SHRINE NEWS: Lighting Votive Candles at shrines and churches has been a beautiful form of prayer for centuries. The light from the candle is a powerful symbol of Christ, the Light of the World. This form of devotion is very popular at our Fatima Shrine. There are many Votive Candles on display daily at the Shrine, raising our prayer intentions to Heaven. A votive candle is a personal blessing for the person who is having the candle lit for them, but it is much more at the shrine. The candle also represents light being shined into a darkened world as a reminder to us of the virtues of faith, hope & Charity. It is also a good way to remember the souls of our loved ones for the month of November. The shrine has two new candle stands for our blue votive candles, the funds generated by these candles are used to support the shrine and devotions, in addition we will also be offering 5-day devotional candles for sale at the shrine to take home, such as Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Divine Mercy. The blue candles that burn at the shrine are 5 days votives for your intentions through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima and the Holy Face of Jesus.
A true story involving the Rosary and a snake: Last Saturday October 16th the Crusaders of Fatima we’re praying the Rosary in solidarity with the 20,000 other “America Needs Fatima” public square Rosaries being said around the country. We were praying late morning out in front of the Shrine on Washington Street. Right when we were about to finish, Jose tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the ground. There at my feet was a snake looking like he was close enough to start crawling up my leg. I jumped out of the way, stamped my foot and yelled at it. It was undeterred and kept moving towards us. Then Mercy, one of the women in our group, quietly said out loud “Genesis 3:15” – which is the verse “I shall put enmity between you and Her, and between your seed and Her seed”. As soon as she said that it was as if the snake was hit by a bolt of lightning, it immediately reversed direction, turned around and slithered out of sight into the bushes, around the corner from which it came. Since a snake is a symbol of the devil, one might deduce the Holy Rosary and the Word of God are not two of his favorite things. (contribution from Mike Ferrigno)
BOARD MEETING: Following the rosary at 2pm on Sunday October 24 we will have our Annual Board meeting and elections. If anyone would like to serve submit your name to one of the current board members, there are some spots available.
HEALING MASS: Please feel free to join us for a Healing Mass which will be held at the shrine on October 29th at 11:00 am with Fr. Leonard Revilla, MFVA from EWTN television network. All are welcomed.
MMP PRAYER CENACLE: A Marian Movement of Priest prayer Cenacle will be held at the shrine on Wednesday November 3rd at 10:00 am starting with Holy Mass, rosary and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
FIRST SATURDAY: On Saturday Nov. 6th we will celebrate the First Saturday Mass and devotion; the celebrant will be our friend Rev. Ed Riley, from St. John’s Seminary. We plan on processing around the grounds as part of the First Saturday devotion. Confessions will be available followed by coffee and doughnuts. We will have sanitizer on hand, and an indoor/outdoor setup. This mass will be dedicated to the Holy Souls, all those Loved ones who have left us in the previous years, please send any names you would like added to a list of names to be remembered.
CANDLELIGHT PROCESSION:
I want to thank everyone who participated in another successful season of Candlelight Procession. It was beautiful to see the large crowd that showed up in October to celebrate the 104th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun.
SANTO ROSARIO: Santuario Nuestra Señora de Fátima. The Spanish Community of St. Columbkille’s most Holy Rosary group meets at the shrine at 3pm every First Saturday of the month for song, prayer and fellowship all are welcomed.
SUNDAY ROSARY FOR PEACE: There are more than a handful of us who meet at the shrine every Sunday to come together to pray The Rosary for peace. We begin around 2pm, feel free to stop by.
REMINDER: A Pro-Life Rosary for our nation continues at the Shrine daily around noon all are welcomed; With a special attention given to the devotion of the Holy Face of Christ, and the Flame of Love.
