Parishioners from Queen of Apostles Church processed through the streets of Alexandria holding aloft a statue of Mary in honor of Our Lady of Fatima Oct. 10.
The parish’s first procession celebrating Mary’s final appearance in Fatima, Portugal, Oct. 13, 1917, lasted 1½ hours and drew 300 people. Marchers prayed the rosary in different languages, including English, Spanish and Vietnamese, as they walked. Some faithful placed statues of Mary in yards or windows and stood outside their homes to participate as the procession passed.
The event ended with a multicultural Mass at the church, with readings, petitions and prayers in different languages. The parish also was reconsecrated to Our Lady.
Father Alexander Diaz, parochial vicar, said that after the procession, a woman came up to him in tears. She said she’d been away from the church for a while, but “when the image of Our Lady passed by the house, I felt like she was inviting me to come back.”
