May the 4th be with you!

Fr. Heilman is organizing a cyber consecration commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady's visits to Fatima:

May 13th of this year marks one year until the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917. She appeared six times to Lucia, 9, and her cousins Francisco, 8, and his sister Jacinta, 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917. But, in the Spring of the year prior to Our Lady’s appearance, an angel appeared to the children to prepare them. That would make this, right now, the 100th anniversary of that angelic visit.

For those who are tuned into dates such as these, and tuned into the tumultuous times in which we live, there is a sense that “something is coming.” For more and more people, there seems to be an urgency to “prepare.” I wrote about this HERE.

In order to prepare for the “something coming” St. Maximilian Kolbe sensed, he modified the St. Louis de Montfort 33-day preparation for consecration to just 9 days, to make it more accessible. He simply had to get as many as possible consecrated in the shortest period of time. Hundreds of thousands of people were consecrated to Jesus through Mary, seemingly overnight.

I've done the 33 day consecration numerous times - it's intense. Intense in prayer, intense in spiritual attacks and intense in the gifts it brings to the Consecrated.

When things were really bad in the local Church and I turned to the internet for spiritual nourishment, I remember hooking up for various spiritual events in Boston and almost EVERYONE I met had done the Consecration to Christ through Mary.

At one prayer event, someone spontaneously suggested we do a mystery of the rosary for an intention. There were a few dozen of us and every single person reached into their pocket or purse and pulled out Rosary beads. I was not unfamiliar with the presence of the Blessed Mother but I was really blown away with the observance of the prayerful army she was gathering.

I encourage each of you join this consecration/renewal. Let's do it!