Welcome, Pilgrims

Welcome to Fatima Consecration, a 33 day preparation for Marian Consecration. In this introduction video you will learn about all the basics of this consecration retreat. What is the time commitment? Is there any reading requirement? What expectation is there regarding daily prayer? Want to join our journey to Jesus through Mary? Get all 33 Marian Consecration videos emailed. https://www.fatimaconsecration.org/ What is Marian Consecration based upon? This consecration retreat is based upon Sr. Lucia’s writings and her understanding of the apparitions of Fatima. The Fatima apparitions are approved by the Catholic Church. Sr Lucia was one of the three children to whom Mother Mary appeared. says there are 33 things Mother Mary is asking us to live. Each day we will examine one of those 33 calls in preparation for consecration to Jesus through Mary. Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/bWGPMczPzHg

On day 1 of Fatima Consecration, a 33-day preparation for Marian Consecration, we examine the village life of Fatima. Mother Mary chose this little village for a reason. Why? What was it about their way of life that attracted the Mother of God? And what can we learn from their way of life, in preparation for our consecration to Jesus through Mary. Sr. Lucia, one of the visionaries of the Fatima Apparitions, describes in detail what life was like at that time. It would be summarized simply: the whole village lived Catholic life. Devotion to Our Blessed Mother was critical. The sacramental life of the Church was essential. Virtuous living was on public display. All families were blessed with the graces of Matrimony. The village of Fatima lived the Catholic life to its fullness. Could this be what attracted Mother Mary to appear? Could it be that living the Catholic life was the preparation for the apparitions? The main lesson for us today on day 1 of our consecration retreat is to be aware that living the Catholic life is the best preparation for consecration to Mary. Sr Lucia writes, “But the whole village was so united that it appeared to be one single family!” There was a beautiful unity among the family.” Our Blessed Mother is attracted. “Their homes had been blessed by the Sacrament of Matrimony; and their conjugal fidelity was absolute. They welcomed all the children that God chose to send them, not as a burden but as another gift with which God was enriching their homes” (Sr Lucia, Calls, pg. 40). Teaching the Catholic faith to children was a priority. Sr Lucia writes, “It was on their father’s knees and their mother’s lap that the children learned to pronounce the Holy Name of God…. Thus the light of faith grew so strong in these delicate, pure and innocent souls that it later illuminated their whole lives in all its meanderings.” “The day on which each of their children made his or her First Communion was one of solemn and intimate rejoicing for all the family, for on that day God was once again visiting their home and uniting Himself with one of its members.” (Sr Lucia, Calls, Pg 41) ‘In their homes there was no abundance of the earthly goods….However…there was peace and unity, joy and love… thus everyone was happy.” Everyone fulfilled the precept of keeping holy the Sundays. “In the morning, everyone went to Mass. In the afternoon people relaxed. The young people would meet together and have a good time in our yard… under the watchful eye of their parents.” Prayer was an essential part of their way of life. “When the sun went down and the church bells rang, everybody stood up, the men taking off their characteristic cap and holding it in their hands while the Angelus was said.” Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/Qg_VPYxcRSE

On day 2 of our Fatima Consecration, we examine Sr. Lucia’s account of seeing a Guardian Angel. Today we continue our 33-day journey of preparation of Marian consecration to Jesus through Mary. Sr. Lucia shares how they saw something unusual: “We saw something like a white cloud in the shape of a human being, which had come down from the sky and was passing slowly in front of us, above the trees that stretched down to the valley at our feet, as if wishing to attract our attention and keep our eyes fixed on it.” She goes on to say these experiences happened several times in different places, and that it was her interior conviction that what they saw was the Guardian Angel. Her reason for sharing this is not to confirm that it was an Angel, but to tell us that Guardian Angels truly exist. She simply wants to affirm the teaching of the Catholic Church and what is true. It is a reminder to us to ask our angel’s intercession as we prepare for our consecration to Mary. Why does God first send an angel before Mary starts appearing? Sr. Lucia answers this, writing, “to address to us yet another call to obey his law and remember the end for which we were created.” The Catholic Church teaches we have a Guardian Angel to watch over us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church proclaims that "from infancy to death human life is surrounded by their [angels'] watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God" (CCC, n. 336). Does our Guardian Angel ever leave us? St. Thomas says an angel guardian never forsakes a man entirely, but sometimes he leaves him in some particular way, for instance by not preventing him from being subject to some trouble, or even from falling into sin, according to the ordering of Divine judgments. In a letter to one of his spiritual daughters, Padre Pio wrote concerning Guardian Angels, “How consoling it is to know that we are always under the protection of a heavenly spirit, who never abandons us, not even (most admirable fact!) in the very act by which we displease God,” wrote Padre Pio in a letter to one of his spiritual daughters. The main point to remember from today is that we can ask our Guardian Angel’s intercession in preparation for our Marian Consecration. Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/FH8kaMF7Ljw

Welcome to Fatima Consecration, a 33-day preparation Marian Consecration retreat. We are on day 3 of our journey to Jesus through Mary. What if you asked random people with a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima what the main message of these apparitions is? What would they say? Some may point to the Miracle of the Sun. Others, the importance of consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And still others may mention the children’s vision of hell and saving poor sinners. But if we asked Sr. Lucia what the main message of Fatima is, she would respond, as she already wrote in her book Calls, “Now the entire Message of Fatima is a call to pay attention to this divine Law. For this reason, we will go through it step by step and it will point out for us the way we are to go.” For Sr. Lucia, the main message of Fatima is being obedient to the Divine Law of God. And what is this Divine Law? It is what God has revealed to be truth through Scripture, Tradition, and the teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church. These are the three sources God uses to reveal to us how He wants us to live our lives. Sr. Lucia says, “The Church is the custodian of the true Law of God and the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ.” So if we want to be obedient to God, we must follow the Church He has given us and speaks through. Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/jI3NGsXH3ko

Welcome to Fatima Consecration, a 33-day preparation for Marian Consecration retreat. We are on day 7 of our journey to Jesus through Mary. Sr. Lucia writes, “The fifth call of the Message: ‘I ask Your pardon...’ Immediately after the call to charity, the message speaks to us of forgiveness, asking us to ask God’s pardon for our brothers and sisters and also for ourselves; for those who do not believe and for those who do; for those who do not adore and for those who bow down in worship before God; for those who do not hope and for those who have every confidence; for those who do not love and for those who practice charity.” Sr. Lucia continues: “The fact is that we all need to obtain God’s pardon for our lack of faith, which is often so fragile; for our hope, which is often so weak; for our charity, which is often so cold and insensitive; and for our adoration, which is often so languid. We ask pardon for those who do not believe, for those who do not adore, for those who do not hope, and for those who do not love; and very often we ourselves are among this number! For this reason, in what we call the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus Christ taught us to ask: ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Mt. 6:12). As we see, we cannot obtain God’s pardon unless we ourselves first forgive our brothers and sisters. It follows that we must not harbor resentment, ill will, dislike, and still less a desire to avenge any offense, whether great or small, that one or other of our neighbors, great or small, may have committed against us. Our forgiveness must be generous, complete, and self-sacrificing, in the sense of overcoming ourselves. It will be necessary to silence within us the cry of revolt, to calm excited nerves, to keep a firm grasp on the reins of our temper, and keep a lid on the heat of our wounded self-love, which, whether rightly or wrongly, feels bruised and irritated.” We hope you are blessed by this Consecration through Mary series. More to come! Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/bWGPMczPzHg

We are on day 6 of 33 days on our journey to Jesus through Mary. Sr. Lucia writes: There can be no doubt that of all the creatures, Our Lady is the one who has been most loved by God. Nevertheless, from all eternity, we have all been equally present in the mind of God and part of His creative design. Moreover, He created all other things for love of each one of us because we have always been present to Him and loved by Him. We have an eternal debt to pay to God, a debt that can only be repaid because the love of God came first and continually increases in intensity. Hence, no one and nothing is as deserving of our love as God is. We must, therefore, look upon the precept God has given us to “love Him” as yet another proof of His love; it is a sign that He accepts our love, our gratitude, and our humble return of love for Love. We are very small before the immensity of God, but we give Him what we have: ‘our love!’ It is a bit like what happens with children who, cradled in the arms of the father from whom they receive everything, repay him with a hug and a kiss, symbols of their love. And the father smiles happily and is satisfied because the child has given him a return of love. St. Alphonsus says, “She (Mary) loved God more, in the first moment of her life, than all the saints and angels have loved Him in the whole course of theirs.” Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/jI3NGsXH3ko

Welcome to Fatima Consecration, a 33-day preparation Marian Consecration retreat. We are on day 5 of our journey to Jesus through Mary. Today, Sr. Lucia challenges us with the call to hope. Can we call Mother Mary our hope? It may sound a bit unusual at first because isn't Jesus supposed to be our only hope? And do Catholics even call Mother Mary our hope? Recall that the Salve Regina is recited at the end of the Rosary and is also used in night prayers. It dates back to around the 11th century and is still sung today as a hymn in various forms, among them a beautiful chant. The words, “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, Our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” How is it that we can call Mother Mary "Our Hope"? St. Thomas says there are two causes of hope: primary and intermediate. Mary is the intermediate cause of our hope because we have confidence that Jesus will listen to His mother. What is the gift of hope? The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, in paragraphs 1817-119: “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.’ ‘The Holy Spirit…He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.’” The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity. St. Anselm said, “It is not that we distrust the divine mercy, but rather that we distrust our own unworthiness, and commend ourselves to Mary, that her merits may compensate for our unworthiness.” So, can we call Mary our Hope? Yes. St. John of Damascus calls Mary, “The hope of the despairing.” St. Augustine calls Mary, “The only refuge of sinners.” St. Ephrem calls Mary, “The secure haven for the shipwrecked.” Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/Qg_VPYxcRSE

Welcome to Fatima Consecration, a 33-day preparation for a Marian Consecration retreat. We are on day 4 of our journey to Jesus through Mary. In today's video, Sr. Lucia draws our attention to the call to adore God and worship Him alone. A special thank you to Clay Ministries who have sponsored these videos. https://www.clayministries.org/ Join us in praying the Rosary: https://youtu.be/FH8kaMF7Ljw