Members of the World Apostolate of Fatima Blue Army Arlington division gathered Dec. 10 at St. Patrick Church in Fredericksburg for Mass to mark the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions where she requested first Saturday reparations.
Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia, the eldest of three children in Fatima, Dec. 10, 1925, and asked for five, first-Saturdays devotion to console her and make reparation for offenses against her immaculate heart. According to Sister Lucia, Our Lady promised that those who fulfill the devotion will receive the graces necessary for salvation at the hour of death.
The requirements for the devotion include fulfilling four specific acts on five consecutive first Saturdays. The first is confession within eight days before or after the Saturday, holy Communion with the intention of making reparation, five decades of the rosary, followed by a 15-minute meditation on the mysteries of the rosary.
The Mass was celebrated by Father Mark E. Moretti, parochial vicar of St. Jude Church in Fredericksburg.
“In one way or another, the Holy Spirit has made a mediation on the immaculate sorrowful heart of Mary something very special,” Father Moretti said in his homily. “She tells us that it will have an amazing effect on peace in the world. Over the years, we have been successful in some areas and in other ways we have not. Our Lady does not want us to be slack in our efforts but to continue to perpetuate this devotion to continue to say to Our Lord, ‘Yes, we can fulfill this.’ I am convinced things would be a lot worse off in this world if we did not have (this).”
Those who want to fulfill the first Saturday devotion may participate in a special virtual pilgrimage through the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, located in Asbury, N.J. The shrine is conducting a virtual first Saturday pilgrimage to 12 sacred sites related to Fatima and the three children. The program started Dec. 6, and it will continue every first Saturday for 12 consecutive months. Pilgrims will watch a short video filmed on location, listen to a reflection on the events and the devotion, and complete the first Saturday requirements. Pilgrims can begin the challenge at any point in the year and watch the videos on the Blue Army Shrine website at bluearmy.com/first-saturday-pilgrimage/.
After Mass, Annette Gibson, president of the Blue Army Arlington division, expressed her hope that the anniversary would help spread the word about the first Saturday devotion, calling to mind a vision St. Carlo Acutis reportedly had in which he heard that the first Saturday devotion could change the destiny of the world.
Kassock is a freelance writer in Fredericksburg.
