SH catechetical ministry organises candlelight rosary procession

KOTA KINABALU – The catechetical ministry of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish here organised a rosary procession in conjunction with the centenary of the Fatima Apparitions (13 May – 13 Oct 1917) on 22 Oct 2017.

The event commenced with offering of flowers and short prayers at the feet of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

Father Max Hontor proclaimed the Word and gave a short reflection on the Fatima Apparitions.

The Glorious Mysteries were prayed in English (first and fifth decades), BM (second and fourth) and Mandarin (third) at designated stations around the cathedral compound starting from the cathedral itself, behind the parish centre, exit junction, St Francis Kindergarten, and back to the cathedral.

The candles were lighted outside the cathedral before the procession began after the First Glorious Mystery.

Rain fell while the devotees were praying the fourth decade at the kindergarten but there was no unruly behaviour while scampering for shelter.  Many came prepared for rain.  They blew off their candles before entering the cathedral.

The event ended with a blessing from Fr Hontor inside the cathedral.

Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence opportunity for the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions throughout the centennial year, from 27 Nov 2016 to 26 Nov 2017.

There are three ways to obtain the indulgence, detailed in a statement from the Fatima Shrine in Portugal.

To obtain the plenary indulgence, the faithful must also fulfill the ordinary conditions: go to Confession and Communion, be interiorly detached from sin, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.

1. Make a pilgrimage to the shrine

To the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Fatima Shrine in Portugal and participate in a celebration of prayer dedicated to the Virgin. In addition, the faithful must pray the Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke the Mother of God.

2. Pray before any statue of Our Lady of Fatima

To the faithful who visit with devotion a statue of Our Lady of Fatima solemnly exposed for public veneration in any church, oratory or proper place during the days of the anniversary of the apparitions, the 13th of each month from May to October 2017, and there devoutly participate in some celebration or prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary. In addition, the faithful must pray the Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.

3. The elderly and infirm

To the faithful who, because of age, illness or other serious cause, are unable to get around, may pray in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and must spiritually unite themselves to the jubilee celebrations on the days of the apparitions, the 13th of each month, between May and October 2017. They must also “offer to merciful God with confidence, through Mary, their prayers and sufferings or the sacrifices they make in their own lives.”