By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
A statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which has been traveling around the world since 1947, will make four stops in the Diocese of Davenport this month and next. The statue’s U.S. tour began in March and will continue until December 2017. The tour commemorates the 100th anniversary of apparitions of the Angel of Peace (1916) and Blessed Mother (1917) at Fatima, Portugal, according to the Fatima Tour for Peace website.
The tour is sponsored by the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA (The Blue Army). It will travel to Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington and Iowa City. Stops will include Mass, confessions, talks on Fatima, adoration, rosary and private veneration.
According to the website, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three children — Lucia dos Santos, 10; Francisco, 9, and Jacinta Marto, 7 — on the 13th day of the month from May through October 1917 “exhorting them to be fervent in working for the salvation of souls and conversion of sinners through prayer, especially the daily rosary, and daily penance in reparation for sins. She identified the conversion of sinners as key to peace in the world.”
Binda Knutsen, the Burlington stop’s coordinator, said the statue was made in 1947 by sculptor José Thedim. That statue will be on the tour.
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport will host the tour Oct. 30. Sandi Hansen, a member of Holy Family Parish-Davenport, has worked with Father Rich Adam, the cathedral’s pastor, to host the tour. A procession, rosary, prayers and veneration will be held in Vietnamese from 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. in the cathedral. An English talk on Fatima, adoration, chaplet of Divine Mercy, rosary and consecration to Our Lady will be held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Veneration of the statue will be from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The statue’s custodian, Patrick Sabat, will give the talk.
“I’ve always felt it was important to consecrate the diocese to Our Lady, and so after the rosary we would like to pray prayers of consecration. Sacred Heart is the bishop’s church, so it seemed right to have Our Lady come there to bring blessings and graces to our diocese,” Hansen said.
The tour moves to Muscatine on Oct. 31. Mass will be held at Saints Mary and Mathias Catholic School at 8:30 a.m. Organizer Michelle Schaapveld said the statue moves to Ss. Mary & Mathias Parish at 9:30 a.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will follow.
A rosary for peace will be recited at noon, chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 p.m., procession around the church at 4:30 p.m., reconciliation from 4:30-5 p.m., Mass at 5:15 p.m. and veneration of Our Lady from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Refreshments will be served in Gannon hall from 6:15-7:30 p.m. Schaapveld said children are invited to dress up in appropriate saints’ costumers for the afternoon and evening events and Mass.
The statue moves to Burlington on Nov. 1. Mass will be held in Notre Dame Elementary gym. The statue’s custodian will speak to students. The tour continues at St. Paul Church with Mass at noon, followed by a presentation by the custodian, rosary and veneration until midnight. On Nov. 2 the rosary and prayers will begin at 6:30 a.m. and the statue is expected to leave around 7:30 a.m., heading for St. Mary Parish in Iowa City Nov. 2.
Procession, statue crowning and silent prayer begins at 3 p.m. at St. Mary-Iowa City followed by a talk on the history and message of Fatima at 4 p.m., talk on scapular enrollment at 5 p.m., prayer and talk on Fatima at 7 p.m. Reconciliation will be available from 8 p.m. to midnight. On the hour, throughout the night, a rosary will be recited, parishioner Sheryl Schwager said. On the half hour throughout the night a chaplet of Divine Mercy will be recited.
On Nov. 3, a talk on the scapular enrollment will be held at 9 a.m., a talk on Fatima at 10:30 a.m., rosary at 11:30 a.m., and Mass at 12:10 p.m. in the church. The custodian will talk at Regina Catholic Schools at 1 p.m. with veneration and prayer until 3 p.m