I recently had the privilege of taking a pilgrimage to Fatima. My knowledge of Fatima was very limited. I knew that Mary had appeared to three young peasant children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinto. That was about it. To prepare, I read Fatima for Today. I thought I was prepared. 

What I experienced shocked me! On the first day as we reached Fatima I could not stop myself from running to the exact place where Mary appeared. Everything I read came alive. To stand where Mary appeared only 100 years ago was very powerful. I was so moved that I Face-timed each member of my family so they could experience it as well.  

That same evening my group participated in the rosary procession where several thousand people recited the rosary. Some were processing, some kneeling and praying. I was really moved by all these people from all over the world praying in perfect harmony. There were so many languages, races, and cultures all praying in unison in devotion to Our Lady. I was weeping. I had only known of the Universal Church in abstract terms, but this gave me the opportunity to see the big picture. 

What I left with was “the message” - prayer and penance. The Blessed Virgin Mary tells us the easiest way to show our devotion to her and practice our faith is by praying the rosary every day. I couldn’t help but thinking of our Parish Priority - Cultivating our Spiritual Life and asking myself: “Why don’t I pray the rosary every day?” The rosary is a beautiful prayer that awakens our spiritual life when prayed daily. Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary can become real if we imagine and think about the meaning of each individual mystery as we pray them. 

Praying the rosary has changed the course of history. I am confident that it can change the course of my life too! I encourage us all to pick up our rosaries. Pray. It will help us all. It will bring us closer to God.

Prayerfully yours,

CY Suellentrop