Northern Dioceses Fatima Pilgrimage, September 2024 - Part 1
Webmaster • November 22, 2024
Northern Dioceses Fatima Pilgrimage, 19-26 September 2024 - Part 1 By Pilgrimage organiser Patrick Cunningham
Over recent years the World Apostolate of Fatima has visited a number of Churches in the Northern dioceses of England and Wales (WAF-E&W), primarily to promote awareness of the events that took place in Fatima, Portugal, over 100 years ago, and also to encourage devotion to our Holy Mother who constantly intercedes for all Humanity.
Due to this increased awareness WAF-E&W arranged a pilgrimage to Fatima for pilgrims from the Northern Dioceses, with the help and support of Canon Stephen Watson from St Pauls, Alnwick, Fr Manoj Punchakunnel from St Pauls, Cramlington, Fr Saji Thottathil from St Matthews, Jarrow, and Fr Bill Serplus from St Aelred’s at York.
Forty-eight pilgrims inclusive of the four parish priests, plus Deacon Rob Wareing from St Pauls, Cramlington and Sister Bridget Okoye from the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation, Birmingham, joined the pilgrimage which took place between 19th to 26th September 2024.
Pilgrims travelled by coach to Manchester Airport, to board the flight to Lisbon, Portugal, and then finally via coach transfer to Domus Pacis Hotel in Fatima.
The Hotel was initially funded by the founding members of the Blue Army (now known as the World Apostolate of Fatima) to provide accommodation for pilgrims from all over the world. Apart from its many rooms and dining facilities, it also has a large conference room, a chapel at ground floor level, and a Byzantine chapel above. We arrived in the early hours of Friday morning, and all went to their rooms to catch up on sleep.
The pilgrimage began with a talk by Mr. Nuno Prazeres and Mrs. Ana Reis, from the WAF-International Secretariat. Fatima is probably the most prophetic apparition the world has witnessed and came at a time when the world was turning away from God. Our Lady came with a message to restore the centrality of God in people’s lives and with a message of hope to bring peace back to the world. We may well ask what have we learnt and what have we done since then.
This is why prayer is so important. Praying the rosary will bring peace to the world.
The talk was especially interesting given that Nuno and Ana related personal stories about the events in Fatima during the apparitions from the eyewitness accounts of their respective grandparents.
Nuno told a story from his grandfather who had known Francisco. One day his grandfather was playing Hide and Seek with Francisco and some other boys.
Everyone had been found except Francisco, so all the boys started to look for him and eventually they found Francisco on a tree praying the rosary. He had simply forgotten they were playing a game and prayed the rosary. For Francisco God was the centre of his life, and the meaning of his life was to pray.
Ana recalled that her grandmother was about 2 years old at the time of the apparitions. The people of the village were mainly farmers and shepherds, and often quite poor, and so handed down clothes. When her grandmother turned 6-7 years old, she was given a blouse to wear by Jacinta Marto’s mother, Olympia, and she was told that now she was wearing the blouse of Jacinta she now has to be as good as Jacinta was!
Her grandmother lived a long life and died a few years ago at the age of 97. She would pray the Rosary every day of her life and follow the requests of Our Lady of Fatima.
Later, that day we had a tour of the shrine which lies over the apparition site of the Cova da Iria, at Fatima. The Shrine has two Basilicas, one at either end of the sanctuary area. The Basilica of the Holy Rosary was begun in 1928 (11 years after the apparitions of Our Lady in 1917) and was consecrated on 7th October 1953. It has 15 altars and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.
The painting above the high altar depicts the message of Our Lady to the little shepherds (Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta), prepared by the Angel of Portugal through their encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. The tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta lie on either side of the high altar, and Blessed Lucia lies next to Jacinta’s tomb.
The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, dedicated on October 12, 2007, has a seating capacity of 8,633. A smaller chapel, the Capelinha, was built at the apparition site and is the heart of the sanctuary. The marble pillar on which the statue of Our Lady rests is the exact spot where she appeared. Four million people visit the sanctuary each year.
The pilgrimage itinerary for the week included daily Mass and visits to sites of interest as well as free time to explore the shrine’s many chapels, including those for perpetual Adoration and Reconciliation. Masses were held each day, most of which were presided over by the priests and deacon from our pilgrimage group. This included a Mass at the Chapel of the Angel of Peace at the shrine, Mass at St Anthony’s, the local Fatima church where the seers went to Mass and to pray, and the church at Santarem (This visit included veneration of the Eucharistic bleeding Host).
A Rosary and candlelight procession was held each night at the Chapel of Apparitions; this was a very moving experience and well worth attending. Every Sunday, the Sanctuary holds a morning international Rosary, followed by an international Mass. Thousands of people were in attendance as the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was processed to the outdoor altar.
On the Sunday we were in attendance there was a special blessing of helmets for motorcyclists. The event is held annually, drawing many thousands of motorcyclists from across the region. The blessing added to the atmosphere at the shrine showing reverence in a spiritual gathering and fostering community support by raising funds for the purchase of an adapted wheelchair for a 23-year-old resident of Peniche who became a paraplegic after a motorcycle accident in 2021.
The second part of this account will continue next month
We continue to prepare for the Cathedral Visitations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First Five Saturday Devotion of Reparation throughout England and Wales. The first visit will take place on the 3rd May 2025 when we visit St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, in the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia, Wales. We will then visit a further 13 Cathedrals in 2025, with the remaining Cathedral visits being concluded by 31 Oct 2026 when we visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of The Most Precious Blood at Westminster. You can see details of these Visitations, here ... In addition, we will be visiting local parishes and hope that you will be able to join us in our pilgrimage of Hope around England and Wales. The purpose of the World Apostolate of Fatima is help spread the message of Fatima and follow in the footsteps of Sister Lucia and her cousins, in helping to restore the centrality of God in our lives. Please help us in our journey of Faith and join us for the Cathedral and Parish visits. If you would like to arrange a visit to your parish, please send us a message Ave Maria!
This month we celebrate the feast day of Saints Francisco and Jacinta on the 20th February. Two of the three shepherd children, Jacinta and Francisco, lived short but heroic lives and dedicated themselves in service to God’s Will and the message of Hope emanating from Fatima. It is also important to remember the calling of the three little shepherds from Fatima, whose lives were transformed by their service, sacrifice and acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They were chosen to reveal to the world God's message of Hope, heaven's peace plan, to a world that was turning away from God. This message is still so relevant today and that is why it’s important to recognise the signs of the times in our day and the power of prayer in our lives. Our Lady gave us the Rosary through St Dominic, and in Fatima asked the children to pray the Rosary every day. She also said that Jesus wants her to be known and loved throughout the world and we can help to do this through the First Five Saturday devotion of Reparation.
We are not currently accepting parish bookings for Pilgrim Virgin Statue visitations for the SOUTHERN dioceses, but you can still make PARISH bookings for the NORTHERN dioceses by contacting Patrick Cunningham at the email address below. NORTHERN DIOCESES (Hexham & Newcastle, Lancaster, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Salford, Liverpool, Hallam, Shrewsbury, Nottingham, and Wrexham) – Submit your request her e SOUTHERN DIOCESES (Plymouth, Clifton, Portsmouth, Arundel & Brighton, Southwark, Brentwood, Westminster, Northampton, East Anglia, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Menevia)
The WAF England & Wales Prayer intention for February is " That the Feast of the Little shepherds helps to inspire us all to live and celebrate the centenary of the Five First Saturdays Devotion. "
Members of WAF England and Wales met with Cardinal Nichols to request Fatima Statue Visitations to the Cathedrals of England and Wales for the Centenary of the revelation of the First Saturdays Devotions in 2025. This has been agreed, and the tour of the Statues will begin in May 2025 and conclude in October 2026. This programme coincides with the Great Jubilee Year for the Church next year. These special Jubilee celebrations take place every 25 years, and the theme for next year’s is “Pilgrims of Hope.”
First Saturday Devotions at St Mary’s Catholic Church , Cullercoats, North Shields, NE30 3EY Join us at St Mary's Catholic Church for our Fatima devotion to the First Five Saturday's. Visitors are very welcome for this special event. Time and further information Rosary 9.30a.m, in the Blessed Sacrament chapel; Holy Mass follows at 10.00 am followed by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Contact http://www.northtynesidecatholic.org.uk/
The Five First Saturdays devotion is no longer done publicly at Brompton Oratory in London. Join us a t Devotion at Brompton Oratory for our Fatima devotion to the First Five Saturday's. Visitors are very welcome for this special event. Time and further information The devotion can be done privately, and the Oratory is ideal for this because the church is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. There are public Masses on Saturday and Confessions are easily available throughout most of the day either in church or at Oratory House. Also the church is open all day for those wanting to pray the rosary or do their 15 minutes meditation in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Contact https://www.bromptonoratory.co.uk/
Five First Saturdays Devotion at The Most Precious Blood and St Edmund, 115 Hertford Road, Edmonton, London, N9 7EN Join us a t Devotion at The Most Precious Blood and St Edmund for our Fatima devotion to the First Five Saturday's. Visitors are very welcome for this special event. Time and further information First Five Saturdays devotions begin with Adoration of the Blessed sacrament at 11.00am with confessions during exposition, until 12.00 noon, when Holy Mass takes place. The Rosary is after Mass and then there is the 15 minute meditation. (For a normal Saturday, as above but there is no meditation after the Rosary). Contact https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/edmonton/
Five First Saturdays Devotion at St Mary of the Angels, Moorhouse Road, Bayswater, London, W2 5DJ Join us a t Devotion at St Mary of Angles for our Fatima devotion to the First Five Saturday's. Visitors are very welcome for this special event. Time and further information First Saturdays commencing 5 October 2019 – The probable format is as follows, but please check before travelling: 8:00 am Adoration, 9.40 am Meditation on Rosary, 9.55 am Benediction, 10:00 am Mass, 10.30 am Rosary (Confessions till 11:00 am). Contact https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/bayswater/
Five First Saturdays Devotion at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Morriston, Swansea Join us a t Devotion at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for our Fatima devotion to the First Five Saturday's. Visitors are very welcome for this special event. Time and further information 1st Saturday of the month, from May to October Sacred Heart parish keeps the 1st Saturday request of Our Lady at Fatima. 10:10 am Act of reparation, 10.15 am Holy Rosary, 10.30am Holy Mass 11:15am Eucharistic Adoration, plus confessions allowing for a 15 minute meditation on the Rosary, plus adoration, and confessions, concluding with Act of Consecration and reparation to the Immaculate Heart, plus Fatima Ave, and Benediction at 11.45am. (Between November and April the details are as follows: 10.15 am Holy Rosary,10.30am Holy Mass, followed by confessions, and allowing for a 15 minute meditation on the Rosary.) Contact https://sacredheartmorriston.org.uk/
