In celebration of 100 years since Our Lady appeared in Fatima, the Diocese of Elphin will welcome a blessed statue of Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday 18 March.
On 11 January this year, Pope Francis blessed six statues of Our Lady of Fatima to be brought to each continent, to appeal for prayer and reparation for world peace and to promote the sanctity of family life in our world.
The visit of the blessed statue will begin with a procession at 6pm to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Sligo, where Mass will be celebrated at 7.30pm. Following the Mass, the cathedral will remain open for those who wish to visit the statue until midnight. The blessed statue will leave the cathedral on Sunday 19 March following Mass at 12 noon.
The statue will also visit Saints Peter and Paul’s Church in Athlone on Tuesday 21 March, arriving at the church at 6pm. A Mass welcoming the statue will be celebrated at 7pm.
This year marks the 100th anniversary since Our Lady first appeared in Fatima, Portugal on 13 May 1917. The apparitions continued once until 13 Oct 1917. The Vatican has confirmed that the Holy Father Pope Francis will travel to Fatima to mark the centenary of the apparitions.
The Alliance of the Two Hearts, Ireland is a branch of the Alliance of the Holy Family International. Formed in 1990, the Alliance of the Holy Family International (AHFI) is a movement of youth, family, clergy, and media practitioners who organised themselves to promote the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, not only as a devotion, but also as a way of life.