Faithful Remember Fatima
Hundreds of faithful from across the Diocese of Evansville attended Mass at St. Mary Church in Evansville the evening of Oct. 13 – the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s final apparition to the three peasant children and the Miracle of the Sun.
“The greatest sin today is our obstinate refusal to repent,” Sts. Mary and John Parish Pastor Father Benny Alikandayil Chacko said in his homily.
Father Chacko celebrated a midday Mass at St. Mary Church, which was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament that continued until just before the evening Mass. Father “Dusty Burns,” Pastor of Cor0us Christi Parish in Evansville and St. Philip Parish in Posey County, presented a reflection on Fatima and its ongoing relevance before the evening Mass.
“We need to engage the ongoing spiritual battle by praying the Rosary,” he said. “So many people today don’t believe in the existence of a spiritual world. And relativism is rampant; many believe there is no objective proof.
“It is no coincidence that the greatest miracles in our history occurred during the 20th Century,” Father Burns added. “God is reminding us (through those miracles) that there is a spiritual world.”
Father Burns noted that the greatest attack on the Church is against the family. “St. John Paul II said families are the building blocks of the Church,” he said. “What better way to destroy something than by attacking its building blocks?
“Let this night be a rallying point,” he said in conclusion. “The image of Fatima is just as powerful today as 100 years ago. Let us pray the Rosary, be in the midst of the spiritual battle and pray for the sanctity of the family.”
During Mass, Father Chacko talked about Mary’s messages at Fatima. “One hundred years ago, Mother Mary appeared in Fatima and she said if people do not pray and repent, more terrible things will come,” he recalled. “This was during World War I. World War II followed, with 80 million deaths. Then came the rise of Communism and the great Cold War – the time of the worst persecution in history.
“In spite of this history, we have collectively refused to repent,” he added. “In this sort of climate, what is God to do? There is nothing left for us but to take up the Rosary and pray.”
A public procession through the neighborhood of St. Mary Church immediately following Mass. Father Chacko carried the Blessed Sacrament. Third Degree Knights of Columbus carried a stature of Our Lady of Fatima, and Fourth Degree Knights served as the honor guard.
