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The Five First Saturdays
On the evening of Thursday, December 10,
1925, after supper, Sister Lucy dos Santos (then a postulant in the Dorothean
house at Pontevedra, Spain)
 received a visit
by the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary in her convent cell. Showing the young
nun a heart surrounded by thorns, Our Lady said to her:
"See,
My daughter, My heart surrounded by thorns which ungrateful men pierce at every
moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude... Say to all those who, for five
months, on the first Saturday, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite the
Rosary and keep Me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the fifteen
mysteries of the Rosary, in a spirit of reparation, I promise to assist them at
the hour of death with all the graces necesary for the salvation of their
souls."
 Charged with this
mission by Heaven's King and Queen, the 18-year-old nun immediately began the
work of making their requests for this new devotion known. She informed her
Mother Superior at once as well as her priest-confessor, Father Lino Garcia. It
was he, in fact, who ordered Lucy to immediately write down everything which
concerned the revelation. Later, she would write at even greater depth to
Bishop Pereira Lopes and many others, striving to establish in the hearts of
those around her the urgency of promoting this wonderful new gift of grace.
Writing to
her own mother two years following Our Lord and Our Lady's visit, Sister Lucy
begged her to adopt this new devotion which "I know is so pleasing to God and
which our dear Heavenly Mother has requested." In another letter written after
the first steps had been taken to gain official Church approval of the
devotion, she emphasized its critical importance in saving souls: "[You] cannot
imagine how great is my joy in thinking about the consolation ... that the Holy
Hearts of Jesus and Mary are going to receive and of the great number of souls
who are going to be saved through this amiable devotion."
Through the
tireless efforts of Sister Lucy and others, this great, yet simple devotion
has, over the last seven decades, spread around the world, uniting millions in
a universal and continuous act of reparation that seeks to console the Hearts
of Jesus and Mary and to save souls everywhere. Sister Lucy herself has written
that "the greatest joy," she feels, "is to see the Immaculate Heart of our so
tender Mother known, loved and consoled by the means of this devotion."
 The
Seven Fatima Prayers
During the course of the apparitions at Fatima, the
three child seers were taught five unique and powerful prayers, two by the
Angel of Peace and three by the Mother of God. Later, appearing to Sister Lucy
at Rianjo, Spain, Our Lord Jesus Christ dictated two further prayers. For
millions of people, these prayers are today a living embodiment of the Message
of hope and peace which Our Lady gave the world at Fatima.
In the past few
years, through the efforts of Our Lady's Apostolate, a pious practice has
developed of reciting one (or more) of these prayers on a daily basis. The
following schedule of prayers is a suggestion only; please feel free to recite
them in any order which you find most comforting and appropriate.
Monday
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love
You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
hope and do not love You!
Tuesday
O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the
conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Wednesday
O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire
of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in
need.
Thursday
O Most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my
God, I love You in the most Blessed
Sacrament!
Friday
Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of
Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.
Saturday
By your pure and Immaculate Conception, O
Mary, obtain for me the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the
entire world.
Sunday
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus
Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the
sacrileges, outrages and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And
through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, I beg of you the conversion of poor sinners."
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