This Column is dedicated to the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul and the late Father Vito Marziliano.
I was in Portugal for a European Pilgrimage for the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima to the three shepherd children in May of 2017.
During the pilgrimage, I also visited Lourdes, France, and experienced the incredible miraculous baths at Lourdes which were very cold. I also visited Avila, Spain where the great Mystic Teresa of Avila is from. We also went to Assisi, Italy where St. Francis and St. Sarah of Assisi are from. We were in Rome to see the Vatican and much more to end our pilgrimage after 3 weeks.
Let’s go back to Fatima. The trip was organized by Father Vito Marzilano, an absolutely amazing Priest who died suddenly of a heart attack this year on Saturday, February 12, 2022. I was going to ask Father Vito to be my Spiritual Director.
Father Vito was the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church on the Gore Road in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Father Vito died in his Parish office. I first met Father Vito when he was my Priest at All Saints Church in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. It was an honour and a blessing to have known him.
I arrived with my group in Fatima, Portugal about two days after Pope Francis got there for the Feast Day of the first Apparition on May 13th, 1917
At the Consolata Hotel where our group stayed, the front desk clerk told me that there were one million pilgrims for the May 13th, 2017 Feast Day with Pope Francis. We arrived two days later.
The Consolata Hotel was a very beautiful boutique hotel owned by the Consolato Missionaries which served the poor in about sixty countries around the world. I plan to write a Column on the Consolata Missionaries in the future.
The three shepherd children Our Lady of Fatima appeared to were Lucia Dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
I believe Our Lady and Heaven chose the three children because of their tremendous humility, obedience, and perseverance. They continually offered their prayers and sufferings for the conversion of sinners.
Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta went through many trials and tribulations like true Saints because they never gave up saying many rosaries.
A wonderful movie to watch about Fatima is the 1952 Film by Warner Brothers called The Miracle of Fatima starring Gilbert Roland and Angela Clark. The children were played by Susan Whitney, Sherry Jackson, and Sammy Ogg. It was produced by Bryan Foy and Directed by John Brahm.
The role of Ugo played by Gilbert Roland did not exist in the real-life story but it was highly entertaining in the movie.
Many of us were hoping that Mel Gibson would make a movie about Fatima after his highly successful Passion of The Christ.
Another very interesting online movie documentary about Fatima is called: The entire story of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima and the Angel 100th Year Anniversary!
The recitation of the Rosary is really important in the whole story of Fatima and the lives of the whole world and the lives of every Saint known to the world. There are fifteen promises associated with all those who recite the Rosary.
Our Lady of Fatima asked the Pope and all the Bishops to Consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope Francis carried Our Lady of Fatima out this Consecration this year but many ask if this was a valid Consecration. We all pray that it was valid.
The Miracle of the Sun that took place on October 13th,1917 was witnessed by 70,000 people with the Sun falling toward the ground, many thinking the world was going to end. This proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that this Apparition was authentic.
In the end, The Immaculate Heart of Mary will Triumph!
Our Lady of Fatima Pray For Us!
16 thoughts on “My Memories of the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima”
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My husband and I visited Fatima in 2018, very early in the morning. It is beautifully situated in the countryside and whispers of holiness and grace. The church and architecture are truly inspiring with grandeur and understated simplicity (very hard to achieve , without divine inspiration.)
Looking forward to visiting some of the other pilgrimage sites visited by Francesco. It is so obvious, Frank that you were deeply and personally moved by these wonderfully guided tours by Father Vito.——such a remarkable priest who is dearly missed—-but his good works and faith will be with us all forever.
There is a more detailed description to my fabulous pilgrimage of the 100th anniversary to Fatima in my comments section.
Further to my post I should also mention my trip to Assisi, Italy where St. Francis of Assisi is from and ending in Rome visiting the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome waiting for the Pope to speak to the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. But last and certainly not least another amazing place where our group travelled to is Loreto, Italy where the Basilica della Santa Casa (The Holy House of Loreto) is located. The Basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived with the Holy Family. According to legend in 1295 Angels carried it across the Adriatic Sea to Ancona, Italy. I pray that the next time the Angels move the house is to the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre 20 minutes outside of Quebec City, Canada because Canada Needs Our Lady!
Jose it was the most amazing trip I ever went on thanks to the late Father Vito. I even visited the church where St. Anthony of Padua began his ministry in Lisbon, Portugal. Many people think St. Anthony of Padua is Italian because his tomb is in Padua, Italy. He was born in Portugal. Lisbon was my favorite city in all of Europe. Simply spectacular! Well worth going again. Another great spot was Avila, Spain where St. Teresa of Avila is from. The Lourdes miraculous baths were spectacular but very cold. Lourdes needs to do a complete makeover of its hotels. Sooner rather than later! I even had a pizza in Naples, Italy, known over the whole world as the best place to have pizza. All in all a great experience that I would do again.
Loved this article, very informative!
It seemed that the article was a documentary of a religious walkabout. I’d like to know your thoughts about those places.
Anywho, great article Mr. Ruffolo
P.S. one macchiato w/ glass of ice cold water.
Wonderfully described.
Love this article, very interesting and loved the pictures.
Amazing pictures and beautiful, informative story Francisco! Thank you!
Such a wonderful article Francisco! Keep writing, looking forward to your next one!
Beautiful article . I really enjoyed it
Such an amazing article!! Enjoyed reading it very much.
Very informative. Thank you
Thank you Francisco for continuing to share your truly inspirational stories… your photos are amazing… and thank you for your tribute to father Vito … I urge you to continue to write and share your stories …
Regards
RC
Francisco, very well written and informative. I truly enjoyed reading your article.