OUR LADY OF FATIMA:

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared six times to three shepherd children ("the Three
Seers") near the town of Fatima, Portugal between May 13 and October 13, 1917. Appearing to the
children, the Blessed Virgin told them that She had been sent by God with a message for every man,
woman and child living in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and
bloody violence, She promised that Heaven would grant peace to all the world if Her requests for prayer,
reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.

"If My requests are granted ... there will be peace"

In all Her appearances at Fatima, the Blessed Mother repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying the
Rosary daily, of wearing the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel and of performing acts of reparation and
sacrifice. To prevent the terrible chastisement at the hands of Russia and to convert "that poor nation",
Our Lady requested the solemn public Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart by the Pope and
all the Catholic bishops of the world.

She also asked that the Faithful practice a new devotion of reparation on the first Saturday of five
consecutive months ("the Five First Saturdays")

The heart of Our Lady's Message to the world is contained in what has come to be called the "Secret"
which She confided to the three child seers in July 1917. The Secret actually consists of three parts, the
first two of which have been publicly revealed. The first part of the Secret was a horrifying vision of hell
"where the souls of poor sinners go" and contained an urgent plea from Our Lady for acts of prayer and
sacrifice to save souls. The second part of the secret specifically prophesied the outbreak of World War II
and contained the Mother of God's solemn request for the Consecration of Russia as a condition for
world peace. It also predicted the inevitable triumph of Her Immaculate Heart following Russia's
consecration and the conversion "of that poor nation" to the Catholic Faith.

The last part of the Secret (often called the "Third Secret") has not yet been made public, but was written
down by Lucy Dos Santos, the last living Fatima seer, in 1944 and has been in the possession of the Holy
See since 1957. Most informed sources speculate that this portion of the Secret concerns chaos in the
Catholic Church, predicting widespread apostasy and a loss of faith beginning in the seventh decade of
the 20th Century.
How To Pray the Rosary:

While the rosary and the indulgences attached to it by the Church essentially concerns the decades and
the meditation upon the mysteries only, the following is a customary way of preparing for the rosary and
concluding it.

1. Preparation

Start by making the sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then recite the Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ,

His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall
come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Sprit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

Then say 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys (for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity) and then 1 Glory Be:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth
as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those
who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

2. The Rosary Proper

The Rosary is essentially the decades and their associated mysteries, and only these must be prayed to
"pray the rosary", either in satisfaction of Our Lady's requests, or, to gain the indulgences attached to
praying the rosary.

The traditional Rosary is divided into three parts, each having five mysteries: Glorious, Joyful and
Sorrowful. In his apostolic letter The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II proposed a new set of
mysteries, which he called the Luminous, and which concern the period of the public life of Our Lord. For
those who wish to say all 20 decades at once during the course of a day, they may be said in the
following order: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious.

For those who wish to say only 5 decades per day, the Holy Father proposed the following schedule:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Joyful Sorrowful Glorious Luminous Sorrowful Joyful Glorious

While meditating on the Mysteries, recite:

One Our Father (large beads), 10 Hail Marys (small beads) and 1 Glory Be (before the next large bead)
to make a complete decade of the rosary.

After each decade the Fátima Prayer may also be said (Pope Pius XII).

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those
who are in most need of Thy mercy.

3. Concluding Prayers
After the completion of five mysteries (5 decades), or 15 or 20, the following is customarily said:

Hail Holy Queen (or Salve Regina may be sung)

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor
banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the
blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

(Verse) Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

(Response) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Rosary Prayer

(Verse) Let us pray,

(Response) O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us
the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the
most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what
they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.