This year, let’s enter the month of Mary in a very special way: let’s make a commitment to respond to the Blessed Virgin’s request by living out the 1st Saturdays of the month!
And let’s start on Saturday, May 3, by joining forces with Burundi, where the Jubilee of the 1st Saturdays of Fatima will take place.

A great first for the Church!

For the first time since the Virgin Mary’s request at Fatima in 1925, the entire Church of a country will gather around the Blessed Virgin to respond to her call!

Indeed, all the bishops of Burundi, along with tens of thousands of faithful, will gather on Saturday May 3 in Mugera, in the sanctuary of Mary Queen of Peace, to carry out the request of Our Lady of Fatima: Confession, Communion, Rosary and meditation, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The importance of a peace initiative in this region of Africa

The Great Lakes region of Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi) has been devastated by war for 30 years. Estimates put the death toll at nearly 10 million, more than in the 1st World War in Europe.

But the worst thing is that millions of innocent women, children and babies are being massacred in this conflict, for which the West bears some responsibility because of its appetite for the region’s minerals… Among the victims are bishops, hundreds of priests and religious, millions of Christians have been killed. How many martyrs, for many were executed for their faith!

All of us who pray the Perpetual Rosary for the world, let us make this 1st Saturday journey in deep union with Burundi and neighboring countries, so that the genocide of Christians may cease and Peace may return to this region…

May the Church in every country follow Burundi’s example!

As in Burundi, each of us, lay or consecrated, is invited to spread the devotion of the 1st Saturdays around us, so that the whole Church finally responds to the Virgin Mary’s request.

In this way, the Peace of the Risen Christ will reign throughout the world!