Reflection by Bernadette Parrott, RCIA Coordinator, from Marion Pilgrimage in 2017.
Three years ago, I had the privilege of organizing and escorting 34 people on a Marion pilgrimage. One site was Fatima.
If you are unfamiliar with Our Lady of Fatima; her appearances, invitations and instructions to the children, I invite you to seek out and read and learn of its richness.
In May 1917 three young children, Lucia Santos, Jacinta Marto and Francisco Marto were tending sheep, going about their chores of the day. An encounter with Mary our Lady of Fatima, the Mother of God, the Lady of the Rosary, changed their lives so completely that their loyalty to The Lady, their conviction to the truth, and their faith, never waivered.
I invite you to imagine thousands of people from the whole of the world, each praying the rosary in their own language. I walked, holding my candle and my rosary and processed, praying beside those speaking English, Japanese, German, European languages I am unfamiliar with, Asian languages I am unfamiliar with, African languages I am unfamiliar with, Spanish, Portuguese and accents of all nations. We had all gathered on what was once a grassy, shepherd’s field. Each one of us, on our own journey, praying aloud – Hail Mary, full of Grace the Lord is with thee…
This place of peace and prayer brings one back to the very moments where
- Mary was present to three young children on the 13th day of each month for six consecutive months, except for one where the children were arrested for their devotion to Our Lady
- Where Mary asked the children to pray the Rosary every day, to do penance and to make sacrifices to save sinners
- where, on the wettest of days, the sun danced in the sky and then appeared to crash towards the earth before returning to its proper place
In this place, I could not help but pause, take in a deep breath, wipe away my tears and say “Here I am Lord”, to recite aloud, “Hail Mary Full of Grace, you have called to me and I am here”.
The plaza is very large. On one end is the great Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary built in 1928. It houses the tombs of Francisco and Jacinta and Lucia.
And near the middle is the small Chapel of the Apparitions built in 1919, marking the spot where Mary appeared to the children. In the center of the chapel you will find the original statue of the Virgin Mary dating to 1920. In its crown you can find the bullet that hit Pope John Paul II in the assassination attempt in Rome on the 13th of May 1981.
I loved spending time reflecting on the Stations of the Cross in the outdoor covered esplanade. They are beautifully and intricately carved and luminated and they invited me to quiet, completive prayer as I spent time at each one. Here too is located another beautiful small Chapel.
On the other end of the square, you will find the beautifully simple Basilica of the Holy Spirit, built in 1953. It’s massive and seats over 8600 worshippers. Its soft golden hues brought me to a humble posture of prayer from the moment I walked in.
On the site there is also a museum, convent and hospital. I giggle when I think about how we all stopped at this beautiful oak tree in the square. It is believed that this great oak is very near where the apparitions took place. Who knew?
I also found myself taking the time to just walk, pray, explore and uncover the hidden treasures of this amazing place. Surrounding the square, I found beautiful statues, including the Sacred Heart of Jesus and many saints. There are monuments to Pope Paul VI and Pope Pius XII.
It didn’t take me long to ignore the “shops” that are scattered and lining the outskirts of the once open grassy field. They too, have their place, as holding these sacramental items bring us to prayer.
Another somber discovery is a portion of the Berlin Wall, placed as a grateful memorial of God’s intervention for the fall of Communism as promised at Fatima.
At one point in the tour, we loaded onto the bus and took the short ride to Aljustrel, the village of the homes of the children. I remember saying what a long walk it must have been for the children to leave their home and bring the sheep to the field for grazing. Indeed – it is about two kilometers away.
Several incredible moments during this pilgrimage so touched my soul, that even today I am moved when I think about them.
One was visiting the homes of the children and looking at pictures of their everyday lives. I remember stopping at one picture and looking so deeply into their eyes and experiencing a deep peace. I actually remember wiping away a single tear.
The second powerful moment for me was when everyone prayed together – each in their own language. What I cannot express in words is how I felt and still feel when Ave Maria is sung – I can barely sing it without tears welling up. All that separated us – our ethnic backgrounds, our language barriers. All the languages of the world disappeared and merged into one song of praise – Ave, Ave, Ave Maria. One voice, one world united. Everyone, thousands upon thousands – Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria.
It was a pilgrimage renewal and of faith for me. To this day, when I recite the prayers of the Rosary, I sometimes find that I get lost in them and just stop and experience the moment. May Mary our Lady of Fatima, the Mother of God, the Lady of Rosary, change my life forever so that my loyalty, my conviction, and my faith never waiver.
