The Blessed Mother is adorned with many beautiful names – Mystical Rose, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, etc. – and with each title she dispenses particular graces that we have access to through her merciful, maternal love.

Our Lady of Fatima is significant, because her message is timeless. Each admonition applies to us today. We live in perilous times that call for radical conversion, beginning with each of us and spreading throughout the world, and calling upon Our Lady of Fatima as we pray our daily rosaries is one such miraculous way we can contribute to her desperation for the salvation of souls.

THE APPARITIONS
We shouldn’t be surprised that the Blessed Mother chose to appear to three poor shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917: Lucia dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinto Marto, her cousins. For six consecutive months, on the thirteenth of each month, the three children witnessed the brilliance of Our Lady, who shared with them that prayer would end World War I and could prevent future wars. They reported her as being “more brilliant than the Sun,” as she was bathed in a glorious heavenly light.

THE MESSAGE
The main message of Our Lady of Fatima was to pray the Rosary every day for peace and an end to war. After the children received visions of hell, they fervently understood the imperative to make sacrifices for the sake of souls and to pray without ceasing for their salvation.

As promised, the Blessed Mother permitted a miracle – the Miracle of the Sun, in which it appeared to be spinning – for the skeptical public who had chided the children about their report of the apparitions. Most believed it was childish folly or their imaginations gone awry rather than a genuine miracle. After all, why would the Blessed Lady choose three poor, uneducated shepherd children?

Yet we see time and again that it is precisely the poor, uneducated, unknown, and forgotten ones who are chosen for the greatest tasks by God. Consider also St. Bernadette Soubirous (Our Lady of Lourdes) and St. Juan Diego (Our Lady of Guadalupe); the hearts of the poor are open to love. Their unpretentious nature paves the way for God to reach them in ways more complex souls would not be able to receive.

WHAT FATIMA MEANS FOR US TODAY
Living in this world can be incredibly discouraging. Yet the Blessed Mother wants us to take heart and pray with confidence. She left us a warning, yes, about the need for repentance and what would happen if we did not, but at the same time she also left us with strong spiritual tools that act as aids and guides for our life’s journey: the Rosary, First Saturday devotion, a stronger love for her Immaculate Heart.

We are blessed as Catholics to incorporate rich prayers and traditions of the Faith into our daily lives. Here are several ways you can live the message of Fatima and carry on the mission of prayer for conversion of lost souls and lost nations:

1. Pray the Rosary daily for the conversion of sinners;

2. Practice the First Saturday devotion of five first Saturdays – attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, go to Confession;

3. Honor Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart by hanging a framed image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary next to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home;

4. Pray to the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary;

5. Ask Our Lady of Fatima to intercede for the conversion of your country or family members;

6. Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 with Mass and a family rosary;

7. Pass out literature about Fatima to those you meet;

8. Fast on bread and water (if you are able) once a week for the intentions of Our Lady of Fatima;

9. Pray a novena to Our Lady of Fatima.

However you choose to live out the message shared at Fatima, know that you, as a Catholic, have an opportunity every day to share Our Lady's prophetic message. How? By praying, repenting, and by making sacrifices for the conversion of the world.

Do you have a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima? What are some ways you honor her and her Message? Please share your experience with us below. 

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