Fourth Fatima Family Holy Hour for World Peace

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Nomen Christi Apostolate Presents

4th Fatima Family Holy Hour for World Peace

Centennial of the Fourth Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

At Fatima, Portugal

August 13th, 1917 ~ August 13th, 2017

Thank you for joining our Fatima Family Holy Hour!  Please read the introduction on our Home Page.  If you are participating or if you have prayer intentions, please add your voice to our comments.  TO MAKE A COMMENT, CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE POST & SCROLL DOWN.  Following is today's Holy Hour Format.  May God bless you and may Our Lady shower graces upon you on this glorious 100th Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions!

*** PRINTABLE VERSION OF 4TH HOLY HOUR FORMAT ***

Candle-Lighting for Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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O Jesus, we thank Thee for this beautiful 100th Anniversary of Our Lady's fourth appearance to the three holy children at Fatima, Portugal.  We thank Thee for our togetherness today all over the world in this joyful celebration.  We light this candle for the intention of reparation to Thy Mother's Immaculate Heart, which we celebrate during this month of August, which so grieves over the sins of the world at this present hour.  We especially wish to console her for the terrible injustice to unborn children, for she is Mother to all.  May these little lights of ours ascend to her Queenly throne in Heaven and show her that indeed, there is still love for her on earth.  Love for Thy Mother always directs us to Thee, O Jesus, our Savior, Whom she holds up to the world in her loving arms.  Forgive us our sins and let us enter into this Holy Hour in a spirit of contrition and spiritual communion with Thee.  We pray for peace in all the world and protection of all the innocent.  We offer as well, all the intentions of those participating.  We honor as well, Our Lady's glorious Assumption into Heaven, which we celebrate this coming week.  Amen. 

Saint Joseph, Pray for Us!

Lucia, Jacinta & Francisco, Pray for Us!

All Ye Holy Angels & Saints, Rejoice!

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Hymn:  "Immaculate Mary"

(Brian Foley, Jeremiah Cummings)

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing
You reign now in Heaven with Jesus our King

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

In Heaven the blessed your glory proclaim
On earth we your children invoke your sweet name

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

We pray for the Church our true mother on earth
And bless Holy Mary, the land of our birth

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

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Fatima Reading & Prayer

The Fourth Apparitions ~ August 13th & 19th, 1917

As August 13th approached, the story of the apparitions had reached the anti-religious secular press, and while this ensured that the whole country knew about Fatima, it also meant that many biased and negative reports were circulating. The children were apprehended on the morning of August 13th, before the apparition could take place, by the Mayor of Vila Nova de Ourem, Arturo Santos. They were interrogated about the Blessed Mother's Secret she had given them, but despite threats and promises of money, they refused to cooperate. They were moved to the local prison and threatened with a horrible death, but determined that they would die rather than reveal the Secret.

At Cova da Iria, thunder, followed by lightning, was heard at the usual time.  The spectators noticed a small white cloud that hovered over the oak for a few minutes. Phenomena of coloration were observed on the faces of the people, the clothing, the trees, and the ground.

On August 19th, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta were together at a place called Valinhos, near Fatima, when they again saw Mary, who spoke to Lucia: “Go again to the Cova on the 13th of next month and continue to say the Rosary every day.” Mary also said she would soon perform a miracle, so all would believe. Looking very sad, Mary then said: “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.” With that, she rose into the air and moved towards the east before disappearing.

By now, the children had thoroughly absorbed Mary’s plea for prayer and penance, and did everything they could to answer it. They prayed for hours while lying prostrate on the ground and went as long as they could without drinking in the burning heat of the Portuguese summer. They also went without food as a sacrifice for sinners to save them from Hell, the vision of which had so profoundly effected them. They even knotted some pieces of old rope around their waists as a form of mortification, not removing them day or night.

Text courtesy World Apostolate of Fatima, USA and America Needs Fatima, slightly edited.

The apparitions of Our Lady to the children was not their first encounter with Heaven.  An angel appeared to them previously, three times, and gave them two prayers, as follows:

"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee!  I beg pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee!"

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He is offended.  By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners."

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Glorious Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

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Litany of Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for our dear country.
Our Lady of Fatima, sanctify our clergy.
Our Lady of Fatima, make our Catholics more fervent.
Our Lady of Fatima, guide and inspire those who govern us.
Our Lady of Fatima, cure the sick who confide in you.
Our Lady of Fatima, console the sorrowful who trust in you.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who invoke your aid.
Our Lady of Fatima, deliver us from all dangers.
Our Lady of Fatima, help us to resist temptation.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of you.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who are dear to us.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring back to the right road our erring brothers.
Our Lady of Fatima, give us back our ancient fervor.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring all men to the feet of your Divine Child.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain peace for the world.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Let Us Pray:  O God of infinite goodness and mercy, fill our hearts with a great confidence in Thy dear Mother, whom we invoke under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and our Lady of Fatima, and grant us by her powerful intercession, all the graces, spiritual and temporal, which we need.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Nomen Christi Apostolate Prayer for World Peace

O Most Holy Trinity, look upon the work of Thy Hands with mercy and give us the peace we so desperately need.  Shower Thy graces upon us like the rain, like a great flood engulfing us and end these many sorrows.  Sorrow from disrespect for human life, terrorism, unrest, fear, disaster, impurity, blasphemy, occult activities, persecution of the holy, leading the innocent astray, drug addiction, people thinking they can re-order the perfect creation Thou hast made.  We live in unprecedented times, uncertain times.  Deliver us from all evil, visible and invisible and from all fear.  Help us to prepare for the days to come and to extricate ourselves from this inauthentic culture.  We pray for the triumphalism of Holy Mother Church and the salvation of all souls.  Give us peace in our hearts and courage to face the future and win our Heavenly reward.  Jesus Our Lord & Our Lady of Fatima, we love Thee!  In the Holy Name of Christ, Nomen Christi.  Amen.

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Closing Hymn:  "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above"

(Contractus Hermannus)

Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye Cherubim,
Sing with us, ye Seraphim,
Heav'n and earth resound the hymn,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

The cause of joy to all below, O Maria.
The spring through which all graces flow, O Maria.
Angels, all your praises bring,
Earth and heaven, with us sing,
All creation echoing,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

O gentle, loving, holy one, O Maria.
The God of light became your Son, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye Cherubim,
Sing with us, ye Seraphim.
Heav'n and earth resound the hymn,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

Thank you for joining us!  See you in September!  Let us show Our Lady how much we love her!

Recap of Fatima Holy Hour

Hi Friends!  Three down, three to go!  Our Holy Hour was a little bit of a bust this time because due to issues, it didn't get up on time and then I had a big problem with getting the printable version up.  I know having that printable can make it a lot easier for people with large families or groups.  The printable this time took up 4 pages-2 people can easily share, so this can cut down on the amount of paper you use.  Also, you can hang on to these sheets and do the whole thing again every year!  I think I will do this every year from now on because I am really enjoying it and I think its important not to forget Fatima!  Contrary to what some say, I believe it still has great relevance. 

I do hope we get more participation next time!  Put it on your calendar or sign up for email reminders.  And...you and your family will be privy to our ongoing prayers for all our readers.  See....WIN WIN!

Thoughts for the Day....

The above sentiment was in a package of eggs I bought, "Nellie's Free Range Eggs."  I thought it was great, so I cut it out and stuck in on my fridge...and today I decided to share it with you!  BTW, you can always use any image or text from this website, as long as you indicate where you got it.  Nomen Christi Apostolate is concerned with emergency preparedness, sustainability and the search for the "Authentic Life."  Chickens do all three!  Think about getting chickens.  I don't have them right now, though my family had them when I was growing up and I became quite adept at catching them when they got loose.  It's wonderful to have beautiful fresh brown eggs whenever you want.  I envision a time when I will have a larger piece of property and some help....for now, I do what I can-that's all any of us can do-start somewhere and make a move toward greater preparedness and a deeper connection with nature!

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We are the sum of all our days.

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If you are not present to the moment, you miss it.

And that's just sad.

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Don't forget....our next Fatima Holy Hour is next Tuesday!  Don't miss it!  Spread the word!  (much thanks)

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

My son is home from college...he was just remarking on my strangeness.  He said, "I wouldn't have you any other way, except a little bit different."  Yay.  This is the summer I have to look forward to.

Holy Church dedicates this month to Our Lord's Sacred Heart, His actual LOVE for us!  It is a Love which must be reciprocated.  And we know the way to reciprocate it...by conforming to His Holy Will.  The feast of His Sacred Heart is the 23rd, and the very next day is the feast of His Mother's Immaculate Heart!  They cannot be separated-they are of one fiber.  In addition, we have Corpus Christi and the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus this month.  A great month to perform Sacred Heart devotions and read up on the life of Saint Margaret Mary.

If you have not celebrated the Five First Saturdays, if you start this month, you'll still complete them during the six-month Fatima apparitions time frame.  Of course, this devotion was given to Sister Lucia, the oldest of the Fatima seers, who lived to a ripe old age, while the other two died very young.  We have the glorious feast of Pentecost and the Ember Days during Pentecost Week-let us offer these days for the coming season of summer, to be safe and fruitful for all the world.

Four Marian feasts (five if you count the 13th) and four Doctors of the Church, we honor this month.  Again, we will celebrate our Fatima Holy Hour on the 13th-stay tuned to the Home Page for more details.  Contact us if you would like an email reminder....think about asking your pastor if you can do this Holy Hour in church....I've already been there-you can expect him to say OK only if you will be doing it with a parish group you are already active with.....and please let us know if you participate-you may add your voice to our comments on the 13th-we would love to hear from you!  Here is a sampling of this month's feasts....Happy June!....

6/2-First Friday

6/3-First Saturday (good time to start the First Saturday Devotion, during this Fatima Centennial!)/Vigil of Pentecost (trad no meat)

6/4-Pentecost (commencing Pentecost Week)

6/7-Ember Wednesday After Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

6/8-Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces

6/9-Ember Friday After Pentecost

6/10-Ember Saturday After Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

6/11-Trinity Sunday

6/13-100th Anniversary of the Second Apparition at Fatima/St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church, 1231 (pray for our culture to find its sanity-my son is in college-you won't believe how bad the gender thing has gotten-the stories he tells me are truly stomach-turning...he even knows someone who demands to be referred to as "It!")

6/14-St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church, 379 (here's a thought-if you read one book of each of the Doctors of the Church per year, it would take 35 years!...kind of makes you think twice when you pick up a book, huh?)

6/15-Corpus Christi

6/18-Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ/St. Ephrem of Syria, Doctor of the Church, 373

6/20-Our Lady of Consolation

6/22-St. Thomas More, Martyr under Henry VIII, 1535

6/23-Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity-no penance)/Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

6/24-Immaculate Heart of Mary/Nativity of St. John the Baptist

6/27-Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, 444

6/28-Vigil of Sts. Peter & Paul

6/29-Eucharistic Heart of Jesus/Sts. Peter & Paul

6/30-First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church/Commemoration of St. Paul

This blog features both old and new feasts.

Recap of our Fatima Holy Hour....

This is a picture of our "Lady of Fatima" statue in our dining room, along with the candle we used for the "Candle-Lighting."  This statue, like our outdoor statue, shown in the "May" post, has an interesting history, also mysterious in nature.  Again, too long of a story to get into right now.....but to make a long story short, it was in our home when I was a child, given away to the Catholic school I had attended, and made its way back to me about 25 years later.  The little plaque on the bottom of the statue unfortunately was gone-it was in memory of my father, who passed away from a heart attack when I was 7 years old-he loved the story of Fatima.  The head had broken off as well, but some wonderful person repaired it.  They could have disposed of the statue and I would never have seen it again, but whoever it was, took the time to lovingly repair it with great care.  I am so grateful!  I cherish this statue with all my heart.  She is wearing a pink mantilla of mine, which I am privileged to share with her.  I felt for the Fatima Centennial, that she deserved some special ornamentation.

The candle, I recently bought at a dollar store in a Latino neighborhood, and the dish it is on was given to me as part of a set, as a wedding gift by my godmother, whose name was Mary (may she rest in peace).  I just wanted to share this with all of you.  You could make your own similar set-up for our next Holy Hour, June 13th!

Speaking of the next Holy Hour, I am re-thinking the promotion of it and some of the details of how it will work.  The format will remain the same.  I do hope to have more comments next time, but if not, even if we don't get any, I know at least 2 people will have prayed the Holy Hour-me and my husband!  We actually completed it in a half-hour, but "Fatima Holy Half-Hour" just doesn't have a great ring to it!  I don't really want to make it much longer-I want it to be easy for people and if you want to take the ball and run with it, adding or subtracting, that is fine.  Nomen Christi seeks to empower people, not to dictate to them.  Also, you really could do this at ANY time.  The Fatima Centennial lasts all year.

See you next month, and please contact us if you would like email reminders.  I felt very enriched by doing this and I hope that it will be a blessing to others as well over the next 6 months!