April 28, 2010

Bishop Conley to lead Marian procession

By 20 parishes to host Fatima statue

By Denver Catholic Register

Everyone is invited to join Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley as he leads a procession to honor Mary, the mother of Christ, through the streets of Denver on May 2.  Carried in the procession will be the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The celebration will begin with 3 p.m. Mass at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church on the Auraria campus, during which the statue will be crowned, followed by the procession east down Colfax Avenue to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Those in the procession will pray the rosary and sing hymns.

“This will be an opportunity to express our Catholic faith in public and to draw many closer to God,” said Friar Servants of Mary Father Gabriel Weber, an organizer of the event. “And to pray for peace in the world as our Blessed Mother requested at Fatima.”

May is traditionally the month the Catholic Church honors Mary.  It is also the month in which Mary is venerated (May 13) under the title Our Lady of Fatima, which recalls her apparitions to three shepherd children in a field near Fatima, Portugal.

Fatima is one of the best-known apparitions of Mary. She appeared six times between May 13 and Oct. 13, 1917, to Lucia dos Santos, 10; Francisco Marto, 9, and his sister Jacinta, 7. Mary recommended frequent recitation of the rosary, urged works of mortification for the conversion of sinners, called for devotion to her Immaculate Heart, requested the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart, and asked that the faithful make a Communion of reparation on the first Saturday of each month.

The Fatima apparitions were declared worthy of belief in October 1930.

The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of the U.S.A. was blessed by Pope Paul VI in 1967 and brought to the United States to serve as the official presence of Our Lady of Fatima for this country. The statue’s visit to the Denver Archdiocese is sponsored by the local chapter of the World Apostolate of Fatima U.S.A. Twenty parishes and a monastery will host the statue next month. (See list.)

“The parishes will have the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue for devotions to honor our Blessed Mother and to learn more about the Fatima message of prayer and penance to help bring peace to the world,” said Father Weber.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church is located at 1060 St. Francis Way, Denver.  The procession will immediately follow the Mass.  For more information, call 303-275-9427.

PARISHES HOSTING THE NATIONAL PILGRIM VIRGIN STATUE

Call to find out the schedule of devotions taking place at a particular parish. In addition to prayer, some are offering Mass, some are showing a film.
May 1: 8:15 a.m., St. James, Denver, 303-322-7449
May 1-2: 1 p.m., Mount Carmel, Denver, 303-455-0447
May 2: 3 p.m., St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Denver, 303-534-4014
May 4: 6:30 a.m., Fatima, Lakewood, 303-233-6236
May 5: 11:45 a.m., St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fort Collins, 970-226-1303
May 6: 8 a.m., St. Mary Magdalene, Denver, 303-455-1968
May 7: 8:30 a.m., Lourdes, Denver, 303-722-6861
May 8: 8 a.m., St. Anthony of Padua, Denver, 303-935-2431
May 9: 10 a.m., St. Joseph Polish, Globeville, 303-296-3217
May 11: 5 p.m., St. Joseph, Denver, 303-534-4408
May 12: 8:45 a.m., Our Lady of the Valley, Windsor, 970-686-5084
May 13: 4 p.m., Ascension, Denver, 303-373-4950
May 14: 9 a.m., Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs, Wheat Ridge, 303-431-0382
May 15: 6:30 a.m., Carmelite Monastery, Littleton, 303-798-4176
May 15: 2 p.m. and May 16: 1:30 p.m., Mount Carmel Latin Rite, Littleton, 303-703-8538
May 18: 8 a.m., Sts. Peter and Paul, Wheat Ridge, 303-424-3706
May 19: 8 a.m., St. Jude, Lakewood, 303-988-6435
May 20: 5 p.m., Sacred Heart, Roggen, 303-849-5313
May 21: 8 a.m., St. Joan of Arc, Arvada, 303-420-1232
May 22: 4 p.m., Holy Family, Denver, 303-455-1664
May 23: 9:30 a.m., Our Lady of the Snow, Granby, 970-887-0032