14 Interior Chapels The St. Joseph Chapel is located to the left of the high altar. Its archway, a garland of oak leaves wrapped with a ribbon, symbolizes strength. Saint Joseph is the protector and guardian of the Holy Family. He is also patron of husbands, fathers, and the dying. In 1870, St. Joseph was proclaimed by Pope Bl. Pius IX as the Universal Patron of the Church. Saint Joseph is one of the patrons of the Marian Congregation. The statue of Our Lady of Fatima, located in the right corner, is modeled after the description the children gave of her. It is a reminder to heed her words and pray the Rosary for the conversion of the world. The statue was made in Fatima where the Marian Fathers maintain a pastoral presence. On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal — Lucia dos Santos, age 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, ages 8 and 7. Our Lady appeared each month from May until October 1917. Our Lady emphasized the importance of praying the Rosary daily for peace in the world, offering sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, and spreading devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Saint Francisco and St. Jacinta died shortly after the apparitions, as Our Lady foretold. On May 13, 2000, they were beatified. On May 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the first apparition, they were canonized the youngest non-martyred saints. Their second-class relics are encased in the kneeler for veneration.
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