Our Lady of Fatima

The green path in the front yard of Lanherne.

Dear Friends and Family,

To those of you in Texas, looking forward to seeing you in just three weeks! Please see the post on RSVP for the pilgrimage.

Two days ago we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the great miracle of the sun at Fatima. What a wonderful, wonderful gift God gave us on that day: to perform such a public miracle for 70,000 to see, and for atheistic newspapers to report on, so that still today anyone who wishes to investigate the truth of what happened has well-substantiated evidence of this great miracle.

To commemorate the anniversary, a two-day conference on Fatima was held in my diocese, at Buckfast Abbey, a beautiful Benedictine abbey located just 90 minutes from Lanherne. For a photo, click here: https://www.buckfast.org.uk . The keynote address was given by Cardinal Burke, followed by excellent talks by top-notch professors and speakers such as Roberto De Mattei, Fr. Thomas Crean, Fr. Serafino Lanzetta, Fr. Marcus Holden, and others. Talks focussed on topics such as Apostasy in the Church, the Five First Saturdays, the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the question of its fulfillment, the teaching on Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory in the apparitions, the Call to Penance and Prayer, and others.

Each morning we began as priests by celebrating quiet low Masses on the various altars in the Abbey. On Friday morning I was blessed to celebrate my 6:15AM Mass on the altar containing the hair shirt worn by St. Thomas More. Then at 7:15 Cardinal Burke would offer a Pontifical Low Mass. It was nice each morning to assist at his Mass, as almost everyone at the conference did. To kneel there as he prayed and offered the Holy Sacrifice. Then each evening we chanted vespers, which was followed by adoration, the rosary, and benediction. About 200 people were in attendance, with about 8 - 10 of us being priests. Perhaps even more than the conferences, it was a blessing to have the opportunities to pray together, and to talk with the others, particularly the priests and the Cardinal, during the breaks, over meals, and in the evenings.

The laity were also a wonderful group to be with. For example Friday evening I had the blessing of having dinner with some of the leaders of SPUC (England's main pro-life group) and Voice of the Family, along with Dr. Cernea and her husband, from Romania. Dr. Cernea is a medical doctor who spoke at the first Synod on the Family in Rome. More interestingly, she has seen first-hand the evil of communism, and experienced it in her own family--her mother and father having suffered terribly at the hands of the communists. In her talk she gave eloquent witness to the need to be willing to suffer for our faith, and to the hidden dangers of a communist mentality in some areas of the west today, and even in the Church. She's a brave lady, and it was a blessing to eat and laugh with her and her husband Friday evening.

Saturday morning I left the Abbey at 5:30 to drive back to Lanherne and celebrate the 8AM Mass here, and then prepare for Sunday's homilies and ministry. This afternoon I had the additional joy of baptizing a little baby girl.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you, guide you, and protect you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari