Dear Devotee of Our Lady, happy anniversary of Her First Apparition, May 13, 1917!
Appearing “more brilliant than the sun,” Our Lady announced to Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, God’s Will to establish in the world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. “To whomever embraces this devotion,” She added, “I promise salvation. These souls will be cherished by God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn His Throne.”
Our Lady told the children that She wanted them to come to the same location for six consecutive months on the thirteenth day of each month at the same hour. She also told them to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world and an end to World War I, which was raging at the time.
Over the following five months, Our Lady appeared to the children as promised. On October 13, 1917, She performed the great Miracle of the Sun, which confirmed the Message She had shared with the children.
Our Lady announced God’s promise that when the incomparable merits of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are solemnly invoked by the Church – through the Consecration of Russia and the promulgation of the Reparatory Devotion of the Five First Saturdays – God will relent from punishing the enormous sins of the world, and will instead grace the world with conversion and peace.
Tragically, as these requests of Our Lady of Fatima have remained unheeded, the world has sunk day by day and year by year ever deeper into errors and crimes, which have brought ever greater and prolonged punishments from Heaven, including wars and persecutions of the Church, while hell is being filled with the souls of poor sinners.
The eternal salvation or loss of countless souls continues to hang in the balance, as we approach the limit of God’s patience. Thus, the Message of Fatima is as important today as when it was first given. Will we obtain the Consecration of Russia in time to prevent the martyrdom of the faithful throughout the world, and the annihilation of whole nations?
On this Feast Day, please offer your Rosary for peace in the world, and for obedience throughout the Catholic world to the Message of Our Lady of Fatima. “Sacrifice yourself for this intention, and pray!”