Last Saturday, we celebrated the 100th Year Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima Apparition and as a parish, we had the blessing and dedication of the image of Our Lady of Fatima at Fr. Dom's Prayer Garden on that day.

But Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence for this centennial celebration which actually began November 27th, 2016, and will continue until November 27th, 2017. So this is another opportunity to receive spiritual graces.

There are three ways that we can obtain the plenary indulgence, as given in a statement from the Fatima Shrine in Portugal:

1. The faithful must go to confession and communion, be interiorly detached from sin and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. These are the ordinary conditions.

2. Make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. To the faithful who make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and participate in prayer dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, you will receive a plenary indulgence. In addition, the faithful must pray the Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke the Blessed Mother.

3. To those who cannot go on a pilgrimage to the Shrine in Fatima due to age, illness and/or other personal reasons, can also receive a plenary indulgence if he/she visits, with devotion, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in any church, oratory (especially on the days of the anniversary of the apparitions, the 13th of each month to October, 2017). He/she must pray the Our Father, recite the Creed and invoke Our Lady of Fatima.

Let us take this opportunity to receive the grace of plenary indulgence through the centennial celebration of Our Lady of Fatima.