Confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on the … mysteries of the Rosary.” Why five? Why five First Saturdays in particular? Jesus Himself explained this later to Sr. Lucia on May 29-30, 1930: Daughter, the motive is simple: There are five kinds of offenses and blasphemies spoken against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. First: blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception Second: against her Virginity. Third: against the Divine Maternity, refusing, at the same time, to receive her as the Mother of mankind. Fourth: those who seek publicly to implant, in the hearts of children, indifference, disrespect, and even hate for this Immaculate Mother. Fifth: those who revile her directly in her sacred images. Here, dear daughter, is the motive that led the Immaculate Heart of Mary to petition Me to ask for this small act of reparation. Still relevant Why are we still talking about the First Saturday devotion 100 years later? Our Lady set it as one of two crucial conditions for the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart, the conversion of Russia, the end of the reign of the errors of Russia, and the start of an era of peace — in other words, for the end of the present times of difficulty, and the launch of a remarkably blessed time. Let’s listen to Our Lady’s own words: You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war [WWI] is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI [WWII]. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. Holy Mother Church therefore bears witness to the fulfillment of Our Lady’s prophecy — the destruction of many nations. World War II, followed by the Cold War, followed by terrorism, the clergy abuse scandal, Putin’s wars, and more. We have not seen a conversion of Russia. It depends on us Fatima’s completion depends on Catholics responding to Our Lady’s calls. This requires us to make the five First Saturdays, as the Marian Fathers faithfully do at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, every month at 11 a.m. ET. The devotions are livestreamed on DivineMercyPlus.org and Facebook. Years ago, Fr Donald Calloway, MIC, shared a powerful story told by the late Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC. While in Japan attending an international Christian conference, Fr. Seraphim met a priest who was approached by an ambassador, who said, “War is your fault. You Catholics, all of you — we do not have peace in the world. It is your fault.” The priest said, “Ambassador, why do you blame us?” The ambassador said, “I’ve read about this. The Lady came to you at Fatima, right? She told you what to do to secure peace in the world. Well, there’s no peace in the world, so obviously you Catholics haven’t done it.” The priest had to acknowledge that the ambassador was correct, but still tried to protest, saying, “Isn’t peace everyone’s responsibility?” The ambassador was vehement. “No, she came to you Catholics. Not to Buddhists. Not to Hindus. She came to you, and it is your responsibility.” Food for thought! In this 100th anniversary, let us respond to the calls of Fatima. Let us make the First Saturdays of reparation. Let us work to make them regular practice in our homes, our parishes, and our shrines. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us! ‘You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.’ Marian Helper • Winter 2025-26 • Marian.org 17
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