October 13, 2017 is the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima--come celebrate this anniversary here at St. Catherine of Siena immediately after the daily Mass on Friday, October 13th.

Summary: On May 13th, 1917 three children were playing games in the field while tending their sheep. Suddenly they saw a flash of light. They took refuge under a tree about a hundred yards away. They saw a flash of light again. They began running when they saw; standing over a small holmoak tree, a Lady dressed in white more brilliant than the sun. That was the beginning of Our Blessed Mother at Fatima. She visited the children six times bringing them messages for the world. In all Her appearances at Fatima, Our 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.

Our Lady's Message to the world is contained in what has come to be called the 'Secret'. The Secret actually consists of three parts, the first two of which have been 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 told of the outbreak of World War II and asked for the Consecration of Russia as a condition of world peace. It also predicted the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart following Russia's consecration and conversion. The last part of the Secret (often called the "Third Secret") has not yet been made public, but Lucia wrote it down in 1944 and is in the possession of the Pope. On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared with the Child Jesus to Lucia and said: "Look, My daughter, at My Heart, encircled with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every instant with their blasphemy and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me with the practice of the First Saturdays."

The Catholic Church has officially endorsed the Fatima Message as worthy of belief since 1930. Pope John Paul II has publicly credited Our Lady of Fatima for saving his life during the assassination attempt in 1981. The following year, he went to Fatima to give thanks for Her intervention.

Our Lady of Fatima is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on the famed Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

The Decade Prayer for the rosary, commonly known as the Fatima Prayer, was revealed by Our Lady of Fatima on July 13, 1917. She asked the three shepherd children, Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia, to recite it at the end of each decade of the rosary. It was approved for public use in 1930, and has since become a common (though optional) part of the rosary.

The Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

Source: Catholic.org