Stations of the Cross -- Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

On both sides of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, you'll find beautiful mosaics of all 14 of the Stations of the Cross.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima

While in Fatima, we visited one of the most beautiful basilicas in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The basilica is built at the site of the Marian apparitions in Fatima, and the tombs of the three visionaries, Saints Francisco & Jacinta and Sister Lucia, are located inside.

Scenes of the Marian apparitions are depicted in the stained glass windows. The 15 church altars are dedicated to the 15 mysteries of the Rosary (no Luminous Mysteries when the basilica was built).

The high altar painting depicts the message of Our Lady of Fatima to the three children. Included in the painting are figures of the local bishop as well as Pope Pius XII (who consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942), Pope John XXIII, and Pope Paul VI. 

Outside, the basilica is flanked by monumental colonnades which overlook a large open plaza, the center of which is occupied by a monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This monument stands over a spring that was discovered there, and was, according to the shrine, "the instrument of many graces."

Statues of the four great apostles of the Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are located at the four corners of the basilica's colonnade: Saint Anthony Mary Claret (Saint Anthony of Lisbon, as he is known), Saint Dominic, Saint John Eudes, and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary. 

The basilica, colonnade with statues on top, and the open plaza remind me of St. Peter's Square in Rome! Very similar look!

A large statue of Our Lady of Fatima stands in the niche above the main entrance of the basilica and was sculpted by an American priest, Fr. Thomas McGlynn.

Basilica with Colonnade and Statues

Basilica - Covered area in front is where 

the pope said the canonization Mass

Colonnade 

Another Basilica Shot

 

Main altar with painting of Our Lady of Fatima 

appearing to the three children in the center, and

a crucifix and a statue of Our Lady of Fatima on the right

Beautiful image in the apse of Our Lady 

being crowned Queen of Heaven

Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Statue of St. Anthony on top of the colonnade

Tomb of St. Francisco

Tombs of St. Jacinta and Sister Lucia

Lighting a Candle in Fatima

I'm sure you're all familiar with lighting a votive candle in a church for someone . . . well, Fatima takes it up a notch or two!

In many Catholic churches around the world, people drop a few coins into a box, light a small votive candle, and then pray for a particular prayer intention. 

At Fatima, they do it BIG!  No votive candles in sight! For a couple of Euros, visitors can buy candles as big as the Paschal candle lit for Easter. I saw people carrying armfuls of candles to the "pyre," which is located behind the Chapel of the Apparitions. It burns brightly with thick black smoke rising above the square and the smell of burning bees wax filling the air. Because the fire is so hot, I've read that pilgrims often don’t bother to light their candles but instead just add them to the flames. It doesn't take long for them to burn down.

Personally, I purchased 7 good-sized candles, lit each of them (each for a special intention), and then placed them in candle holders in the flaming pyre. I stood back and prayed for a while. It was quite an experience!

These photos will give you an idea of what I'm talking about . . .

All sizes of candles for sale

MY candles . . .

MY candles burning away

Busy place . . .

Very hot fire

Fatima Rosary Procession - Tuesday, April 25

Upon arrival in Fatima on Tuesday, April 25, we learned that some of the men in our group would have the honor of carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the Rosary Procession that evening!

Not only that, but our pastor and spiritual guide for the pilgrimage, Fr. Chris, was unexpectedly asked to give a meditation for the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, the Carrying of the Cross! They needed an English speaker . . . and there he was!

What a blessed evening!

Lenny Steiner & Donald Krouse carry the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

Fr. Chris offers a meditation for the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary, 

the Carrying of the Cross, before the procession. Note the statue of Our Lady of Fatima to the left -- that is the very location of Our Lady's apparitions to the three shepherd children.

Starting Over -- Pilgrim Photos on Day 1 (April 24)

Greetings fellow pilgrims, I.C. parishioners, and others interested in our Fatima Pilgrimage Blog . . .

It turned out that during our pilgrimage (4/24 to 5/4/2017), we had poor Internet/Wi-Fi service, so blog posting was a challenge. I noticed that some of the photos I thought I posted -- weren't visible.

Well, my high speed Wi-Fi at home is working just fine! So . . . little by little, I'm going to take you on our pilgrimage, day by day, location by location, and this time I'll include photos -- which should actually appear in the blog posts now! 

So let's start with who our pilgrims were . . . these photos were taken at the Cedar Rapids Airport on Monday, April 24 -- so those people who traveled a day early (Mary Johnston, Valerie & Steve Bauer, Cindy & Pat McElliott) are not represented here, nor is Art D'Alessio, who joined us in Detroit.

Don't worry -- they'll be in other photos!

Tom & Glenda Kuhn

Tracy Whitcomb-Warren & Laurie Quint

Carmelita & Richard Scott

Shirley & Bob Schwartz

Mark & Sharon LaGrange

Carol & Lenny Steiner

Teresa Hopton & her mom Adeline Schmuecker

Jerome & Marlene Greiner

Mary Lou & Butch Milling

Kim Smith (Fatima Pilgrimage Blogger)

Darla Kucera

Donald & Kendall Krouse

Lynne Hanlon, Fr. Chris Podhajsky, & Bonnie Govern

Janelle & Lloyd Anderson (with Fr. Chris)

St. Ignatius of Loyola

We just visited the home and Basilica of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Loiola, Spain! We had Mass in the chamber where Ignatius experienced his conversion! What a privilege!

Garabandal

No Internet the last few days . . . Lots of experiences to share! There will be gaps in what I blog about, but I'll catch up and fill in the details later (with photos). 

Yesterday (Monday), we climbed the rocky path leading to the "Pines", the site of the Garabandal apparitions! The pines are a group of pine trees where Mary appeared -- to get there, we climbed a very rocky, somewhat treacherous path, while praying the Stations of the Cross at certain spots along the way. We ALL made it to the top, which was glorious! What a magnificent view! We were able to spend some devotional time praying next to a group of religious sisters in front of the site where Mary appeared. I think we were all "carrying" our prayer intentions on our backs all the way up the hill! It was tough, but we were all determined to make it, bringing our loved ones and other prayer needs all the way to the top!

Earlier in the day, we went to Mass at the Church of St. Sebastian where we had the opportunity to venerate and kiss the crucifix kissed by Our Lady at Garabandal! 

Later in the afternoon we went to the church of St. Turibio where we passed through the holy door (there is a jubilee year for this church and the True Cross) and were able to venerate, kiss, and touch religious items to the largest piece of the True Cross of Jesus Christ in the world! Wow!

Photos are all on my camera, and I'm writing this post on my iPhone, so photos will have to come later.