Our Lady of Fatima, or the Blessed Virgin Mary, is said to have appeared six times to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. And Tuesday, she will make an appearance in Athens in statue form.
The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima has traveled to more than 100 countries to represent the Fatima story, said Carol Wasko, Our Lady of Fatima pilgrimage coordinator for St. Paul and Christ the King churches in Athens.
To prove that her apparitions were real, Our Lady had the sun bounce in the sky with more than 40,000 witnesses, said Nancy Denhart, director of religious education at St. Paul and Christ the King.
“For Catholics, it was also a time where the holy rosary was lifted up for prayer,” Denhart said. “During some of the visits, Mary gave the kids a prayer to say with the rosary.”
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima and the Our Lady of Fatima statue were built in her honor. Since her appearances in 1917, people from all across the world travel to Fatima to pray and witness the statue themselves.
In 1946, the statue was taken on a pilgrimage to Lisbon so people could pray.
After this pilgrimage, people requested that the statue visit their cities.
A second statue was sculpted and in May 1947, it was blessed and named the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. A third statue was sculpted and blessed Oct. 13, 1947; 30 years after the sun miracle.
The Worldwide Apostolate of Fatima, founded in 1947, started this program and is dedicated to spreading the word of Mary’s messages, Denhart said.
Someone has to request the statues visit, and it was requested by the Southeast Ohio area to make an appearance at several schools and parishes in the diocese, said Father Mark Moore, Parochial Vicar.
While in Athens, the statue will spend time at both St. Paul and Christ the King churches. At each session, there will be a procession and crowning, a presentation, a rosary and a mass. The visit will end with a reception at Christ the King.
The statue’s visit is a time for everyone to gather for prayer, Moore said.
“We pray not to the statue or in adoration to the statue, but we are instead reminded of all that Our Lady did in her life,” he said. “We come to pray together to pray for our world, ourselves, and for peace and forgiveness of sins.”
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