Welcome! The World Apostolate of Fatima is an International Catholic Association of Pontifical Right.
Message for Lent 2010 from WAF International President
As we begin the celebration of the mysteries of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ during the Lent of year 2010, let us look into the Message of Our Lady of Fatima to find “that light” that illuminates from above all surroundings.
The Message of Fatima is not merely a Marian Message to be commemorated during the traditional months of May and October or the season comprehended between May 13 and October 13 of each year. It is much more than that.The Message of Fatima is a Message of conversion, of meditative prayer and penance, of reparation, Eucharistic Reparation and entrustment to God, the “fiat” of our joyous acceptance of God’s will in our lives. Therefore, Lent is a wonderful time to make known and lived the Message of Fatima as an incomparable instrument to achieve the objectives of this liturgical time. Let us discover the amazing “Grace & Mercy” derived from penance, prayer, fasting, charity and the practice of the moral virtues. Let us live Lent in the eyes of Our Lady of Fatima, as a preparation for the awesome Easter Sunday when Our Lord Jesus Christ transformed humanity into His image. This is the time for the Message of Fatima to blossom in our hearts and in the hearts of those who do not know yet the transforming Hope coming from the Cova da Iria.
Prof. Américo Pablo López Ortiz
POPE BENEDICT XVI VISITS FATIMA ON THE 12TH AND 13TH OF MAY 2010
The Holy Father announced his desire to visit Portugal next May, becoming a pilgrim to Fatima on the 12th and on the 13th, on the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady and on the 10th anniversary of the Beatification of little seers Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
Pope Benedict XVI will be in Portugal for a pilgrimage and an official visit, following the invitation made to him by the Portuguese Bishop’s Conference and the Presidency of the Republic of Portugal, from the 11th and the 14th of May 2010, with visits, ceremonies and meetings in Lisbon, Fatima and Porto. The general theme of the visit is: “With you, we walk in hope”, and the subtheme: “Christianity, wisdom and mission”. The World Apostolate of Fatima is making the necessary preparations to welcome the Holy Father in Fatima, with joy and much gratitude. This will be the fifth time a Pope visits the Fatima shrine. Pope Paul VI was the first, in 1967 and John Paul II, was in Fatima three times. The last visit occurred in year 2000, when he beatified Francisco and Jacinta Marto. During his pilgrimage to Fatima, Pope Benedict XVI will also visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, where the seers Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia are buried. The visit of the Holy Father to Fatima will be an extraordinary event in the life of the Church and for our Apostolate in particular. Please consult the program here.
The Sanctuary of Fatima has decided to organize a congress on Blessed Jacinta Marto, the youngest of the three little shepherds who saw Our Lady in 1917. The congress will take place at Paul VI Pastoral centre in Fatima, on June 4 thru 6, 2010.
In order to mark the commemorations of the centennial of the birth of Jacinta Marto, the little shepherd seer who most expressed her dedication to the Pope and to the Church, the Shrine of Fatima is going to hold a congress on Jacinta Marto, titled “Jacinta Marto: from Encounter to Compassion”. The three day meeting, from June 4 to 6, will include conferences, talking panels, moments of prayer, a musical evening and time for dialogue, as it is customary in events of this type. Experts on different areas, both from Portuguese and foreign, shall deal with a wide range of topics in connection with the life of Jacinta Marto. This occasion is a good opportunity to approach the message of Fatima from the point of view of the spirituality of seer Jacinta, by knowing better her personality and by identifying some relevant aspects of her interior life, in order to use them as keys to open up for us both the message of Fatima and the Christian life. The congress is open to every person interested in the message of Fatima or in any of the topics that the vast program has to offer. For more information, you can visit www.fatima.pt.
World Apostolate of Fatima prepares First Regional Congress for Europe
The World Apostolate of Fatima is organizing an International Congress for its Leaders and Members in Europe. It will take place in the Czech Republic, in the month of September 2010.
The First Regional Congress of the World Apostolate of Fatima for Europe will take place at the national centre of our Apostolate in Koclířov (near Svitavy, approx. 150 km East of Prague) in the Czech Republic, from the 24th to the 28th of September 2010. The main theme will be “The New Evangelization of Europe through the Message of Fatima”. This international meeting, inspired in the encyclical letter “Centesimus Annus” will focus on how our movement can contribute for the New Evangelization of Europe, by living and promoting the Message of Fatima. Delegations from all over Europe will be attending this meeting and together with the International President, Prof. Americo Lopez-Ortiz, from Puerto Rico, the International Secretary, Dr. Celcio Dias, from India, and the International Secretariat from Fatima, will try to outline the Apostolate priorities for our work in Europe. The main language of the working sessions will be English. The program that will be soon released includes conferences, moments of prayer, workshops and a tour to Prague.
Nigeria will host the II African Regional Meeting of the World Apostolate of Fatima
Nigeria will be the host country for the II African Regional Congress of the World Apostolate of Fatima. The meeting will be held in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, from October 6 to 10, 2010.
Following the Regional Congress in Cameroon, in April 2008, Nigeria will be home for the II World Apostolate of Fatima Regional Congress. Prof. Michael Ogunu, National President of our Apostolate in this country is working hard together with his collaborators to prepare the meeting, which will be embedded in the 2010 WAF National Rosary Congress, both under the theme: “The World Apostolate of Fatima in Africa and the New Evangelisation in the Light of the Synods on Africa”. This II African Regional Meeting will promote the growth of the Apostolate in the entire continent of Africa, as participants from many African countries, such as Cameroon, Ghana, Botswana, Lesotho, Kenya, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, etc. are planning to attend the conference. Both events, the National Rosary Congress and the African Regional Conference will be an opportunity for witnessing the growth of the Apostolate in Nigeria – Africa’s most populous country and share experiences. The Papal Nuncio to Central African Republic and Chad, a long-year member of the World Apostolate of Fatima, will also be participating, as well as the International President, Prof. Americo Lopes-Ortiz and some observers from the Apostolate of Europe, Asia and the United States. The aim of the congress is to create ways and means of a more effective propagation of the Fatima Message in Africa, also buy hearing lessons from the experiences of WAF nations in other continents; to catch African young children for Our Lady of Fatima, to find new resources for the propagation of the Fatima Message in Africa by examining the nature and scope of foreign aid and to structure an on-going international cooperation among African WAF Nations. The program will be released soon.
