MANILA – As Filipino Catholics prepare for the 107th anniversary on Monday (May 13) of the great Fatima Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a priest has urged the faithful to pray the Holy Rosary during these troubled times for mankind to attain a genuine and lasting peace in the world.
“Let us fervently pray the Rosary daily to stop various conflicts in various parts of the world today, particularly the raging Russia-Ukraine War,” said Rev. Fr. Carlos Reyes, parish priest of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Makati City, during an interview over the weekend.
The Russia-Ukraine War broke out on Feb. 22, 2022 and is still going on to this day with thousands killed and wounded, and millions displaced.
“The Rosary is the most powerful prayer, particularly during these troubled times where there is chaos in many parts of the world,” Fr. Reyes said.
He also stressed the “importance for all (of) us to always be prepared spiritually during these troubled times.”
The Blessed Virgin Mary made six apparitions before three young shepherds—Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto—in Fatima, Portugal in 1917, according to Catholic history.
During first apparition on May 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother told the three children to come back every 13th day of the month until October of that year.
However, the three shepherds were not able to go to the apparition site on July 13 because they were arrested by Portugal police for refusing to recant their story about the apparition. Nevertheless, the apparition took place on July 19.
“We must continue praying the Rosary for the conversion of Russia,” Fr. Reyes said.
He also said that the message at Fatima remains the same through the years calling for penance.
During the apparition, the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke about her Immaculate Heart to lead the people to God.
It was also during the Fatima Apparition that some 100,000 people experienced the so-called “Miracle of the Sun.”
