Spreading the Message of Fatima Today

05-07-2023Weekly Reflection

Our Lady Travels the World

The world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima is recognized as the primary way in which the message of Fatima spread throughout the world and continues today.

• Sculpted by Jose Thedim—“the Michelangelo of Portugal”—the statue has been traveling internationally since 1947.
• On October 13, 1947, in the presence of 200,000 pilgrims at Fatima, the statue was blessed by the Bishop of Lieria-Fatima and commissioned to serve as the Pilgrim Virgin.
• The bishop prayed that Mary herself accompany the statue wherever it goes.
• She was then flown to America, where she was crowned in Ottawa, Canada, and began a 2-year tour of Canada and the U.S.
• She has since traveled to over 100 countries, claiming her dominion and carrying Fatima’s blessings and urgent message to people worldwide.

Our Lady Travels the US

The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue is a beautiful, handcarved image of Our Lady of Fatima. It was given to the United States by the bishop of Fatima after being blessed by Pope St. Paul VI in 1967. She was crowned by Cardinal O’Boyle at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC in 1971.

This statue travels across the United States under the sponsorship of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA. She has proven time and again to be the catalyst for renewed interest in the message of Fatima, and for introducing new generations of Catholics to Our Lady’s important message of conversion and peace. The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue is a beautiful, hand-carved image of Our Lady of Fatima. It was given to the United States by the bishop of Fatima after being blessed by Pope St. Paul VI in 1967. She was crowned by Cardinal O’Boyle at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC in 1971.

The purpose of a Pilgrim Virgin Statue tour is to introduce people to Our Lady’s message of hope, peace and salvation, and to bring the graces of Fatima to those many millions of people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Fatima itself.

A visit from the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue is a spiritually powerful event for the faithful, and the most effective means to spread Fatima’s urgent message anew.

We are incredibly blessed to have this pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima here in our parish community of Saint Mary Magdalene on May 13th which coincides with her feast day. We welcome you to learn and study the message of Fatima by following the different study programs available (learn more HERE) and to make time to venerate Our Lady Mother Mary. More information will be forthcoming about the events surrounding her visit.

The Secrets of Fatima

The heart of Our Lady’s message to the world is contained in what has become known as the “Secret,” which she confided to the children in July 1917. The “Secret” actually consists of three parts. The first part of the “Secret” was a frightening vision of hell, “where the souls of poor sinners go,” and contained an urgent plea from Our Lady for acts of prayer and sacrifice to save souls, with particular emphasis on praying of the rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The second part of the “Secret” specifically prophesied the outbreak of World War II and contained the prediction of the immense damage that Russia would do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communists’ totalitarianism.

The third part was not revealed until 2000. Its revelation coincided with the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta. It did not contain any striking or cataclysmic prediction, but, instead, the vision supported and affirmed the immense suffering endured by witnesses of the faith in the last century of the second millennium. Sister Lucia, the surviving member of the Fatima trio, con- firmed that in the vision “the Bishop clothed in white,” who prays for all the faithful, is the Pope. As he makes his way with great difficulty towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred (bishops, priests, men and women religious and many lay people), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a hail of gunfire. It is possible that the vision predicted the 1981 attack on Pope John Paul II’s life. The Pope has always credited the Virgin for his survival. Or it may be a portrayal of the Church’s continued struggle against secularism and anti-Christian movements and a continuing call to prayer, sacrifice and devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.