Limbahau-Papar celebrate Fatima centenary with procession

LIMBAHAU –Parishioners of Limbahau and Papar thronged Holy Rosary Church here for the centenary celebration of the Fatima Apparitions on 13 May 2017.

The evening began at the grotto with a catechesis by Father Thomas Madanan, assistant pastor, on the six apparitions of the Blessed Mother to the three young shepherd children, Lucia and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto at a little village of Fatima Portugal in 1917.

Fr Madanan said that in all the apparitions, Mother Mary was calling for constant prayers, reparation for sins and sacrifices so that fewer souls would go to hell.

He added:  “When we really pray the rosary, there will be many Catholics returning to the Church. As a result, others will gradually repent and find a new purposeful life ahead.”

The priest then blessed the newly donated Our Lady of Fatima statue and rosaries before leading the parishioners in reciting the rosary during the short procession to the church for the sunset Mass.

In his homily, Fr Madanan said that Jesus is a good shepherd, wanting to unite us with God the Father. Christ is our focal point in life and hence Mother Mary “has a special place in our hearts, our families and our church.”

He invited the faithful to pray especially for the youth, who are the main target of worldly temptations.

The priest said that with the looming Sabah Youth Day (SYD5) to be jointly organised by HRL and St Joseph Papar in 2020, both parishes want to stress the importance of “My Family, KKD (BECs) and My Church.”

A greater pastoral challenge, the priest added, is the fact that out of the 67 BECs, only a few are active ones.

After Mass, the statue was lifted and placed on a pedestal erected at the church’s main entrance.  Then all went to the Fr Augustine Amandus Hall for a fellowship meal. – William Charles Mindus (SOCCOM Papar Limbahau)