At Fatima, Mary appeared to 9 year-old Francisco, his 7-year-old sister, Jacinta and their 10 year-old cousin Lucia. During the second apparition, on the 13th of June Mary told them that Francisco and Jacinta would be taken to Heaven soon but that Lucia would live a long life. She also asked Lucia to learn to ...read more

A lot of the conversations about Fatima have to do with the so-called “three secrets”. There really weren’t three secrets. During the third apparition, on July 13, 1917 Mary showed the children two visions. The first was a vision of Hell. This is what is sometimes referred to as the first secret. Following that vision, ...read more

An interview with Fr. Gian Matteo Roggio On April 20, this year, a Consistory declared that two of the visionary little shepherds of Fatima, Francisco and his sister Jacinta Marto, would be proclaimed Saints on May 13, on the occasion of Pope Francis’s travel to Portugal, for the hundredth anniversary of the apparitions of Our ...read more

This Fatima anniversary is making us think, of course about apparitions. Of the thousands of reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary, only 22 have been officially approved by the Church. Other than Fatima, Guadalupe and Lourdes are probably the best known. Guadalupe, in Mexico, is the most popular Marian shrine in the world, with an ...read more

What is the Message of Fatima? Deacon Pedro reflects on the main and most significant apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. ...read more

    Passover What do Passover and Easter have in common? I’m taking a few week’s off Deacon-strucing to share with you this little series I did last year with my friend Rabbi Aaron Flaznraich about the significance of Passover. I’m a firm believer that the more we understand the faith of our elder brothers ...read more

(CNS photo/Paul Haring: Pope Francis (left), Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II (center), Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (right), spiritual head of the Eastern Orthodox churches, attend an ecumenical prayer service at the Church of St. Peter in Cairo, as an image of the risen Lord stands behind them. April 28, 2017.) With a providential twist in the ...read more

A political prisoner of the Communist regime for thirteen years, nine of which he spent in solitary confinement, Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan’s experience is a powerful testimony of faith in the Eucharist and in the power of forgiveness and the redemptive value of the cross. Cardinal Van Thuan’s writings and spiritual insights written in ...read more

A reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday This Sunday’s Gospel gives us an image that summarizes all that we have celebrated in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus description of the Good Shepherd in John 10 shows us how He saw His mission in the world, and His mission in ...read more

This weekend, Pope Francis completed a two day apostolic visit to Egypt, a trip loaded with meaning and symbolism. In this post, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Pope’s visit and we begin with Italian producer Matteo Ciofi here: Find out what Pope Francis’ Trip to Egypt means. Pope Francis’ Itinerary On April 28, ...read more