On March 7, 2026, The Fatima Center was blessed and honored with the opportunity to spread Our Lady’s Message of Fatima in Croatia (a country in Central Europe). I was invited to speak at the Third International Conference hosted by the Apologetic Association of Blessed Ivan Merz. The theme of the conference was simple and direct – Christ is King!
Fatima at the Third International Conference
The conference was a full one-day event on a First Saturday at the Grand Hotel in Zagreb, capital of Croatia. Other speakers included Fr. David Nix (also known as ‘Padre Peregrino’) and Mr. John-Henry Westen of LifeSiteNews. [See the conference schedule here.] Approximately seventy-five people attended, most of whom understood English. However, every participant was provided with a headset, and professional translators provided a simultaneous translation of the speeches given in English into Croatian. Likewise, during the Q&A session which followed, the translators made it possible for the speakers to understand the questions delivered in Croatian.
I first spoke on the topic of Our Lady of Fatima’s Message, explaining how it is the ONLY solution for our times. It is only through the fulfillment of Our Lady’s requests at Fatima that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph, and nations will acknowledge the social and universal Kingship of Jesus Christ.
Working with Croatian volunteers, The Fatima Center also translated three of our most popular brochures into Croatian: Fatima in Brief, The First Saturday Devotion in Brief, and the Consecration of Russia in Brief. Conference attendees were given these three brochures and many expressed interest in sharing these resources with fellow Catholics who were unable to come to the event. I am hopeful that some of the articles from recent issues of The Fatima Crusader will also be translated into Croatian and distributed among the faithful there.
On behalf of all those who attended the conference, The Fatima Center, and myself, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who support Our Lady’s apostolate. Our efforts to continue to spread the Message of Fatima across the globe are a direct result of your prayers and tithes.
Feeling at Home Among Family
I was quite amazed to learn that a significant number of conference attendees regularly follow The Fatima Center. A number of them are quite familiar with our founder, Father Nicholas Gruner, and several asked probing questions about some of the conferences we have recently given. I must admit, I never expected to travel halfway around the world and meet a group of people who have been watching talks we post on our social media channels. May God be praised for this ability to spread the Gospel and Our Lady’s Message.
None of the attendees seemed surprised when I spoke of Russia not yet being consecrated because they are very aware that they have no peace around them. Some mentioned they even expect war to break out soon with westward-moving Russian armies marching across their country. There is grave concern that the Serbian Orthodox will join the Russian Orthodox armies in order to exact terrifying retribution upon the Catholic Croatians, who only recently gained their freedom and created an independent nation (1995).
Although I lived in Germany for four years and have travelled quite a bit, my journeys have been restricted to Western Europe and the Americas. This was my first visit to a Slavic nation. Although the language was unintelligible to me, it was easy to feel like I was among family once we began to worship God. The small church where I assisted at Holy Mass had beautiful statues of the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Our Lady of Fatima! The scene of Our Lord’s Crucifixion behind the central altar was very moving, greatly facilitating meditation. Of course, I understood all the prayers and felt right at home because they were said in Latin, the universal language of Holy Mother Church.
When we prayed the noon Angelus, the leader likewise prayed in Latin. And he even added three Glory Be’s at the conclusion.[1] I knew this was a traditional custom in Rome but did not anticipate it among this group. I was also blessed with a visit to the most important Croatian Marian shrine (Marija Bistrica). There our group prayed at the Stations of the Cross, which lined the hill behind the beautiful minor basilica. I found myself glorifying and thanking God for these small devotions and religious customs which bind Catholics across the world in one, universal, holy and apostolic Church – the Mystical Body of Christ.
Re-Building Christendom
In addition to my talk on the Message of Fatima, the conference director, Dr. Ivan Poljaković, also asked me to speak on the connection between Christ’s Kingship and the rebuilding of civilization.
[1] A custom of Italian origin adds three Glory Be’s at the end of the Angelus in thanksgiving to the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity for the wonderful privileges bestowed upon Our Lady. This custom was codified by Pope Pius VII in 1815. Pilgrims to St. Peter’s Square will hear them prayed at noon.
The thrice daily recitation of the Angelus (at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m.), including the three Glory Be’s, is well-suited to consoling Our Lady for offenses against Her (such as the recent Vatican document questioning Her titles of Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix) and relieving to some degree the demands of the Justice of God for its punishment. Read more about the Angelus prayer here.