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Thousands flock to Fatima statue at Pompano Beach Catholic church

A miracle nearly a century ago in Portugal is bringing devotional fervor to the faithful of South Florida.

Men of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Pompano Beach are followed by believers during a procession trhrough the church of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue represents the image of Jesus's mother Mary who three children of Fatima, Portugal claimed to have appeared before them in 1914 calling for a peace plan that included conversion, prayer and penance. The statue is expected to draw thousands of worshipers during a tour of 22 Miami Archdiocese parishes through March 23.

EILEEN SOLER / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD

• Photo

BY EILEEN SOLER

Special to The Miami Herald

Rosemary Dacunha's heart filled with hope as her eyes welled with tears at the very sight of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.

''I feel joyful when I look at her, and I pray to her for peace. She is a miracle,'' said Dacunha, of Pompano Beach.

More than a thousand believers packed the church in Pompano Beach on March 2 for a special service and to view the statue sculpted by a man to deliver a message from heaven.

The statue, one of two made in 1946 and 1947 to tour the world, depicts Mary, the mother of Jesus, whom followers believe appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917, and on the 13th of the following months through October.

On each visit, the children said, Mary revealed what would be called the ``Peace Plan from Heaven.''

Simply, the peace plan is a call for prayer and reparation for sin. If believers do good deeds as penance for sin, then goodness will come.

The punishment is war.

''Penance and reparation are looked upon well by the Lord. . . . In human terms, our prayers can change God's mind. May we be a special instrument through the Lady of Fatima,'' said Archbishop John Favalora, head of the Archdiocese of Miami, who spoke during the service.

The stop at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on March 1 started a 23-day tour of 22 churches in the Archdiocese of Miami.

By late afternoon the next day, the statue was set before another congregation of followers at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Lighthouse Point. Sunday, the statue is displayed through midafternoon at St. Bernadette in Hollywood, but by 5 p.m. it will be moved to Annunciation Church in West Park through Monday.

A team of apostolates, or lay evangelists, who mostly hail from the statue's North American home in Indiana, escort the statue on church-to-church pilgrimages throughout the United States.

Apostolate Carl Malburg of Munster, Ind., said he began traveling with the statue in 1993 and spends up to 24 days each month for 10 months each year on the religious tour.

''It's full-time work, but can I really call it a job? No,'' Malburg said.

HOLY MISSION

Apostolate Patrick Sabat, who began escorting the statue four years ago, said the job is a mission, an honor and a privilege because he gets to meet ``the best people.''

Believers by the thousands flock to the statue to glimpse what they consider a modern miracle. Some say the statue sometimes weeps or changes expression. But the statue also attracts those whose lives are rocked with challenges that test their faith, such as illness and financial ruin.

Others come seeking compassion and pardon for past transgressions and a new path to redemption.

''The Lady of Fatima is most associated with confession and spiritual conversion,'' Sabat said.

Monsignor James Parappally, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, said he was 13 when he first saw the statue during a pilgrimage to his home in Kerala, near the southern tip of India.

`A GREAT EXPERIENCE'

''I remember it was a great experience when she was carried through the street,'' Parappally said. He did not know then that someday he would be a Catholic priest.

Decades later, more than 2,000 people stopped into the church Parappally now leads to view the impromptu shrine on the church altar.

The pastor said he prays that people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and religious faiths would visit churches that will host the statue in days to come.

Most churches will include a procession of the statue during a special service and hours of veneration open to the public. The next 14 stops will cross Broward and move south through Miami-Dade and to the Florida Keys.

Malburg called the tour ``remarkable.''

''Not only is it cause for celebration, but it is where everyone finds love. Sometimes people just want to go home to talk to their mama -- Mary,'' Malburg said.

RUSSIAN ARCHBISHOP TADEUSZ KONDRUCHEWICZCROWNS THE IPVS IN FATIMA, PORTUGAL

Among the more than half a million people who gathered at Fatima in October of 2007 for the 90^th Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, was Archbishop Tadeusz Kondruchewicz, the first Catholic bishop consecrated in Russia in the post Communist era. He had been consecrated Archbishop of Moscow in 1991.

Also on pilgrimage to Fatima for the commemorations were two directors of the International Pilgrim Virgin Foundation, Carl Malburg and Thomas McKenna. They were accompanying the Pilgrim Virgin Statue. They were excited and honored to meet the illustrious Archbishop and attend an early morning Mass he celebrated in the Chapel of the Apparitions for a group of Russian pilgrims accompanying him. Archbishop Kondruchewicz was pleased with the presence of the famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima which he recalled had visited his diocese in 1992.

When he learned that the statue was present, he asked that the statue be placed on a pillar in front of the altar which is very near where Our Lady had actually appeared in 1917. During his sermon, Archbishop Kondruchewicz spoke of his absolute faith and trust in Mary's promise of the conversion of Russia, and of his own devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. At one point the Archbishop choked up with tears as he spoke fervently about Our Lady's promise for his country.

He had been present in October, 1992 when the statue was brought on pilgrimage to Red square in Moscow. That day more than 1,000 people had gathered in front of the Kremlin together with the Archbishop and the Orthodox Patriarch. In the presence of all, Archbishop Kondruchewicz had crowned Our Lady of Fatima and thanked Her publicly for the freedom in Russia.

Now, sixteen years later, he once again found himself in the presence of the same miraculous statue in the very place where Our Lady had actually made that promise. Upon entering the sanctuary, after the statue was in place, he once again crowned Our Blessed Mother in a moving act of piety.

In October, 2007 Archbishop Kondruchewicz was named Archbishop of Minsk by Pope Benedict XVI. He has entrusted this challenging assignment to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us keep him and the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe in our prayers.

Carl Malburg, Custodian

Coronation of Mary through the Pilgrim Statue

Carl Malburg talks to children about Fatima

Fatima statue reminder of Mary's message of peace

From the editor of CATHOLIC VOICE NEWSPAPER (OMAHA, NEBRASKA)

By CHARLIE WIESER Catholic Voice

The upcoming visit of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima has me reminiscing about my trip to one of the world's most famous Marian shrines.
Fifteen years ago I traveled to Portugal to visit the site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese children - Lucia Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto - in 1917.
Tending sheep at the time of the first Marian apparition, the three youngsters were told to return to the site for five more months on the 13th of each month.
When asked to describe what they saw, Lucia said: "It was a lady, clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light more clear and intense than a crystal cup filled with sparkling water, lit by burning sunlight."
People doubted the children, which led to interrogations to determine if they were telling the truth. It was a difficult time for the three youngsters and their families.
Still, they returned to the site, where Mary continued to appear to them, identifying herself as the "Lady of the Rosary" and telling them to pray the rosary daily to bring peace to the world.
Mary also told the children that people must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. "People must not offend our Lord any more for he is already too much offended," she said.

Many people remained skeptical about the apparitions, so the Blessed Virgin Mary told the three children that a miracle would occur on Oct. 13, 1917. On that date, the Miracle of the Sun was seen by a crowd of more than 70,000.
Word of the miracle spread, with one eye witness reporting: "We looked easily at the sun, which did not blind us. It seemed to flicker on and off, first one way and then another. It shot rays in different directions and painted everything in different colors - the trees, the people, the air and the ground. What was most extraordinary was that the sun did not hurt my eyes at all. Everything was still and quiet; everyone was looking upwards. At a certain moment the sun seemed to stop and then began to move and to dance until it seemed that it was being detached from the sky and was falling on us."
It wasn't long before people began making pilgrimages to Fatima. The impressive Marian shrine now attracts people from throughout the world. Pope Paul VI visited the shrine on May 13, 1967, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady. Pope John Paul II, who was shot on May 13, 1981, at the Vatican, made two pilgrimages to Fatima - on the first and 10th anniversaries of the assassination attempt on his life.
Not everyone can travel to Portugal to pray at the Marian shrine, but they can take the time to see the traveling Fatima statue when it visits the Archdiocese of Omaha Oct. 1-21. See the schedule for rural and urban parishes as well as more information on page 12 of this issue.
The traveling statue is a reminder of Our Lady's message of peace and that Fatima is a holy place where people return to Christ through the mediation of the Virgin Mary.

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