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The jubilee year of the Centenary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima was solemnly opened on November 27, 2016 and ended on November 26, 2017.

 

The theme of this special pastoral year was an apparition: the apparition of October 1917. On this occasion, Our Lady said to the Little Shepherds: “I am the Lady of the Rosary. » Clad in light and pouring the light of God on the world, she revealed to us the mystery of her Immaculate Heart. The Sanctuary has chosen, as the theme of this Jubilee Year, the promise of Our Lady to the seer Lucia during another apparition:

 

“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that will lead you to God”.

 

Father Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, comforted us by addressing these words to us:

 

  “Throughout this especially festive year, we are invited to meditate on the place of Mary in the history of Salvation, to recognize that“ the Lord has done wonders ”in Mary and through Mary, to let us be led by his Heart Immaculate to God and to give thanks to God for the gift of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. "

 

“The jubilee year is a special year of grace, during which the devotees of Our Lady of Fatima will be able to receive the Indulgence of God, the expression of His mercy, and to give thanks to God for the blessings that He has. poured out on us throughout these hundred years through Mary. "

 

“May this Jubilee Year contribute to the fulfillment of Our Lady's promise:” In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. » (Comments taken from Luz and Paz, N ° 52 of February 13, 2017).

 

The meaning of the Jubilee.

 

In this jubilee year of the Centenary of the Apparitions of Fatima, the Sanctuary offered pilgrims to compose their own pilgrimage from prayers that help to refocus their lives in the spirituality characteristic of this place: the rooting in the Christian faith, which we profess. in the Credo, the unity with the ecclesial community to which we belong and stated in the prayer for the Succession of Peter, Marian devotion through the prayer of the Rosary, the prayer for Peace as a sign of commitment to the construction of a world according to God's will and the consecration of life to Our Lady as an attitude of deliverance trusting in the merciful love of God.

Plenary indulgence

 

During this jubilee year, by concession of the Holy See, anyone who made a pious visit to this Sanctuary could obtain the plenary indulgence, in particular visit the Chapel of the Apparitions, place of memory of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, where Blessed Francis and Jacinthe Marto and the visionary Sister Lucy of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart are buried.

To obtain indulgence, it was necessary to follow the conditions associated with it: to confess sacramentally (on the occasion of the visit or at a close date), to receive Holy Communion and to pray according to the intentions of the Holy Father.

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Pilgrims who, for one reason or another, could not make it to Fatima that year can repeat this Jubilee Path in subsequent years. I give you the main stages.

First stop: the Portico du Centenaire, at the end of the Esplanade de Prayer.

 

Pilgrims are invited to place all their hope and trust in God. My faith pushes me to worship Him and to love Him. It is the faith of the Church of which I am a part and that is why I am invited to use the words of the symbol of the Apostles.

 

I believe in god,

the almighty Father,

creator of heaven and earth;

and in Jesus Christ,

his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

was born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified,

died and was buried,

went down to hell,

the third day rose from the dead,

ascended to heaven,

is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,

from where he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

to the holy Catholic Church,

to the communion of saints,

to the remission of sins,

in the resurrection of the flesh,

to eternal life.

Amen.

 

“My God, I believe. I believe that you are the one and true God, the creator of all that exists, the only Lord of heaven and earth, the only one worthy to be served, worshiped and loved. "

Sister Lucy, How I see the message through time and events. "

 

Second stage: The Chapel of the Apparitions.

 

I find myself in this place requested by the Virgin and I meditate on her call not to offend God. Under the attentive gaze of the Lady of the Rosary, who teaches me to follow the Lord, I meditate on the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ, seeking to organize my life with Him, contemplating Him in the recitation of the Rosary.

 

"Recite the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world and an end to war."

Sister Lucia, Memoirs.

 

Third stage: The tomb of the Little Shepherds.

 

Near the tombs of the Little Shepherds, I present to the Lord my prayer for the Holy Father, his intentions are mine, and thus, with him, I am in union with the whole Church.

 

Lord,

Good Shepherd of humanity,

Who entrusted to Peter and his successors

The mission to strengthen their brothers in the faith

And to enlighten them by listening to the Word

In this place where the Little Shepherds of Fatima

Have testified to a deep devotion to the Holy Father

And with an immense love for the Church,

We ask that your Spirit of wisdom

Enlighten Pope Francis in his mission as successor to Peter:

May your mercy protect and comfort him;

May the testimony of your faithful encourage him in his mission

And may the tender presence of Mary be for him a sign of your love;

May he be strong in faith, daring in hope and ardent in charity.

You who are God with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Our father …

I salute you marie …

Glory to the Father ...

 

“Jacinta felt so much love for the Holy Father that each time she offered her sacrifices to Jesus, she added: and for the Holy Father. After the Rosary, she always said three Hail Marys for the Holy Father. "

Sister Lucie, Memoirs.

 

Fourth stage: the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

Peace is a message deeply present in the message of Fatima. Our Lady announces it and insists on the importance of praying for it. By welcoming the invitation of the Queen of Peace, by uniting myself with all the men and women who desire and build peace, I adore the Lord in silence and, in this chapel, created to obtain peace, I to Him direct my prayer.

 

Lord, Most Holy Father,

In Christ Jesus you gave us your peace,

And through him you wanted to lead us to your heart,

- in this place where the Virgin Mary invites us to pray for peace in the world

And where the Angel of Peace urges us to worship God alone -,

We pray that there will be harmony among the peoples,

So that those responsible for nations may find ways of righteousness,

So that we can all achieve peace of heart

And so that, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace,

We are the builders of a more fraternal world.

Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

 

"She asked us to pray for Peace, for the end of the war."

Sister Lucie, Memoirs.

 

 

Extracts from the official booklet of the Jubilee itinerary delivered to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima.