On October 13, 2017, the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the final apparition of Our Lady at Fatima.
In advance of that year of special celebrations, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas has accepted an invitation from the World Apostolate of Fatima (also known as Our Lady’s Blue Army) for the Diocese of Toledo to receive the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of Fatima Statue (IHMS) for visits in our parishes from October 18-November 2.
IHMS visitation schedule for the Diocese of Toledo
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Statue is an image of Our Lady as she appeared in 1929 to Sr. Lucia in Tuy, Spain. It was during this apparition that Our Lady asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. The statue was blessed by Pope Francis on October 23, 2013, 10 days after his consecration of the world to Our Lady of Fatima. It was formally introduced at the 2014 March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The purpose of Our Lady's Blue Army statue tours is to bring the graces of Fatima and Our Lady’s message of hope, peace and salvation to those many thousands of people who may never have an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Fatima itself.
The apostolate’s mission is to help people learn, live and spread the message of Our Lady of Fatima in communion with the Church and in concert with The New Evangelization. As a Public International Association of the Faithful under the Pontifical Council for the Laity, it is the only Fatima organization in the world which speaks “in the name of the Church” and “with the authority of the Church” on Fatima. It has been positioned under the Pontifical Council for the Laity because its work is chiefly the work of the lay faithful.
Posted October 5, 2016 at 8:08 pm