18 february, 2008
At the Shrine of Fatima, on the morning of February 20, day of the Liturgical Feast of Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta Marto, which coincides with the anniversary of death of Blessed Jacinta (88th anniversary this year), children and babies present at the Mass of 11h00, celebrated in Most Holy Trinity Church, received a blessing from the hands of the Rector of the Shrine.
At the end of Mass, all boys and girls, some of them little children, were invited to climb the steps to the altar in order to receive the blessing.
Present were children from two education institutions: ‘Externato de S. Domingos’, Fatima, and ‘Escola da Malagueira’, Évora. Afterwards, the Rector also blessed all those who had attended Mass.
During the homily, the president of the celebration addressed almost exclusively the children. Msgr. Luciano Guerra reminded the younger ones of the history of apparitions of the Angel and those of Our Lady; spoke to them about the village (Aljustrel) where the Little Shepherds were born; asked them to pray, as the Three Little Shepherds of Fatima had done; and prayed with all those present the two prayers the Angel taught Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta in 1916.
Msgr. Guerra also asked parents and educators not to disregard not only the physical aspects, such as the children’s health and education, but also the ‘spiritual education’, because children “need transcendence”, “need to grow in age, in wisdom and in grace”, like Jesus, and “to feel that there is someone above us who govern us”.ARCHIVE: 11h00 - MASS & BLESSING OF CHILDREN in Most Holy Trinity Church On February 20, a Wednesday this year, the Liturgical Feast of Blesseds Francisco and Jacinta Marto, beatified by John Paul II on May 13, 2000, is celebrated. This year, at the Shrine of Fatima, this day will be lived with the celebration of Mass at 11h00, in Most Holy Trinity Church, at which time the children present will receive the blessing. February 20, 2000, is the date of the 88th anniversary of death of Blessed Jacinta Marto, who had a holy death in 1920, when she was about to celebrate her 10th birthday. She died in Lisbon, at Dona Estefânia Hospital, after a long and painful illness and after offering up to God all her sufferings for the conversion of sinners, for peace in the world and for the Holy Father. |
