On this coming May 8, following the appeal from the “Children of the Eucharist”, the World Apostolate of Fatima is encouraging its leaders and members to help spiritually unite the prayers of our children and youth to petition Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace, for world peace.

Watch here and use this trailer video in English, subtitled in Spanish, to promote this prayer event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jIcF8Q3WXc

The prayers of children and youngsters are crucial to obtain from heaven the gift of peace.  Let us all contribute for this, entrusting to the Immaculate Heart of Mary ourselves, the Church and the whole world.

Our Lady, in the apparition of July 13, 1917, at Fatima, asked: "To prevent the war I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the reparative Communion on the First Saturdays." “At my request, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, it will spread its errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, several nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."

After the apparitions of Fatima there were several acts of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by various pontiffs. The last was on March 25, 2022, when Pope Francis led an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in St. Peter’s Basilica, in union with the universal Church.

One year after, as we recall this important moment and prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, we encourage everyone to renew the prayer of consecration on this March 25th and offer other Christian acts of piety, asking Our Blessed Mother to intercede before Christ, the Prince of Peace, for the end of the conflict in Ukraine and in other nations presently affected by violence, suffering and tragedies.

Here the text of the Prayer of Consecration used by Pope Francis, last March 25^th, 2022.

The 20^th of February is the liturgical Feast of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the two shepherd children of Fatima, to whom Our Lady appeared in 1917. The World Apostolate of Fatima is encouraging its members and all Fatima devotees to observe this feast day, thanking God for the life of the two saints, models of sanctity and intercessors in heaven for our intentions.

The international President of the World Apostolate of Fatima, Prof. Michael Ogunu, has written a circular letter to all members of the association, asking to “promote devotion to the canonized little shepherds, Francisco and Jacinta, for their great importance in the history of the Church, to make possible the acceptance of the Message of Fatima around the world.” He added that, “as in past years, this feast must be celebrated as a day of prayer and recollection in every nation where the Apostolate is present”.

The feast day is to be celebrated with the practice of spiritual devotions such as, Holy  Mass, Holy Rosary, meditation on the life of the Saints, vigils of adoration and reparation to the Blessed Sacrament, procession with the images of the Saints, veneration of their relics and, when possible, also by organizing activities for children and youngsters, to honor the little shepherds.

The novena to Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta leading to the feast begins on February 11. You can access here the novena prayer and the litany of the two Saints.

Historical Note

Francisco Marto was born in Aljustrel, Fatima, on June 11, 1908, and his sister Jacinta Marto was born in the same locality, on March 11, 1910. In their humble family, the children learned to know and to praise God and the Virgin Mary. In 1916, they saw three times an Angel and in 1917, they saw six times the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking them to pray and to make penance for the conversion of sinners and to obtain peace in the world. Both, immediately, wanted to answer with all their strength, to these exhortations. More and more inflamed in the love to God and to the souls, they had only one aspiration: to pray and to suffer according to the requests from the Angel and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Francisco died on April 4, 1919 and Jacinta on February 20, 1920. Pope Saint John Paul II travelled to Fatima on May 13, 2000, in order to beatify the two children. Pope Francis came to Fatima on May 13, 2017, during the Centenary of the Apparitions, and canonized the two first non-martyr children in the history of the Church.

The World Apostolate of Fatima is happy to present you a unique and new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, named “Our Lady of the Praying Heart”.

As we prepare to celebrate the feast of the two little Shepherds of Fatima, Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta Marto, on February 20, we would like to offer you, for the very first time, the opportunity to purchase this unique statue “Our Lady of the Praying Heart”, that has just been made available to the public.

The statue shows a supplicant woman on her knees with her heart in her hand. It represents “Our Lady of the Praying Heart”, a new Marian figure conceived in Portugal.  The idea of creating the “Lady of the Praying Heart”, arose when celebrating the centenary of the first statue of Our Lady of Fatima, venerated in the Chapel of Apparitions and during the centenary of Saint Jacinta’s death.

The original statue was blessed by Pope Francis in October 2021. On that occasion, the Pope underlined the beauty of such image and the importance of always praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. He added that the Rosary is a universal prayer!

The promoter explains that: “She is Our Lady of Fatima and represents the lives of all pilgrims. When they go to Fatima and to the Chapel of the Apparitions, they have the purpose of asking or thanking, always through prayer. It is so interesting to realize that when we arrive at the chapel, Our Lady already prays with us and is on her knees to bring our prayers to God."

This is an image full of sweetness. Our Blessed Mother offers us Her Immaculate Heart so that we place on it also our heart with its intentions. A beautiful statue to be placed in the heart of our homes to pray for our Family, for the Holy Father and for Peace.

The Statue is 25 cm high, made of light polyurethane with a non-slip-base. It is shipped inside a card box with Styrofoam. Price: 42,50 Euro + shipping costs

You can buy the statue “Our Lady of the Praying Heart” here before February 20 and also receive for FREE a Blue Crystal Fatima Rosary (stock limited to the first 50 orders).

The World Apostolate of Fatima held its international General Assembly in Fatima, Portugal, from October 24 to 28, 2022. The event was attended by 105 participants from 28 different countries. The group had the responsibility to elect a new international Board of Directors to serve for a term of five years. 

The works were conducted in a spirit of family and the program included, among other things, the presentation of national reports, conferences on the message of Fatima, workshops, moments of prayer and a pilgrimage to the sacred sites in Fatima and Lisbon. There was also time to reflect on the Synodal process of the Church, the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon and the Centenary of the Apparitions in Pontevedra, Spain, in year 2025.

In the morning of October 27, the delegates assembled to elect the new WAF International Board of Directors, composed of nine people. The list of the new elected Board is presented here by their position, name and country of origin:

President: Prof. Michael Ogunu, from Nigeria, Vice President: Reynald Andales, from the Philippines, Secretary: Edith Koch, from Switzerland, Treasurer: David Kelly, from USA, Trustees: Oksana Bodak, from Ukraine, Fr. Damian Maria, from South Korea, Fr. MV Sunni, from India, JR Pereira, from Samoa and Walter Karger, from Germany

Congratulations to the new officers! May the Good Lord and Mother Mary guide them in the service of our Apostolate. To the former Board members who ceased their office, thanks for their generosity and commitment. Orbis Unus Orans!