Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima winds down its tour of New Orleans-area churches

Photos by Beth Donze, Clarion Herald

Today, the traveling international pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima is at St. Louis King of France Church, 1609 Carrollton Ave., Metairie, marking the second-to-last stop in the statue’s two-week tour of 15 local churches.

The full afternoon of special prayers and devotions at St. Louis King of France, with Our Lady of Fatima present, includes adoration and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, The Angelus, recitations of the Mysteries of the Rosary and litanies of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A 4 p.m. Mass, celebrated by Father Mark Raphael, pastor of St. Louis King of France Church, and a 5 p.m. Spanish-language rosary will conclude today’s prayer event inside the Bucktown church. All are welcome.

Those attending are invited to place their prayer petitions in a provided box near the altar. Numerous graces, granted prayers and conversions have been reported by the faithful wherever the statue travels.

The statue’s local tour concludes tomorrow (Sunday, July 25) at St. Dominic Church, 775 Harrison Ave. in New Orleans. In addition to St. Dominic’s regularly scheduled Masses at 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., special devotions will unfold throughout the day, including mysteries of the rosary, litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and a talk on Our Lady of Fatima.

Pope Pius XII crowned Our Lady of Fatima Queen of the World in 1946. The following year, sculptor José Thedim designed the original image of the International Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Fatima with instructions from Discalced Carmelite Sister Maria Lúcia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart, one of the original Fatima visionaries. The statue was blessed by the Bishop of Fatima in 1947 and was commissioned by Pope Pius to travel the world.

The World Apostolate of Fatima USA has been entrusted with the statue since Since 2014. It was last in the Archdiocese of New Orleans five years ago. 

For more on the statue, visit: https://fatimatourforpeace.com/the-statue.