A year of pilgrimage yields difficult answers
- Dec 13, 2025
- 5 min read
A 10-part series of articles on the pilgrimages I have made this year on land and in the soul.
PART 3- A visit to the most important place on earth.
I work in Washington DC, blocks from the White House. Daily, I pass the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Pentagon....
There was a time in my life when I believed Washington DC was the most important city on earth. Those days are certainly passed. Of course, as a Catholic, I could be tempted to say that Vatican City is the most important. If I took a more historical view at the foundation of the faith, I could say that it is Jerusalem or Caesarea Phillipi or even Bethlehem.
Our Lord warned us that we would be called to do 2 things in the tumultuous time of the Advent of His second coming- Watch and Pray.
To watch means to observe the warning signs and our prayer must always extend beyond ourselves and seek mercy for all of mankind. In the sense of both of those aims, there is not a more important place on earth than Fatima, Portugal.
I am not very far removed at all from a season in my life where the very thought of being able to go there was unthinkable. Yet, there I was.
It really hit me when I walked by myself to the Cova D' Iria and began my rosary with the introductory prayer...
Queen of the holy rosary, you have deigned to come to Fatima.....
The realization that I was recalling Fatima, while I was in Fatima, was overwhelming.
When the books are written about Christ's return and the time leading up to it, Fatima will be a centerpiece as a place of warning and petition. Fatima personifies mankind's last chance. It was Fatima that foretold World War II and the rise of Soviet communism, and it was Fatima that foretold the assassination attempt on a future Pope (John Paul II).
In the end, Our Lady predicted that her immaculate heart would triumph. Heaven makes promises like that to hold us firm in the faith when things look dark.
It is pretty startling that so many people are focused on the end times while looking at false signs and false schemes such as the rapture and a Zionist view towards the earthly nation of Israel. Still others are looking to false seers like at Medjugorje. The first group are putting a false hope in an easy way out that isn't going to happen. The second group are aligning themselves on the wrong side of the ultimate battleground. The third are being deceived and diverted from the true guidance of the church.
We can look back in scripture and see places that were central in epic times and moments, and, in the end of times, there is no more important place, standing as a herald than the little hamlet in Portugal. In terms of these seismic world events, our call is to watch and pray. Fatima is the epicenter of the final struggle. It really is that important.
I have known about Fatima since I was a teenager, but I had long since given up on ever being able to go there. I knew the story well and I knew that millions make pilgrimage there every year. I had seen the procession carrying the statue of Mary into the multitude of people many times. Never did I dream that I would one day be a part of it.
The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant were specifically chosen from the tribe of Levi. Their role was to act as mediators between God and the people, symbolizing God's presence among them. The Ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a pot of manna, representing God's covenant, authority, and provision. During significant events, such as crossing the Jordan River, the priests carried the Ark, which signified the centrality of God's law and presence in the life of the nation. The Levites were designated to carry the Ark into Canaan, emphasizing their sacred duty.
The Ark of the Covenant was, of course, a typology of Mary who would carry Jesus, who the Commandments, Rod and Manna pointed to. Carrying the Statue of Mary in the procession at Fatima is our way of showing that we are going into battle with the Ark before us, just like the Israelites of old. I was humbled by the opportunity to take part in this. It deeply affected me.
Here is a video showing what it looks like. You cannot help but be in awe at the size of the crowd.
It is the size of the crowds that stir me and give me hope. I do not know how many times I have heard the lament that we could change the world if we could get people to come out for worship like they do at these sporting events. Well, at Fatima, they do and I believe it has had a profound effect in calling down God's mercy on us.
The experience of Fatima was truly overwhelming, and I was able to walk in a visualize where the 70,000 pilgrims were and what they saw that day.
In these end times, there is no message more urgent and more powerful than the one delivered at Fatima. The Fatima center is a great resource for the Fatima message. Here is a brief outline.
In 1917, during World War I, three young shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal—Lúcia dos Santos (10) and her cousins Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7)—reported six apparitions of the Virgin Mary from May 13 to October 13.
Key Events:
May–September Apparitions: Mary, described as a "Lady more brilliant than the sun," asked the children to return monthly. She urged daily recitation of the Rosary for world peace and the end of the war, sacrifices for sinners, and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
July 13: She revealed the Three Secrets:
A vision of Hell, emphasizing the need for prayer and penance to save souls.
Prophecy of World War II's end but another war if humanity did not convert, with a call for Russia's consecration to her Immaculate Heart.
A symbolic vision (revealed in 2000) of a bishop in white (interpreted as a pope) suffering persecution, representing 20th-century Church martyrdom.
October 13: To prove the apparitions' authenticity, Mary promised a miracle. Despite rain, ~70,000 people gathered. The sun appeared to "dance," change colors, spin, and plunge toward Earth (the Miracle of the Sun), witnessed by believers and skeptics alike, including journalists. The ground dried instantly.
The Catholic Church approved the apparitions in 1930. Fátima became a major pilgrimage site.
The Sanctuary of Fátima today
Central Message: Prayer (especially the daily Rosary), penance, sacrifices for sinners, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to achieve world peace, conversion (particularly of Russia), and salvation of souls. Mary warned: "Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended." The core call is to conversion and reparation to prevent further suffering and war.
The first Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate heart of Mary will play a vital role in the salvation of many. 5 particular days from a period of about 150 days that can change your eternity. The most important decision you could ever make brought to us by the most important place on earth today.
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