We were pleased to host many mothers and more on Mother’s Day when we crowned the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at St. John Cantius Church.
The beautiful image of Our Lady of Fatima was designed by famous sculptor José Thedim in 1947. Sister Lucia herself instructed him, and later remarked that she had never seen any image which so resembled the actual apparition of Our Lady.
The Bishop of Fatima entrusted the image to John Haffert, co-founder of the Blue Army, and prayed that Mary herself accompany the statue wherever it goes. It has traveled around the globe many times for nearly 70 years. In 2014, the statue was placed under the auspices of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA and continues its pilgrim journeys to this day.
The purpose of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue tours was and still is to bring the graces of Fatima and Our Lady’s message of hope, peace, and salvation to many millions of people who may never have an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Fatima itself.
“In 1946, I crowned Our Lady of Fatima as Queen of the World and the following year, through the Pilgrim Virgin, She set forth as though to claim Her dominion, and the favors She performs along the way are such that we can hardly believe what we are seeing with our eyes.”
–Pope Pius XII
Our Lady of the Broken was also present on Mother’s Day and is scheduled to be at St. John Cantius Church until Pentecost.
View the full album of the May Crowning 2022 with the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima here.
