An outdoor Rosary Procession, Mass, and May Crowning was held at Loyola to celebrate the Our Lady of Fatima 100th Anniversary on a beautiful Saturday, May 13, 2017. The event was attended by 180 guests! Loyola Retreat House and Queen of Heaven Parish co-sponsored this spirit-filled day. A social gathering including pizza, salad, and refreshments following Mass gave guests an opportunity to meet each other, relax, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings together.
The Story behind the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine
One hundred years ago, in the small village of Fátima, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary began appearing to three young children: Lúcia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto. She appeared to them a total of six times between May 13th and October 13th, 1917, giving them visions and encouraging them to pray the rosary.
The history of the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine at Loyola Retreat House began in 1948, with the formation of the Fatima Pilgrimage Committee by five men from St. Andrew’s Church. Their purpose was to place statues of Our Lady of Fatima in homes throughout the community for 24 hours at a time, and encourage the families in these homes to pray the rosary for world peace.
At the 50th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s first appearance, the Committee decided it wanted to erect a shire to Our Lady of Fatima in commemoration; the grounds of Loyola Retreat House were chosen as the site for their project. They funded the project by donations collected in pop and beer cans, raising $14,700.
The statues of Our Lady and the three children were designed by Pat White & Associates of Canton. They were sculptured by Barzenti of Pieto Santo, Italy from outdoor white carara marble. The lights for the shrine path came from the downtown Palace Theater, which was being razed. The shrine was dedicated on October 4th, 1970, and blessed by Most Rev. Clarence B. Issenmann, STD, Bishop of Cleveland.
Today the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine is the site of Loyola Retreat House’s Annual May Crowning, and a place of prayer, devotion, and peace for many of our retreatants, visitors, and friends.
