One hundred years ago, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese shepherd children–Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta– six times in their little village of Fátima (from May 13th to October 13th). In the midst of World War I and on the precipice of what would become the bloodiest century in the history of the world, Our Lady brought a message and means of obtaining peace. The most important dimension of the Fátima event was not the supernatural phenomena but the message communicated to the children. The two components to Our Lady’s message were devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and effects of that devotion which include conversion, repentance and world peace.
By following her message, the world could enjoy the possibility of conversion from its ruinous course. The children became holy in their own right, not because they saw Our Lady but because they took her messages to heart and followed them in their simple lives. Jacinta and Francisco will be canonized on May 13 during Pope Francis’ historic visit to Fátima. Lucia (who died in 2005) was put on a fast-track in the canonization process by Pope Benedict XVI.
You too can take our Lady’s messages to heart and follow them in your life. Here are some excellent apps to accompany you on your journey of conversion and repentance. If you want to get to know your Heavenly Mother and deepen your devotion to her, these fine, free apps are a great addition to your phone or tablet. Of course, you will also want to check out our comprehensive Rosary App listing as Our Lady of Fatima requested that we pray the Rosary every day.
365 Days With Mary — developed by Our Sunday Visitor as a valuable resource for the 100th anniversary celebration of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. This app contains a variety of Marian resources–text, video and audio. You get a rosary guide (English and Spanish) but no digital rosary itself; daily Marian reflections; Stations of the Cross reflections (audio option); popular Catholic prayers; Works of Mercy listing; easy-to-understand instruction on Marian devotion; the Pope’s prayer intentions (video included); information on Our Lady and more. You may set up reminders (phone/tablet alerts) to help you remember to pray daily. Take a test drive of this app here. The Mary App below offers far more comprehensive resources, but it is only available in iOS (Apple) format. So this app is one of the better ones out there in this category for Android format.
Mary App (Free) iOS The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception who brought you the Divine Mercy app have produced a full-resource Marian app that is one of the best in the marketplace. Our Blessed Mother is a big topic, so developers broke the subject of Our Lady into three categories: Doctrine(Church/Scriptural teachings about her and reasons for our devotion with FAQs); Devotion (including various prayers – audio rosary included- and feast days etc); and Mary Plus (images, pilgrimage sites, apparitions, etc.).
The app covers the Fatima apparitions in some detail in these three areas by explaining the 1917 apparitions and offering:
* 2 prayers taught to the children by the Angel of Portugal
* explanation of the First Saturday Mass requested by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917
* a full-screen image of Our Lady of Fatima
* a link to the official Fatima Shrine web site (in several languages). This is valuable because it offers LIVE STREAMING video 24/7 of the inside of the Shrine of Apparitions. So, you can go to this link to watch Pope Francis when he prays in this space. The web site may also offer other live streaming video of events during the 100th anniversary celebrations between May 12th and October 13.
As one reviewer put it, this app is really three great apps rolled into one. Why are apps like this important to have on your device? As the Fathers state on their web site: Mary’s whole task is to lead us closer to Jesus. The more we get to know her and have a fervent devotion to her, the better she can lead us to her Son. For this reason, the Second Vatican Council states, “Everyone should have a genuine devotion to [Mary] and entrust his life to her motherly care.”
Totally Yours iOS | Android – is designed to walk you through the consecration process in its daily retreat format. This is a serious, classic journey of preparing your heart for Jesus through Mary. Montfort’s famous devotion was particularly meaningful in the life of St. Pope John Paul II. Developers explain that participating in the full retreat helps lead you to know Jesus Christ more fully.
Participants “experience the joy of having a heavenly Mother on their side, who draws each one ever so gently, as only a mother can, to her beloved son, Jesus. This retreat, when taken seriously, draws the believer one step closer to the Mother and thereby one step closer to Jesus.” This is a time-honored retreat that takes a lot of self-discipline and reflection. It is difficult for many people to follow the daily course in their busy lives. This app breaks the process down for you in four parts on a set calendar so you can easily track your progress through the full 33-day journey. You will appreciate the journal tab to jot down your reflections. Even if you don’t want to participate in the full 33-day retreat, you can certainly benefit from the instruction, prayers and reflections offered in this app, a wonderful addition to your mobile device.
“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek — Jesus, her Son.” — St. Louis Marie de Montfort
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