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Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar Zamboanga City, Zone 4 Sta. Barbara, Zamboanga City (2026)

21/05/2026

𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬 | Saint Rita of Cascia
Patron Saint of abuse victims, impossible causes, sickness, wounds, parenthood, and widows

Margherita Lotti (Rita) was born in a small town near Cascia, Italy, to parents who were advanced in age. After years of childlessness, Rita’s parents saw the birth of their only child as an answer to prayer. At a young age, Rita’s faith was so strong that her parents set up a small oratory in their home in which she could pray. As a young girl, Rita begged her parents to permit her to enter a convent. Instead, according to the common practice of that time, her parents gave her away in marriage at the tender age of twelve.

Saint Rita is known as the patron saint of impossible causes, in part, because of the difficult marriage she endured with such love. Her husband was said to have been an angry and cruel man, who was mentally, emotionally, and even physically violent toward her. During their eighteen years of marriage, it is said that her prayers, coupled with the witness of her many virtues, softened his heart and he turned to Christ, at least enough to attain the hope of Heaven. Rita gave birth to two sons, perhaps twins, and raised them within the Catholic faith as a devout mother.

At that time, it was not uncommon for one family in a town to have an ongoing feud with another family. Such was the case with Rita’s husband, who was of the Mancini family. The Mancinis did not get along with the neighboring Chiqui family. The end to this feud was among Rita’s daily prayers. Her prayers were answered, at least on the side of her husband, Paolo. By the eighteenth year of their marriage, Paolo had begun to turn from his anger and to find more peace in God. He resolved to end the feud with the Chiqui family and attempted to restore peace. Rather than accept his overture, a member of the Chiqui family tricked Paolo and stabbed him to death.

At Paolo’s funeral, Rita publicly forgave her husband’s murderer and offered peace. However, Rita’s brother-in-law, Bernardo, was of a different mind. He began to stir up hatred in the hearts of Rita’s two sons to convince them to avenge their father’s death. The boys agreed, and Rita, filled with holy sorrow, tried to convince them to change their plans. When they wouldn’t, Rita turned to prayer. She prayed that God would preserve her sons from the mortal sin of murder, even if it meant taking their lives before they could carry out their plan. Rita’s prayers were answered. Both of her sons died of dysentery within a year, before they could act out their revenge.

Widowed and childless, Rita turned to her childhood desire of entering the convent. She was refused admission because she was previously married and due to the scandal of her husband’s violent death. In response, Rita sought to bring about a reconciliation between her family and the Chiqui family once and for all. She prayed through the intercession of her patrons, Saints John the Baptist, Augustine, and Nicholas of Tolentino. She also sought the prayers of Saint Mary Magdalene, the patroness of the convent she wanted to enter. Rita’s prayers were answered, reconciliation took place, and God opened the door for her to enter the convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia to live the Augustinian rule of life. One pious legend states that while she prayed and levitated, her three patron saints brought her inside the locked doors of the convent. When the sisters saw this, they concluded that it must be God’s will that she enter.

Not much is known about Rita’s forty years as a religious sister. She is said to have lived a profound life of prayer, often praying throughout the night. She joyfully embraced severe penances, ate only once a day, relying primarily on the food of the Most Holy Eucharist as her daily sustenance. Many who came to the convent to ask for her prayers attested to the power of her intercession. Some even attributed miracles to her prayers.

At the age of sixty, while deep in prayer before a crucifix, Sister Rita received the miraculous gift of the stigmata in the form of a wound on her head, inflicted by one of the thorns that pierced Jesus’ brow. This is believed to have taken place shortly after Rita heard a sermon on the Crown of Thorns by Saint James della Marca, a Franciscan friar who was known for his powerful preaching and devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. Sister Rita’s wound was so painful and unsightly that she is said to have remained in seclusion in her convent, even from her fellow sisters, for the last decade of her life. The one exception was a pilgrimage to Rome taken by all the sisters. Just prior to that trip, her wound healed, but it reappeared upon her return to the convent.

Since Rita’s death from tuberculosis at the age of seventy, many miracles have been attributed to her intercession. When her body was exhumed, it was found to be incorrupt and is on display in a glass reliquary at the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia. It is said that at times her body levitates and that sweet odors permeate the air.

Saint Rita of Cascia suffered greatly throughout her life. Her desire of becoming a nun was initially thwarted when she was given in marriage at the age of twelve to a violent and cruel man. She endured her marriage with love and suffered the brutal murder of her husband and the death of both her sons. She joyfully inflicted severe penances upon herself as a religious sister, and God joyfully inflicted upon her the suffering of His Crown of Thorns. Through it all, Saint Rita united herself more fully to the sufferings of Christ and won many graces for her soul and the souls of many others. Ponder your own sufferings, especially if you can relate to the ones that Saint Rita endured. As you do, strive to imitate this saint by uniting those sufferings to the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of your soul and the souls of those most in need.

Prayer: Saint Rita, you endured much suffering throughout your life, but you embraced that suffering with love and united it to the sufferings of your Savior. Please pray for me, that I will be strengthened to imitate your profound love, will accept all sufferings with love, and seek to bring about peace in my heart and in the hearts of those around me. Saint Rita of Cascia, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

17/05/2026

𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗦 | Mass for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar, presided by Rev. Fr. Kim Manalo.

The faithful gathered in prayer to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating Christ’s return to the Father and His promise of remaining with His Church through the Holy Spirit. In the Eucharistic celebration, Fr. Kim Manalo invited everyone to reflect on the enduring presence of Jesus, who continues to accompany His people even as He ascends in glory.

The celebration became a moment of thanksgiving and renewed hope, reminding the community that Christ’s departure is not absence, but a deeper and lasting presence that strengthens and guides the Church in its mission.

17/05/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 | An excerpt from a homily reflection on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

In this reflection, it was emphasized that Jesus is always with us—especially in moments of loneliness, confusion, and struggle. Even when life feels silent and overwhelming, Jesus remains present, gently assuring us that we are never abandoned.

The reflection reminds the faithful that no matter what season we are in—joy, pain, confusion, or peace—Jesus is truly present. He may not always change situations instantly, but He never leaves us. Instead, He becomes the invisible strength in our weakness, the gentle whisper in our storms, and the light that shines in our darkness.

It further highlights that in every real-life moment, Jesus walks with us quietly yet faithfully—guiding, sustaining, and loving us even when we do not fully understand what we are going through.

17/05/2026

𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord commemorates the fortieth day after the Resurrection when Jesus ascended body and soul into Heaven and took His seat at the right hand of His Father. Traditionally, the location of the Ascension is believed to be less than a mile east of the Old City of Jerusalem, and that spot is marked by the Chapel of the Ascension, which is said to contain a miraculous imprint of the footprints of Christ before He ascended. The event of the Ascension is found in the Gospels and Acts (Mark 16:19–20; Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:6–12). It is also alluded to in various other passages (John 6:62; Ephesians 4:7–10; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:21–22).

Only Jesus and His Blessed Mother have entered into the glories of Heaven, body and soul. Jesus’ Ascension implies that He did so by His own authority and power. The Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption implies that she entered Heaven, body and soul, by God’s power, and not her own.

The Ascension marks the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission. He first united His divine nature with human nature through the Incarnation at the moment of the Annunciation. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that from that moment on, Jesus, the Son of God, experienced three types of knowledge. First, being God, He had beatific knowledge, that is, a direct knowledge of His essence, the Father’s essence, and the Holy Spirit’s essence. Second, He had the perfection of infused knowledge, that is, a bestowal of all truths given to the angels in Heaven, especially those truths necessary for the completion of His divine mission. Third, He began to acquire learned knowledge, or experiential knowledge. This was the form of knowledge attained through His human nature from the senses and His human reason.

As Jesus fulfilled His mission through life, His learned knowledge continued to grow until it was perfected in human form. It was never imperfect in the sense of sin, but only in the sense of growth through human experience and human love. He experienced all things, allowed the perfection of His beatific and infused knowledge to guide His human experiences and brought those human experiences and knowledge to perfection. His free embrace of the Cross manifested the perfection of divine love in human form, and His Resurrection brought that perfect unity of human and divine love to a new and transformed resurrected state of human existence. But that was not all. Today we commemorate the fact that Jesus took His perfected human nature into the Beatific Vision, enabling humanity itself to follow. The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first to do so given her sinless state.

The final stage of the salvation of humanity will take place when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. At that time, every human body will rise, will endure the final purification and transformation, and will share in the new and resurrected state in which the faithful will be able to stand, body and soul, before the Most Holy Trinity and experience the fullness of the Beatific Vision forever. What Jesus has already accomplished in His human form is what we look forward to in hope at the end of time.

The Feast of the Ascension was celebrated annually from as early as apostolic times. Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, and Saint Augustine all attest to this fact. When the Council of Nicaea set the date for the celebration of the Resurrection in 325, it chose to keep Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox in spring. This decision also set the day for the Ascension being forty days after Easter, on a Thursday. Today, many ecclesiastical provinces transfer the Thursday celebration to the following Sunday to provide for a wider celebration.

Though every aspect of Christ’s life is shrouded in mysteries which will only be fully understood by the faithful when they stand before Him and behold the Beatific Vision, today we especially ponder this beautiful and profound mystery of our faith. As we celebrate the Ascension, try to prayerfully meditate upon the perfect unity of Jesus’ human and divine natures. Ponder further the truth that because the Son of God is both God and man, and He beholds His Father and the Holy Spirit as both God and man, He invites each of us to begin to share in that glorious vision. Only after we fully die in and with Him and rise to new life in and with Him will we be able to know Him clearly and share in His glorious resurrected and ascended life. Until that moment comes, it’s important to ponder that which is incomprehensible. We must know that we do not know, believe what is beyond belief, hope in that which is more than we can understand. God is a mystery; the Ascension is a mystery—but they are mysteries that must be penetrated by prayer. Do so today as we commemorate this holy culmination of the earthly life and mission of Christ.

Prayer: My Ascended Lord, forty days after You rose from the dead You ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, taking up Your throne from which You pour forth both judgment and mercy. As we honor this great mystery of Your divine and human life, I beg for mercy upon me and upon the whole world. Free us from all sin, and open the floodgates of Your mercy so that all people will share one day, body and soul, in the glory of Your Beatific Vision. Jesus, I trust in You.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

15/05/2026

𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 | Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje de Tugbungan

Every third Saturday of May, the faithful of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish gather as one community to celebrate the feast of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje, the beloved patroness of Tugbungan and protector of all journeys.

This unique and cherished celebration remains a movable feast, scheduled according to the river tide, preserving the long-standing tradition of the Fluvial Procession along the waters of the Tumaga River — a testament to the enduring Marian devotion of the people.

Today, the parish also solemnly commemorates the Ramon Alavar Bridge tragedy of 1987, where many devotees lost their lives during the fluvial procession. Though marked by sorrow, this remembrance continues to strengthen the faith and unity of the community, entrusting all departed souls to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

May Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage continue to guide us safely through every storm and journey in life.

¡Viva Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje!

14/05/2026

𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬 | Saint Isidore the Farmer
Patron Saint of farms, farmers, bricklayers, and rural communities

Saint Isidore, whom we honor today, is often called Isidore the Laborer, or Isidore the Farmer. He was an ordinary man, husband, and father who lived a humble and simple life working the fields for a landowner. His extraordinary faith, by which he always sought first the Kingdom of God, sets for us an excellent example of achieving extraordinary sanctity in the ordinary grind of daily work.

Isidore was born into material poverty in Madrid. His parents, however, were rich in virtue and fostered in him a deep faith. At his baptism, he was given the name Isidore, after Saint Isidore of Seville, the great Spanish scholar and bishop of Seville who lived about 500 years earlier. Because of the family’s poverty, Isidore the Laborer did not receive an education. Instead, from a young age, Isidore worked as a hired hand for a wealthy landowner. The landowner grew very fond of Isidore and treated him as a son, even entrusting him with the management of his estate. It is believed that Isidore lived for sixty years as a laborer, but other speculation is that he may have died around the age of forty.

What is it that elevated this humble and simple man to the ranks of the saints of the Church? To begin, Isidore is said to have been exceptionally generous to the poor. Though poor himself, he and his wife regularly distributed the little they had to those who were in even greater need. He is also said to have been a man of deep prayer. He would regularly attend daily Mass before work, putting God first every day. And as a result of his intercession, miracles abounded, not only during his life but also after his death.

Isidore and his wife had one son. One legend states that their infant child fell into a large pit. Isidore and his wife prayed fervently, and suddenly, the water in the pit began to rise. Very soon, the water had carried the boy to the surface, and Isidore and his wife were then able to pull him out.

Another legend states that because Isidore attended Mass each morning, he showed up later to work than the other hired hands. When the landowner received complaints that Isidore was late for work, he decided to investigate. Sure enough, the landowner discovered that Isidore was regularly later than the others. When the landowner went to confront Isidore about this, he was met with a great surprise. As he walked toward Isidore plowing in the field, he saw that there were others plowing alongside him who looked like angels, using angelic-looking oxen. Thus, God rewarded Isidore with the help of angels to accomplish even more work than the others because Isidore put God first every day.

Isidore also cared for all of God’s creatures with great concern. According to one legend, on a winter day, when Isidore was carrying a sack of grain to be milled, he saw some hungry birds and shared some grain with them, prompting criticism from a coworker. But after Isidore’s diminished sack of grain was milled and returned to him, he had twice as much flour as the others.

Other legends describe Isidore as bringing his landowner’s daughter back to life, raising a spring of water in a dry place to give drink to the thirsty, and producing a full pot of food to feed poor, hungry visitors.

Isidore’s wife, Maria, was also believed to be quite saintly. When their only son died at a very young age, the couple made a promise of celibacy and jointly dedicated themselves solely to God. In Spain, Maria is referred to as Santa María de la Cabeza (Saint Mary of the Head). Miracles have been attributed to her, and to this day, the relic of her head is carried in procession. It is believed that, through her intercession on multiple occasions, rain has fallen in the countryside during droughts.

After Isidore’s death, the miracles continued. Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, during a battle with the Muslims, reportedly had a vision of Saint Isidore who directed him and his army down a path of victory in 1212. That same year, after a flood, Saint Isidore’s body was miraculously exhumed from his grave and found to be incorrupt. Centuries later, when Phillip III, King of Spain, touched Saint Isidore’s body, he was miraculously cured of a serious illness. In all, there have been more than 400 miracles attributed to Isidore’s intercession throughout the centuries.

Another great honor given to this simple, poor, and humble farmer came at his canonization by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. He was canonized at the same time, in the same ceremony, with some of the most recognized and beloved saints in the history of the Church: Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, and Philip Neri.

Saint Isidore is the patron saint of Madrid, and his feast is widely celebrated in that town and throughout Spain. He is also honored in many rural communities in Chile, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, and the United States. Saint Isidore is a saint for the working man. While at work, he prayed continuously, offering his work as an act of love to God. Saint Isidore’s life magnifies the dignity of work, and shows the common laborer the path to sanctity. Daily work and toil have the potential of being a way of honoring God. Saint Isidore put God first in his life. From his faith and love of God, his work, charity, and dignity shone forth.

Prayer: Saint Isidore, you were born into poverty and worked by the sweat of your brow throughout your life. All that you did, you did to give God glory. Even small tasks were sanctified in your life. Please pray for me, that I will find dignity and holiness by doing the most mundane chores and labors of my life with love. May I always seek first God’s Kingdom, making His will the center of my life. Saint Isidore the Laborer, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

13/05/2026

𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬 | Saint Matthias the Apostle
Patron Saint of alcoholics, carpenters, and tailors

Very little is known about Saint Matthias, whom we honor today. He was most likely living in Galilee at the time that Jesus began His public ministry because he fits the description as “…one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us…” (Acts 1:21–22). He certainly was among Jesus’ first followers.

After Judas betrayed our Lord, the Gospel of Matthew says that Judas “went off and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). In the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Peter describes Judas’ death this way: “…falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out” (Acts 1:18). Regardless of how Judas died, he was one of the Twelve. Twelve is an important number in the Bible because there were twelve sons of Jacob (later given the name Israel) and those twelve sons established the twelve tribes that made up the people of Israel. Therefore, when Judas died, Peter recommended that someone be appointed to replace him so that the Apostles would once again number twelve. Peter quoted Psalm 109 that prophesied, “May another take his office” (Acts 1:20).

In order to pick a suitable successor, the approximately 120 disciples who were gathered together at that time in Jerusalem, perhaps in the upper room where the Last Supper had been celebrated, elected two who had been with Jesus from the beginning. Most likely these men were among the seventy-two disciples that Jesus had sent out on a mission of evangelization during His public ministry. The Acts of the Apostles describes it this way: “So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.’ Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:23–26).

Even though there were about 120 disciples gathered together, the Twelve were singled out as Apostles. This election of Matthias took place prior to Pentecost, so when the Holy Spirit came, it came upon Matthias as an Apostle, and the Twelve as a united body, along with the rest of the disciples.

One significant theological point to consider is that because it was Peter who organized the elevation of a disciple to the responsibility of Apostle, it is clear that the Apostles did not not believe that Jesus intended the role of Apostle to end with the deaths of the Twelve. Jesus intended their ministry to continue and even to expand beyond twelve as the Church expanded beyond Jerusalem. The appointment of Matthias as an Apostle clearly teaches us that the pope, the successor of Saint Peter, has the authority and responsibility to appoint new Apostles—bishops—as needed.

After this mention of Matthias in the Acts of the Apostles, nothing more is said about him. We know nothing for certain about his life and ministry after his becoming one of the first bishops of the Church. According to various traditions, Matthias traveled north to Cappadocia, modern-day central Turkey, and then east to the Caspian Sea, modern-day Georgia. He is believed to have died a martyr by crucifixion or may have even been stoned and then beheaded. Other traditions state that he traveled south to modern-day Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Church Father from a century later, Saint Clement of Alexandria, quotes Saint Matthias as follows: “It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.” This quote reveals the deep spiritual knowledge Saint Matthias had regarding the importance of the mortification of the flesh and the spiritual necessity of faith. There is little doubt that the three years he spent as a disciple of Jesus prepared him for his ministry as a bishop. And there is little doubt that his ministry as a bishop brought about the conversion and sanctification of many.

Prayer: Saint Matthias, you heard Jesus calling you to follow Him from the very beginning of His public ministry. You responded with generosity, fulfilling the humble role of a disciple and missionary. When you were chosen as one of the Twelve and ordained a bishop, you fulfilled your shepherding duty of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Please pray for me, that I will listen to the voice of God and respond to His call generously all the days of my life. Saint Matthias, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

13/05/2026

𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 | Our Lady of Fátima

Three Portuguese shepherd children named Lúcia (age nine), Francesco (age eight), and Jacinta (age six), received three apparitions from the Guardian Angel of Portugal in 1916 and six apparitions from Our Lady of the Rosary in 1917. Lúcia later became a religious sister and received several more apparitions from Our Lady and Jesus Himself. These apparitions and their messages are among the most inspiring spiritual events to occur in modern times.

The first apparition took place in the spring of 1916 while the children were tending their sheep. While taking refuge in a cave during a storm, the children had eaten their lunches and prayed the rosary. They were playing games when they saw an angel in the form of a young boy on a cloud, who was whiter than snow, yet transparent and radiant with the sun. The angel said, “Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” With that, the angel bowed to the ground with the children and prayed three times: “My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee, and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee, and do not love Thee,” and then disappeared.

During the summer of 1916 the angel appeared to them again, almost chastising them, saying, “What are you doing? Pray, pray a great deal! The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High.” When Lúcia inquired how they were to sacrifice themselves, the angel replied, “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners…”

During the fall of 1916, the angel appeared again, this time with a chalice and the Blessed Sacrament before which he bowed and prayed, “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He, Himself is offended. And I draw upon the infinite merits of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that You might convert poor sinners.” Afterwards, the three children received Holy Communion from the angel.

On May 13, 1917, the children, once again in the fields, received a visit from a lady from Heaven. She conversed with them and told them to return to that spot on the 13th of every month for six consecutive months. In their conversation she asked, “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings He wants to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and for the conversion of sinners?” To which the children replied, “Yes.”

On June 13, 1917, the lady appeared again, this time with about fifty others from the town present. After they all prayed the rosary, the lady appeared to the children as before and conversed with them. In part, she said, “I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you, Lúcia, are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you in order to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation; those souls will be cherished by God, as flowers placed by me to adorn His throne.”

On July 13, 1917, a crowd of about 5,000 accompanied the children. They prayed the rosary, and the lady appeared as before. This time she gave the children a horrifying vision of hell and then spoke about the need for prayer and sacrifice to end World War I. She also warned that a worse war would come if her message was not heeded. She said, “To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.” Then she asked them to add this prayer to each decade of the rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy mercy.”

On August 13, 1917, as many as 20,000 people had gathered, but on that same day the children were arrested, detained in prison for a few days, and interrogated about their visions. The crowd, however, did see a phenomenon in the sky. On August 19, after the children were released, the lady appeared to them once again in the field.

On September 13, 1917, with a crowd of 30,000, the lady appeared and asked the children to continue to pray the rosary. She promised that if they did, the war would end. She then promised “In October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”

On October 13, 1917, about 70,000 people gathered in the pouring rain. This time the lady revealed her name, saying, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” She asked for a church to be built on that spot and promised that the war would soon end if they kept praying the rosary every day. When she left the children, everyone in the crowd saw the promised miracle. The sky opened, and those gathered were able to look directly at the sun as it glowed and danced. The sun then plummeted to earth, causing panic, but returned to the sky. Suddenly, everything—including the ground and everyone’s clothing—was completely dry.

Within a few years, Francesco and Jacinta died and went to Heaven as promised by the Lady of the Rosary. Lúcia entered religious life and received an apparition in 1925 during which Our Lady fulfilled her promise that she would return to ask for “the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.” In 1929, Our Lady appeared to Lúcia again, stating, “The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart.”

Above all, the messages of Fátima reveal the ongoing need to make reparation for the sins and sacrileges committed against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to pray for the conversion of poor sinners. Daily sacrifice and penance, offered with prayer and profound faith, do more good than we could ever imagine. As we honor these most glorious apparitions today, reflect upon your own willingness to make reparation for the sins of the world through your daily sacrifices. “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God…” Doing so will not only appease the Justice of God, it will also bring about the salvation of many souls.

Prayer: Our Lady of the Rosary, you are the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the Mother of God. Please pray for me, that I will heed the messages that you revealed at Fátima. Pray that I will live a life of continuous sacrifice of prayer, so as to make reparation for the sins and sacrileges committed against your most Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of your divine Son. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar Zamboanga City

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