On the centennial of Mary’s request for the Five First Saturdays devotion, faithful are urged to revive this practice of reparation as a path to personal and global peace.
Newsroom (09/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) A request from the Blessed Mother, delivered a century ago, remains a living—yet often overlooked—invitation to the faithful. This Dec. 10 marks the 100th anniversary of what is known as the “forgotten” part of the Fatima messages: the specific request for the First Saturdays devotion of reparation.
Following the famed 1917 apparitions, visionary Sister Lúcia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos reported that Mary appeared to her in Pontevedra, Spain, in 1925, asking Catholics to dedicate the first Saturday of five consecutive months to confession, Holy Communion, the rosary, and meditation on its mysteries.
“I think 100 year anniversaries are significant because it helps remind a new generation of these devotions that don’t die off,” said Barbara Ernster, communications manager for the World Apostolate of Fatima USA.
Though no canonical inquiry was conducted, the devotion was approved by the local bishop in 1939. Advocates emphasize its enduring Gospel message. “Our Lady asked us to do this, and the Fatima message is timeless,” Ernster told OSV News from Fatima, reinforcing the devotion’s link to peace. “It could help stave off wars and help contribute to the peace of the world.”
This call is being renewed by prominent voices. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, backing a French-led initiative, said the centennial “invites the faithful to renew, with deeper faith and greater fervor, their practice of the First Saturdays Devotion of Reparation.” He emphasized its “enduring importance for the salvation of souls and for peace in the world.”
Priests also see its spiritual value. “If all practicing Catholics kept to this request, as a priest, I would be very busy with confessions,” said Father Edward Looney, secretary of the Mariological Society of America. He noted the devotion acts as reparation for offenses against Mary, urging the faithful: “The First Saturdays call us to renew our love for Mary and to spread it.”
For those unable to travel, the World Apostolate of Fatima USA is offering a virtual pilgrimage to 12 sites related to the Fatima story. Ultimately, advocates stress this is the layperson’s direct role in the Fatima promise. “We do this to help respond to the message that Our Lady brought to us,” Ernster said. “The laypeople were given their part.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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