The Sanctuary of Fatima announced today that 40 organized groups of pilgrims, including some from Portugal, have already signaled their intention to participate in the ceremonies of this International Anniversary Pilgrimage, which will be presided over by the new Bishop of Beja, Fernando Paiva.
The new prelate, who was ordained bishop on July 7, will preside over the pilgrimage that commemorates the fifth apparition of Our Lady to the little shepherds Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia in 1917 at Cova da Iria.
The program of celebrations begins at 9:30 PM on the 12th, with the recitation of the rosary at the Chapel of Apparitions, followed by the candlelight procession and the celebration of the Word at the Altar of the Prayer Area.
A prayer vigil precedes the Eucharistic procession in the Prayer Area at 7:00 AM on the 13th, followed by the rosary at the Chapel at 9:00 AM.
The mass, with the blessing of the sick and the farewell procession, concludes the celebrations of that day.
Meanwhile, still in September, between the 26th and 29th, the Sanctuary of Fatima will host the II European Pilgrimage of the Deaf, considered by the rector of this religious space as “a festive occasion and a moment of encounter, conviviality, and sharing.”
The organization of this pilgrimage is supported by the Pastoral Service for People with Disabilities of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. According to the rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima, Carlos Cabecinhas, the usual pilgrimage of the Portuguese deaf community, in its tenth edition this year, will coincide with the II European Pilgrimage.
Annually, at the end of September or early October, the Sanctuary of Fatima receives the national pilgrimage of deaf people.
The 2023 edition had more than a hundred deaf pilgrims, with the Sanctuary of Fatima providing Portuguese Sign Language interpretation for multiple celebrations since 2013.
“The annual realization of this pilgrimage signals and concretizes the attention to inclusion that has been cared for and progressively increased in the Sanctuary,” says André Pereira, director of the Department of Reception and Pastoral Care of the Sanctuary of Fatima.
For this official, “on this occasion of encounter, deaf pilgrims can more fruitfully live their condition as pilgrims and baptized, celebrating faith communally, knowing more deeply the message of Fatima, and recognizing themselves more clearly as an integral and integrated part of the People of God.”
