May 2, 2021

Dear St. Martin of Tours Family & Friends,

On the 13th May 1917, Our Lady first mentioned devotion to her Immaculate Heart to the children of Fatima. After showing them a vision of the souls in hell, she told them, “You have seen hell, where souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Lucia detailing how devotion to her Immaculate Heart was to be practiced. These words are from Sr. Lucia’s own account:

“… by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was a child. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on her shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child said:

Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.

Then the Most Holy Virgin said:

Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite 5 decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”
 

HOW TO PRACTICE THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAY’S DEVOTION

1.  Confession. Make a good confession at most 8 days prior to the first Saturday with the intention of offering reparation for the offenses against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
2.  Communion. On that First Saturday morning, attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion with the intention of offering reparation for the offenses against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. (Confession must be repeated for 5 consecutive months, without interruption, otherwise, you must recommence from the beginning.)
3.  The Rosary. Recite 5 decades of the Holy Rosary with the intention of making reparation to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart
4.  Meditation. Accompany Our Lady by meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary for 15 minutes. This can be done by reading the biblical texts of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, thinking of their content. Or, you could meditate on one mystery for 15 minutes, as Sister Lucia did. This meditation is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary.
5.  Final Prayer. Conclude with this prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

Immaculate Heart of Mary, my Mother, I come to you in childlike prayer. I earnestly desire that all the people of the world may be brought back to the humble knowledge and love of the Sacred Heart of your dear Son. I pray, dear Mother of my God, that the wonderful beauty and purity of your own Immaculate Heart may so win our souls that we may detest all sin and dedicate our lives to the honor and glory of the God who created us. You revealed the secrets of your own sad heart at Fatima and begged for penance, prayer, and conversion of the world to God. What more can I do than unite my heart to yours in this great yearning? What can I add but the fervent prayer that all the world may listen to your pleading? I give my heart to you, my heavenly Queen, and in confidence, I leave to you what is best for me in answer to my prayer for love and reparation. Immaculate Heart of the Mother of my God, I implore through your powerful intercession, the conversion of the hearts of men, complete victory over sin, and the return of the peace which you have promised. Amen.