As we enjoy May flowers, I am reminded of the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta - "How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."  On May 21st, we have a special opportunity to honor that sentiment and the hundreds of precious souls lost to abortion at the annual  Cemetery of the Innocents Graveside Memorial . 

 

Before then, I hope to see you all on May 13 at our next bilingual  Parish Pro-Life Coordinators Meeting  at Immaculate Conception Cafeteria,   610 N. E. 17th St. Grand Prairie . Please 

 

Please also mark your calendars for the following additional events this May:

We would greatly appreciate if you would help spread the word about our annual  Pro-Life Boot Camp  for high school students on July 28-August 1. We are only offering  one session this year , so youth should register as soon as possible before it fills up.  College students and adults are also welcome as Junior Staff and Chaperones.  Discounted registration for the camp is coming soon at prolifedallas.org/bootcamp  and continues through June 15.

 

We have multiple opportunities for healing this summer as well -- with the Rachel's Vineyard™ Retreats in Spanish on June 2-4 and in English on June 23-25 (learn more at racheldallas.org) followed by the Project Joseph Breakfast on July 8 and Day of Healing on July 22 (learn more at projectjosephdallas.org).  Please share these important invitations to Christ's mercy with your parish. 

 

Finally, please note that the seminar on healing for clergy and their lay ministry guest has been postponed due to unanticipated conflicts. It has now been rescheduled for August 18. We are very excited that in addition to an already stellar line-up, Bishop Kelly will also be joining us to open the seminar and share his personal connection to the ministry as a "Rachel Priest." Please be sure to share this special (and free!) event with your parish pastor and priests. More information and registration (required) can be found at prolifedallas.org/seminar.

 

On May 13, we will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima.  Here is that story. 

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared six times to three shepherd children ( "The Three Seers" ) near the town of Fatima, Portugal between May 13 and October 13, 1917. Appearing to the children, the Blessed Virgin told them that She had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child living in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and bloody violence, She promised that Heaven would grant peace to all the world if Her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.

"If My requests are granted ... there will be peace" 

Our Lady of Fatima explained to the children that war is a punishment for sin and warned that God would further castigate the world for its disobedience to His Will by means of war, hunger and the persecution of the Church, the Holy Father and the Catholic Faithful. God's Mother prophesied that Russia would be God's chosen "instrument of chastisement," spreading the "errors" of atheism and materialism across the earth, fomenting wars, annihilating nations and persecuting the Faithful everywhere.

"If My requests are not granted, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions against the Church. The good will be martryed, the Holy Father will suffer much and various nations will be annihilated."

In all Her appearances at Fatima, the Blessed Mother repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying the Rosary daily , of wearing the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel and of performing acts of reparation and sacrifice. To prevent the terrible chastisement at the hands of Russia and to convert "that poor nation", Our Lady requested the solemn public Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart by the Pope and all the Catholic bishops of the world. She also asked that the Faithful practice a new devotion of reparation on the first Saturday of five consecutive months ( "The Five First Saturdays" )

 

The heart of Our Lady's Message to the world is contained in what has come to be called the "Secret" which She confided to the three child seers in July 1917. The Secret actually consists of three parts, the first two of which have been publicly revealed. The first part of the Secret was a horrifying Vision of hell "where the souls of poor sinners go" and contained an urgent plea from Our Lady for acts of prayer and sacrifice to save souls. The second part of the Secret specifically prophesied the outbreak of World War II and contained the Mother of God's solemn request for the Consecration of Russia as a condition for world peace. It also predicted the inevitable triumph of Her Immaculate Heart following Russia's consecration and the conversion "of that poor nation" to the Catholic Faith.

 

The last part of the Secret (often called the "Third Secret" ) has not yet been made public, but was written down by Lucy Dos Santos, the last living Fatima seer, in 1944 and has been in the possession of the Holy See since 1957. Most informed sources speculate that this portion of the Secret concerns chaos in the Catholic Church, predicting widespread apostasy and a loss of faith beginning in the seventh decade of the 20th Century. 

 

As we look around us at what is occurring in the countries of the world, let us focus on our Lady and on the message that she brought to us.  Let us continue to pray as she asks for world peace and respect for our faith. 

 

Thanks for all you do for Life. God bless, and I look forward to seeing you all on May 13!