Our Lady of Assumption Church, located on Beaver Road in Walton took a turn hosting the statue of Our Lady of Fatima recently. During her visit the church had special events including a candlelight rosary procession.
The statue travels around the United States through the Catholic churches of the Society of St. Pius X. They have over 1000 churches and chapels worldwide represented in 37 countries with 100 churches and 27 schools in the United States. Our Lady of Assumption Church has more than 500 members and a school.
The importance of the visit by a statue may be lost on a secular reader, but to many practicing Catholics the messages of Fatima have a far reaching impact on events around the world today.
According to the story, an apparition of the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus) appeared to three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal in 1917. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
(Photo by Andrea Petit)
The nine-year-old children said an angel appeared to them first identifying himself as “The Angel of Peace,” he taught them special prayers. He came on three separate occasions before a woman came to them who they described as “brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun.”
The woman held a rosary and asked the children to pray daily for an end to World War I. She predicted the end of World War I (the first secret) and the coming of World War II (the second secret) stating that if communism in Russia wasn’t stopped there would be a second war (World War II) as the Russians “spread their errors across the world.” The three children claimed to have experienced in total six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary between May 13 and October 13, 1917.
On the final day of her visitation to the children 70,000 plus eyewitnesses, including reporters and nonbelievers witnessed what has become known as the “Miracle of the Sun”. Lúcia, in the midst of a vision, cried out, “Look at the sun!” Those present experienced a wide variety of visions of the dancing sun.
Francisco and Jacinta Marto succumbed to the flu epidemic of 1918. Both children predicting their own deaths with seemingly no fear. They reported being told during the second appearance of the Lady of Fatima, “I shall take Francisco and Jacinta soon…”
Lúcia was reportedly told, “you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on Earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart.” She later became a Catholic nun and reported seeing visions periodically during her life.
John Paul II credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life following an assassination attempt in 1981 on the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima. He donated the bullet that wounded him to the Roman Catholic sanctuary at Fátima and it was placed in the statue’s crown.
Many thought this assassination attempt on the pope was the third secret given by the Lady of Fatima.
However, some in the church believe the third secret, which was a vision of popes, bishops, and other religious leaders being martyred at the foot of the cross is as harbinger of things to come and reflective of the killings of religious leaders happening around the world today.
So, as the statue travels from community to community it is a reminder to Catholics of the visions given to these three children by Our Lady of Fatima. It is a call to Catholics to pray the rosary for believers and non-believers to save a world we can all agree is in crisis.
Carrie D. Cox is host of The Military Mamas Radio Show, a talk radio program for veterans, active duty military and their families. She also works as the co-host of TWT-TV a veteran-owned small business. She grew up in Covington and graduated from Holmes High School. She moved away as a military spouse but returned several years ago and began writing and teaching. She holds degrees in public relations, psychology, conflict management, neurolinguistics programming and forensic psychological profiling. Email: carriedcox@yahoo.com
A very wonderful article. I first learned of Our Lady of Fatima over 50 years ago. My family still prays the Rosary daily. Thank you for this article.
The Tribune is doing a great service for our community and beyond by publishing this important article. We must heed Our Lady’s exhortations to pray and do penance. Let’s all study the message of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima and, most importantly, pray the Rosary daily.
Mary the mother of God, the mother of the faithful, who has said that she will never leave us alone, her Immaculate heart is to be our refuge and the way that will lead us to God,in this day and age, when truth is shunned and error is embraced, light is looked to be darkness, and darkness light, Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death!
Thank you Carrie, for writing such a wonderful article and helping to spread Our Lady’s message. May God bless you!
Thank you Carrie, for writing such a wonderful article and helping to spread Our Lady’s message. May God bless you!
Thank you for helping to spread Our Lady’s message. May Our Lady of Fatima pray for us!
Such a beautiful reminder to all of us Catholics, of the true beauty and importance of Mary’s message at Fatima. May the article remind all of us of the power and importance of praying Mary’s beautiful rosary.
Thank you for this important article. Such a shame more people don’t know about or embrace Our Lady’s message and realize what a powerful tool the rosary is and can be in these difficult times we live in. Our Lady of Fatima, please pray for us!
Thank you so much for an outstanding article. This is exactly what needs to be discussed. Heaven, don’t miss it for the world.
Congratulations to the Tribune for publishing an article which really reflects what matters to our community. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for this beautiful article! These are the kind of articles that should be published nation wide. The world is in the times of a crisis, and without Our Lady’s help we have no chance of hope. Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Beautiful article! May God bless you for sharing this beautiful message. May Our Heavenly Mother protect us and keep us close to Her Immaculate Heart today and everyday of our lives, because without her we are nothing. Our Lady of Fatima pray for us!!
Thank you for this wonderful article! I pray that many will read it and save their souls. We all must wake up and heed the Blessed Mother’s warning and pray our rosaries every day! It is through her that we will be saved.
I never expected to see an article like this in the Tribune. You guys rock. And Carrie Cox is a brilliant writer.
Great article, Carrie. It’s nice to see that the media can still engage in worthwhile journalism. And what could be more worthwhile than spreading knowledge of the Catholic faith! Here’s to hoping that many readers are moved to begin praying the rosary to Our Lady of Fatima, for that is truly the most effective tool we have in this never-ending fight against evil.
A most excellent comment Thomas !