On September 29, the Shrine of Fatima recalls the third apparition of the Angel in 1916, at Loca do Cabeço (hilltop grotto), in the village of Aljustrel. Program: 21h30 - Rosary and procession from Little Chapel to Valinhos. Because of this special program to celebrate the third apparition of the Angel of Portugal in Fatima, the Rosary of 21h30 (Lisbon time) won’t be recited in the Little Chapel of Apparitions, but in the procession.
This year, when the Apparitions of the Angel at Fatima are specially recalled, the Shrine produced a film to recall the events and the message of the messenger of God to men. In this film we walk through the sites of the Apparitions of the Angel at Fatima in 1916; family and work life at the beginning of the XX century is recalled; and the main protagonists of the time, when God reveals Himself to mankind through the Angel of Peace, are highlighted.
In conjunction with the International Pilgrimage of August 12/13 there is held on that same date the Migrant’s Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Fatima, an initiative of the Portuguese Catholic Work for Migration (OCPM), integrated in the 39th National Week of Migration, August 6 thru 14. Presiding over the pilgrimage is the Most Rev. Arlindo Gomes Furtado, Bishop of Santiago, Cape Verde.
Several groups of youths of different nationalities planning to go to Madrid, Spain, to attend World Youth Days (August 16 thru 21) are also considering to pass through Fatima, some on the way to, some on the way from. Welcome you all! WARM GREETINGS TO YOU FROM THE SHRINE OF FATIMA!
The National Secretariat of Liturgy (SNL) holds, in Fatima, on July 25 thru 29, the XXXVII National Encounter of Liturgical Pastoral Ministry, an initiative addressed to agents of liturgical pastoral ministry. This year’s edition has as motto: “Liturgy – The Christian Prayer”.
July’s International Anniversary Pilgrimage, on July 12/13, is presided over by Bishop Manuel Pelino Domingues, Bishop of Santarém (Portugal). The motto is: “Enveloped by the maternal and paternal love of God”. Once again this year, the Eastern Icon of Our Lady of Fatima will be enthroned in the Little Chapel of Apparitions during the official opening of the pilgrimage at 18h30, on July 12.
Under the theme proposed by the Shrine of Fatima for this pastoral year, “Most Holy Trinity, I adore You profoundly”, the Movement of the Message of Fatima (MMF) holds its national pilgrimage to Fatima on the weekend of July 16/17. Saturday’s Vigil Mass is presided over by the Most Rev. Joaquim Mendes, Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. On Sunday, the 11h00 Mass is presided over by the Most Rev. Augusto César, Bishop Emeritus of Portalegre-Castelo Branco. MMF is a canonical association with By-Laws approved by the Bishops Conference of Portugal. The Bishop of Leiria-Fatima is its Assistant General.
The pastoral proposal made by the Shrine of Fatima to pilgrims called Pilgrim’s Itinerary gains new impetus starting June 18. After being held since the beginning of the year, individually or in group, by people wishing to better know the message and the sites of the apparitions of the Angel in Fatima, the Pilgrim’s Itinerary becomes now part of the official program of the Shrine for Saturday, during the Summer months, headed and coordinated by a Chaplain of the institution. People wishing to take part are to gather in front of Most Holy Trinity Church before 10h00 when the itinerary is scheduled to begin.
The Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima leaves São Tomé e Príncipe for Portugal on June 4, after a pilgrimage of more than a month through that African country. On the following day, June 5, it will be handed over to the Shrine of Fatima by the bishop of that Diocese, Most Rev. Manuel António Santos, CMF, during the 11h00 Mass in the Prayer Area of the Shrine of Fatima.
On May 29, Fatima welcomes the National Pilgrimage of the Fede-ration of Portuguese Folklore. The organizers estimate that 12,000 people may show up. The second large group coming to Fatima is the 28th Pilgrimage of the Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco, which will bring about 3500 pilgrims. The 11h00 Mass will be presided over by the Bishop of Portalegre-Castelo Branco, the Most Rev. Antonino Dias.
In Brazil, on May 28, one more space dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima is being inaugurated, after a replica of the Little Chapel of Apparitions was built in Rio de Janeiro. In declarations to journalists on the afternoon of May 12, the Rector of the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal, Fr. Virgílio Antunes, soon to be ordained Bishop, stated in this regard: “It will be a great center for the spread of the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima”.
Fr. Carlos Cabecinhas is going to be the new Rector of the Shrine of Fatima. He will take possession of his new job on July 11, at 11h00, in Most Holy Trinity Church, at the Shrine of Fatima. Fr. Cabecinhas is a priest of the Diocese of Leiria-Fatima and works full-time for the Shrine of Fatima since August 2010 as Chaplain and as Head of the Department of Liturgical Pastoral Ministry.
On the night of April 30, starting at 19h00 (Lisbon time), the Vicariate of Rome promotes a worldwide prayer vigil, thus uniting several places in the world. Titled “Totus Tuus – Prayer Vigil in preparation for the beatification of John Paul II”, this initiative will have a strong impact, since it will unite five different places through television: - Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico; - Shrine of Kawekamo, Tanzania; - Shrine of Fatima, Portugal; - Krakow, Poland; - Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, Beirut. The Shrine of Fatima accepted with joy the invitation to join this Prayer Vigil, for it will be one more moment to recall and pay homage to John Paul II.
For the third time in a row, the Shrine of Fatima receives the Meeting of Children’s Choirs, this year on April 25. The following choirs will take part: Schola Cantorum Little Shepherds of Fatima – from the Shrine of Fatima; Youth Choir of Mount Carmel – from Beja; Vox et Communio Choir – from Penacova; Children’s Choir of Santa Catarina da Serra – from Leiria: and Choral Academy of Dortmund – from Germany.
Because in this pastoral year of 2010-2011 the Shrine of Fatima intends to commemorate, in a special way, the apparitions of the Angel at Fatima in 1916, it is organizing, for March 31, the recalling of the first apparition of this messenger of God, who came to prepare the hearts of the three little seers for the apparitions of Our Lady in 1917.
“Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You!” is the theme for the Children’s Pilgrimage of 2011, scheduled, as usual, for June 9/10, which, this year, within the context of the first cycle of the centennial of the apparitions (2017), evokes the apparitions and the appeals of the Angel at Fatima.
“To adore God in spirit and truth – Adoration as acceptance and commitment” is the title of the theological-pastoral symposium scheduled for June 24 thru 26, at the Shrine of Fatima. The sessions will be held in the Chapel of the Death of Jesus, at the Complex of Most Holy Trinity Church. The thematic plan includes several aspects: God’s question in today’s culture, a study of the believing attitude, adoration as an expression of one’s faith and the figure of Mary as model of all those who believe.
The Shrine of Fatima launched on February 25 the contest for the composition of the music for the hymn of the centennial of the apparitions. The Shrine’s intention is that “the hymn be an identifying element of the event to be celebrated; therefore, it ought to be easily understood and easy to memorize by the people assembled around the Message of Fatima, at the Shrine or outside of it”.
The lyrics for the hymn of the centennial of the apparitions has been chosen, after a national contest promoted by the Shrine of Fatima. The refrain reads as follows: Ave o clemens! Ave o pia! Salve Regina Rosarii Fatimae! Ave o dulcis Virgo Maria!
On February 20, 91st anniversary of the death of Blessed Jacinta, the Church celebrates the Feast of Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta. At the Shrine of Fatima, the main celebration will be the 11h00 Mass in Most Holy Trinity Church.
At the end of the International Anniversary Pilgrimage of May, which this year gathered hundreds of thousands of pilgrims around the figure of Blessed John Paul II, His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston (U.S.A.), who presided over this meeting of faith and prayer, wrote the following message on the Shrine’s Guest Book: “I leave a portion of my heart here at the feet of Our Mother; totus tuus!”.