An Invitation To Read My Story - My Testimony

Our Lady of Fatima: Celebrating 108 Years

On the sun-drenched hills of Portugal, in a humble place called Cova da Iria near Fatima, heaven touched earth on May 13, 1917. As we commemorate the 108th anniversary of this profound event, we are reminded of the tender solicitude of our Blessed Mother, who in times of global darkness came bearing messages of hope, conversion, and peace.

The Maternal Visitation

When Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children - Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto - the world was engulfed in the flames of the First World War. Amid this human catastrophe, Mary came not to the powerful or the learned, but to the little ones, those with hearts pure enough to receive her message. This itself reveals a profound spiritual truth: God chooses the humble to accomplish His greatest works.

The children, aged 10, 9, and 7, became the custodians of heavenly secrets. Our Lady appeared to them monthly from May to October, om the 13th of each month, culminating in the miraculous "dance of the sun" witnessed by over 70,000 people - believers and skeptics alike. She entrusted the children with three secrets: a vision of hell that moved them to pray fervently for souls; prophecies about World War II and the spread of communism; and a vision later interpreted as foretelling the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

Our Lady's Urgent Message

What makes Fatima so compelling is not merely its miraculous nature but the urgency and relevance of Our Lady's message. Mary did not come simply to perform wonders, but to call her children back to God through:

Prayer: Especially the Rosary, which she asked to be prayed daily for peace in the world and the conversion of sinners.

Penance: Small sacrifices offered for the reparation of sins that wound the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Consecration: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a refuge and path to God.

Conversion: A return to the Gospel and amendment of life.

These simple requests are not outdated pious practices but the very essence of Christian living—a roadmap to authentic peace, both within the human heart and throughout the world.

The Maternal Heart of the Church

In Mary's appearances at Fatima, we glimpse the maternal heart of the Church. While the Church's teaching authority is vested in the apostolic succession, its maternal dimension is embodied in Mary. At Fatima, we see this maternal solicitude in action - a mother coming to warn her children of danger, to provide protection, and to lead them back to the safe harbor of faith.

St. John Paul II, who credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life during the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981 (exactly 64 years after the first apparition), understood this maternal dimension profoundly. He placed the bullet that struck him in the crown of the statue of Our Lady at Fatima, recognizing her protective presence.

Fatima Today: A Continuing Relevance

Some may wonder whether a message delivered over a century ago still holds relevance. The answer is an emphatic yes. In many ways, the challenges Our Lady foresaw - moral relativism, the rejection of God, conflicts among nations - have only intensified. Her call to prayer, penance, and conversion speaks even more urgently to our contemporary situation.

The Fatima message reminds us that history is not merely the product of political and economic forces but is ultimately guided by divine providence. Our Lady's promise that "in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph" offers hope in troubled times. This is not passive optimism but an invitation to participate actively in God's plan through prayer and faithful witness.

Embracing Our Lady's Invitation

How, then, do we respond to Our Lady's call at Fatima? Consider these practical ways to honor her maternal guidance:

1. Pray the Rosary daily, contemplating the mysteries of Christ's life through Mary's eyes.
2. Practice the First Saturday devotion - Confession, Communion, Rosary, and 15 minutes of meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary, done with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
3. Offer small sacrifices throughout the day for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for offenses against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.
4. Consecrate yourself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, allowing her to form you more perfectly into the image of her Son.
5. Live the evangelical virtues of faith, hope, and charity with renewed commitment.

These practices, seemingly simple, have the power to transform not only individual lives but families, communities, and even nations.

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

As we celebrate 108 years since the apparitions at Fatima, we look forward with hope to the fulfillment of Our Lady's promise: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph." This triumph is not primarily political or visible to worldly eyes; it is the triumph of grace in human hearts, the triumph of faith over doubt, hope over despair, and love over hatred.

To love Mary is not to detract from the worship due to God alone, but to follow God's plan. As Jesus gave Mary to us as Mother at the foot of the cross, saying to the beloved disciple, "Behold your mother" (John 19:27), so we too are invited into this filial relationship. Through Mary, we are led more surely to Jesus; through her Immaculate Heart, we find a secure path to the Sacred Heart of her Son.

In a world often characterized by division, Our Lady of Fatima calls us to unity in prayer, sacrifice, and love. She invites us to participate in the great work of reconciliation between God and humanity, between heaven and earth. As we honor her appearance at Fatima 108 years ago, may we renew our commitment to her maternal guidance and protection, confident that through her intercession, God continues to work wonders of grace and mercy in our world today.

In the words of St. Jacinta Marto, one of the Fatima visionaries: "Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

May Our Lady of Fatima pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.


©2025 James Dacey Jr.