Wednesday, October 28, 2020 –
You may have noticed in our list of prayers for the Rosary (way back HERE on Day 202) that there is a particular prayer that you do not always here if you are praying the Rosary with other people: the Fatima Prayer.
Fatima Prayer: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.
Oratio Fatima: Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent.
Why? You ask…well, because it was not always part of the Rosary. In fact, it is a fairly recent addition dating back to 1917. Yup, it is that new!
Wait…what!? You see, there once were three children—Lúcia dos Santos as well as Francisco and Jacinta Marto—who lived in Portugal in the early 20th Century. I won’t go into the whole story here, but stick to the highlights. Three kids got to see Mary…A LOT! However, before Mary came to see them, an angel visited them in 1916 to tell them that the Blessed Mother had some words for them. And you better believe those kids were ready and waiting!
Anyhoo, Mary visited them on the 13th of every month for six months (May through October) and gave them a special message for the world. Actually, there were three “secrets” Mary told the children, but it boils down to pray! Trust and believe in the Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist; do penance; pray the Rosary; and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, especially Russia and the evil of communism.
But above all, PRAY! Also, our Blessed Mother requested that we pray the Rosary daily.
Right, and now back to the Fatima prayer. Turns out there are actually FIVE (or seven, depending on who you ask).
The angel, who called himself the Angel of Peace (which happens to be the Guardian Angel of Portugal, by the way) visited the three children three times between April and October 1916. He told them that the Blessed Mother would visit them the following year, but he also left them with two prayers:
Theological Prayer (Spring 1916): My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You.
Trinitarian Prayer (August 1916): 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 all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And, through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.
With me so far? Good! Fast forward to 1917 and the Blessed Mother who taught the children three new prayers.
Trinitarian Prayer (May 13, 1917): O most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!
Offering Prayer (June 13, 1917): O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
And finally…the Rosary Decade Prayer (July 13, 1917): O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need. (* “of thy mercy” was tacked on to the end later because who knows!?)
Because the last one was specifically asked to be added to the end of each decade by the Blessed Mother, it is the one that stuck around, naturally. And that, dear reader, is how the Fatima prayer came to be added to the Rosary (leaving out many of the details, of course).
If you are curious about the other two “Fatima prayers,” turns out Lúcia dos Santos, who was by now known as Sister Lúcia, had yet another apparition on June 13, 1929 in the Tuy Chapel in Spain. It was here that Christ Himself came to Sister Lúcia and taught her yet another two prayers. These fall in the realm of private revelation, but it is an interesting part of the history, none the less. Besides, they are still perfectly good prayers!
Conversion Prayer: By thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world!
Salvation Prayer: Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.
Queen of families, pray for us!
