Archbishop to lead procession with Fatima statue in Greektown

Detroit — This May marks 100 years since the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Lucia Santo, Jacinta Marto and Francisco Marto outside Fatima, Portugal, and all over the world, people are ready to rejoice.

In what has become one of the largest devotions in the Church, empowered mostly by the laity, Our Lady of Fatima and her messages to the world have inspired millions to begin apostolates to spread Fatima’s message, explaining what has happened since she appeared, and what is yet to happen.

Locally, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and the faithful will process though Greektown in Detroit with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday, May 13, the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s miraculous apparition to the three shepherd children in Fatima.

“Fatima is the most significant Marian apparition along with Guadalupe and Lourdes, as those three apparitions are at the heart of the Marian message of sacrifice, prayer, penance and the rosary,” said Leonard St. Pierre, president of the World Apostolate of Fatima’s Detroit Archdiocesan Division, also known as the Blue Army, headquartered in Riverview.

Archbishop Vigneron will celebrate Mass at 5:30 p.m. at Old St Mary’s. Following the Mass, priests will escort the Fatima statues around the Greektown neighborhood to kick off what will be a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fatima.

“Prayer, penance, sacrifice, all these things that came from the Fatima message are just as important then as they are today,” St. Pierre said. “That same message that people need so badly now, people are just hungry for it.”

Before the May 13 celebration, the Blue Army will host Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, from the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass., at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 12, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at 18637 Ray St. in Riverview, where he will give a presentation on Fatima and the meaning behind the message Our Lady gave to the shepherd children a century ago.

The shrine will host a Mass and presentation at 7 p.m. on the 13th of every month from May to October, featuring different aspects of the Fatima message.

“The devotion to Fatima is so strong because the prophecies of Our Lady have been ongoing, and the interest of others was piqued from visits by St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis is coming,” said Fr. John Hedges, pastor of St. Stephen Parish in New Boston and chaplain for the Riverview shrine. “These celebrations are meant to keep the message of Fatima front and center 100 years later, because it’s ongoing. You can’t divorce Fatima from the message itself.”

St. Pierre added the talks at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima will help people better understand each of the visions the three Fatima children received and how they apply to Catholics today.