persons who we call a “victim soul.” Everything she did and suffered, she did in imitation of Christ in order to be a victim, to cooperate with Christ in saving souls.
