On May 13 at 4pm hundreds of parishioners gathered at Our Lady of Fatima, Kingsgrove, to celebrate 100 years since the first apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in Fatima with a grand procession around the local area.
The parish grounds and neighbouring streets were filled with the recitation of the Rosary as the faithful processed behind a Fatima statue on a journey through the parish’s adjacent primary school and high school, St Ursula’s.
At the conclusion of the pilgrimage, the community returned to the Church to pray as one for the intentions of the Holy Father, as well as those of the parish, before Bishop Umbers celebrated the Vigil Mass at 5pm. During the beautiful liturgy, all of the Fatima icons were blessed, including an incredible painting offered to the parish by one of our own parishioners depicting Our Lady praying with St John Paul II over our Kingsgrove Church. The Bishop’s homily reminded us of the importance of Mary’s apparitions to “the little ones”, encouraging us all to see God with the simple yet profound faith of the shepherd children in our own Christian journeys.
Just before the end of the Mass, the whole community prayed the Jubilee Prayer of Consecration, surrendering our hearts to Mary’s Immaculate Heart so that we might be more fully united to her son, Jesus, in celebrating this Jubilee Centenary of Fatima. Following this solemn prayer, the community was invited to gather in the parish hall for a fellowship that spoke volumes about the closeness of the parish as a Eucharistic family, breaking bread and being present with one another on such an important and historic day. The whole night was underpinned by the energetic performance of music by one of our most dedicated parishioners, Sal Spata, on his faithful accordion, which has brought countless people together over the years to share in the joy of celebrating our faith.
