Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us

The Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13. Blessed John Paul II had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, and he was convinced that it was her intercession that saved his life after the assassination attempt in 1981.

In a homily during the consecration Mass of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Poland, Blessed John Paul II said:

The message of Fatima, which Mary gave to the world through three poor children, consists in an exhortation to conversion, prayer, especially the rosary, and reparation for one's own sins and for those of all mankind. This message flows from the Gospel, from the words which Christ spoke at the very beginning of his public ministry: "Repent, and believe in the Gospel!" (Mk 1:15). It aims at man's interior transformation, at the defeat of sin within him and the strengthening of goodness, and at the attainment of holiness. This message is addressed in particular to the people of our century, a century which has been marked by war, hatred, the violation of fundamental human rights, the immense suffering of individuals and nations, and finally by the struggle against God, carried even to the denial of his existence. The message of Fatima is an outpouring of the love of the Heart of the Mother, who is always open to her child, never loses sight of him, thinks of him always, even when he leaves the straight path and becomes a "prodigal son" (cf. Lk 15:11-32).

Our Lady of Fatima, please intercede for us during this month of May, that we may repent and bring the Gospel to the world.