On 13^th October 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, there took place probably the greatest miracle since Biblical times. Our Lady had been appearing to six shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, with a message of repentance, prayer and conversion for the world. This was the sixth and final apparition. To confirm that the message was truly from Heaven, she promised that on 13^th October she would perform a miracle for all to see. An estimated 70,000 people gathered in the pouring rain. Journalists, believers, sceptics and atheists were all present. Not long after midday, the rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds. Suddenly the sun began to spin in the sky, changing colours. Some even said it danced, and after ten minutes, it started to plunge towards the earth. People screamed, fell to their knees and begged God for mercy. Moments later the sun returned to its normal place, and everything – the ground and their clothes, were bone dry. Their clothes, previously covered in mud from the bad weather, were now pristine clean. There were also miraculous cures, both spiritual and physical. The following day, the Communist newspaper “O seculo” admitted that something extraordinary and inexplicable had happened, and the event also made its way into the “The New York Times” and “Time” magazine.

This “Miracle of the Sun” wasn’t just for spectacle. It was a warning. The First World War was still in progress, and Heaven was speaking to a world that had abandoned God and was on the path to destruction. The Mother of God came to remind us of the reality of sin and the danger of souls being lost for eternity, the urgency of conversion and prayer – especially the Rosary, and above all that devotion to her Immaculate Heart should be established throughout the world, because through it, God intends to bring about the triumph of grace over sin, and light over darkness. Through the Blessed Virgin Mary the world will be led back to JESUS.

We live, just as the world did in 1917, in troubled times. The need for Our Lady’s protection now is perhaps even greater. On 13^th October 2017, the centenary year of the Fatima apparitions and Miracle of the Sun, and a month after becoming Parish Priest, I consecrated our Parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It seems fitting that in this, the centenary year of our present and extended church, this Consecration should be renewed. As attacks on faith, family and truth continue, Our Lady’s promise remains: “My Immaculate Heart will triumph.” We need her protection on our parish, our families, our children and young people, the elderly, the sick and on our future. A parish consecrated to Our Lady means she watches over it, intercedes for it, and brings it unfailingly to her Son.

So I invite you all for the Holy Mass this Monday evening at 6.30pm which will be a Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the renewal of our Consecration to her Immaculate Heart. Let us come together in gratitude for the past 100 years of faith here in this church, and may Our Lady of Fatima continue to watch over our parish, our families, and all who enter through these doors. In the words of St Louis de Montfort: “To JESUS through Mary.”

Fr Paul Gillham, IC