100th Anniversary of the 1st Saturday Devotion - an Urgent Prophetic Call of Our Lady Fatima to Pray for Peace



🙏 Centennial of the First Saturday Devotion: A Call to Reparation and Holiness

The Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Apparition when Our Lord & Our Lady asked for the spread of the First Saturdays is on December 10th.


On the centennial anniversary of the Pontevedra apparitions (1925), where Our Lady presented the First Saturday devotion—identified as the key to reparation to her Immaculate Heart—we are reminded of the profound promises attached.

🌟 The Promise of Salvation and Requirements

The essential request is a devotional commitment made on the first Saturday of five consecutive months. The core promise is the granting of the grace of salvation at the hour of death to those who faithfully fulfill the following four elements:

  • Go to Confession (within a reasonable time).

  • Receive Holy Communion.

  • Recite five decades of the Rosary.

  • Keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.

Note: The promise is not a guarantee of salvation, but rather a formula for growth in holiness leading to everlasting well-being. Spiritual life demands daily effort toward perfection; devotional practices like this aid our journey and help minimize or avoid time in Purgatory.

🌎 Global Promises and Personal Change

Many believe that the greater associated promises of world peace and the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart are achievable. However, their fulfillment requires a change of heart on the part of humanity. Devotions and apostolic endeavors are given to us to participate in the work of salvation; the Fatima children, for example, were tasked with sharing Our Lady’s message of hope through reparation to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.

Visionary's account of the request for a “permanent first Saturday”

On December 10, 1925, in Pontevedra, Our Lady and the Child Jesus appeared to Lucia de Jesus in her room, which was later transformed into a chapel. The visionary had gone to that house of the Institute of Saint Dorothy on October 25, 1925, at the age of 18, to carry out her postulancy (the initial stage of formation for religious life).
The description of the apparition scene includes specific gestures: the Virgin Mary placed her hand on Lucia's shoulder and, in her other hand, Our Lady showed a heart surrounded by thorns. In this apparition, which focuses on the request for reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it was the Child Jesus who first addressed Lucia, anticipating the request.

“Look, my daughter, at My Heart surrounded by thorns which ungrateful men pierce Me with at every moment, with blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console Me and tell all those who, for five months, on the first Saturday, confess, receive Holy Communion, pray a Rosary and keep Me company for 15 minutes, meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls,” reads the account of the apparition, written by the seer.

This first apparition occurred approximately eight years after the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, which took place between May and October 1917, during a period known as the Marian cycle. It was in this context that, on July 13, 1917, the "Lady brighter than the sun" announced the divine intention to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the world.

“You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go; to save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war will end,” Our Lady said to the shepherd children in that apparition, in which she reinforced the request for prayer for the reparation of the world through prayer.

“Offer yourselves up for sinners and say often, especially when you make sacrifices: 'O Jesus, it is for Your love, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary'.”
🗓️ Joining the Centennial Celebration

We are continually striving to promote the fulfillment of Our Lady’s request made in Pontevedra, Spain in 1925 and to make reparation for the blasphemies committed against her, thereby securing the promised graces.

The Blue Army invites your participation in their First Saturday Virtual Pilgrimage, which is designed to help you virtually visit 12 sacred sites in Portugal and Spain related to Fatima, deepen your understanding of the devotion, and advance in holiness.

Join us as we work with members across the country to hasten the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart.

⛪ Plenary Indulgence Opportunity

The National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in New Jersey (our apostolate headquarters) has once again been designated as a place of pilgrimage for the centennial year. This designation, granted by the Bishop of Metuchen and the Apostolic Penitentiary, makes it a sister site to the Sanctuary of the Apparitions in Pontevedra, Spain.

Visitors to either Shrine can receive a plenary indulgence during this special year. Everyone is encouraged in their area and beyond to benefit from this exceptional grace.

Sources: https://www.bluearmy.com/the-promise-of-devotions-not-just-checking-a-box/

https://www.fatima.pt/pt/news/ha-um-seculo-nossa-senhora-confiou-a-lucia-um-apelo-para-o-mundo

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