FALL RIVER — This year the Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, recalling the appearance and message of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, six times over six months in 1917.
Friday, October 13th will mark the anniversary of the final apparition of Our Lady of Fatima; in observance, the Fall River Diocese will offer an afternoon of prayer and reflection on that date at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.
All are invited to take part, either for the entirety of the program or for any of its elements as one’s schedule permits.
It will begin with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 1 p.m. in the school auditorium. Adoration, recitation of the Rosary, and presentation of a documentary on Our Lady of Fatima will follow and take place continuously in adjacent areas throughout the afternoon. There will also be the opportunity for the sacrament of Reconciliation during that time. At 4 p.m., Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will lead Benediction in the auditorium to conclude the afternoon program.
Weather-permitting, recitation of the Rosary will be outside at a new statue of Our Lady of Fatima on the grounds of Bishop Connolly High School. Earlier in the day, the statue will unveiled and blessed by the Bishop in the context of a special program for Catholic school children from the Fall River Diocese as part of the Fatima Apparition anniversary.
The statue will serve as lasting remembrance of the diocesan observance of the centennial of Our Lady of Fatima and as a place to visit to pray, to seek her intercession and to respond to her enduring message for peace.