Guide to watching LIVE events in Fatima this weekend on your mobile device

To watch this week’s big events in Fatima, Portugal, you should take a little time to set up your smart phone or tablet beforehand. Yes, you can watch LIVE this week’s celebrations of the beginning of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions to three shepherd children–two of whom will be canonized by Pope Francis on May 13. (Check out that link if you don’t know what we’re talking about).

To get your devices set for this historic occasion, let’s start with this link to Pope Francis’ schedule during his apostolic visit May 12-13. With that in hand, you can now make sure you have the necessary FREE apps and web site links to view live-streaming programing.

Next, make sure you have the EWTN app.

EWTN Radio or TV Live or Video on Demand (free) iOS | Android | Kindle Fire . Check out EWTN’s Program Schedule of strictly Fatima-related programing you can watch live as well as all the broadcasts from Fatima, Portugal. At this link you will see the time of live and encore presentations (delayed broadcast) of the more significant meetings, devotions and liturgies involving Pope Francis in Fatima this weekend. This includes the canonization Mass of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three Fatima children who saw the apparitions of Our Lady 100 years ago. The third visionary, Lucia, died in 2005 and was placed on a fast-track to canonization by Pope Benedict XVI. EWTN is ideal for viewing because the network provides excellent commentary to help you follow what’s going on; translates the messages, homilies and speeches into English; and offers useful insight and background information.

 

Pope App (Free) iOS | Android
This is the official app covering all things related to the Pope. You can set up alarms on your device through this app to notify you when programing will begin LIVE. That way, you don’t have to watch the clock. You’ll get your reminder in the form of an on-screen alert, and within two or three clicks, the video will be live streaming onto your device. Anything in which the Pope is not involved will NOT be broadcast. This is strictly a papal channel of news (text and video); images; live video of the Pope. Pope Francis’ particular connection to Our Lady of Fatima was sealed on May 13, 2013, two months after his election to the papacy, when the Portuguese bishops, by his request, dedicated his pontificate to Our Lady, during the celebrations of the 13th of May in Fatima.

 

Official web site of the Sanctuary of Fatima will offer live streaming video at this link. Exactly what they will live stream is not clear from their web site other than the fact that they always have a live web cam pointed to the altar in the Chapel of the Apparitions which is on 24/7 as part of their regular offerings throughout the year. You will need to change the language to English in the upper right-hand side of the web page.

It’s a serendipitous time in the history of the Church–the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s visit, the poignancy of her messages for us to heed that would ensure world peace (relevant today!), AND the canonization of two of the three shepherd children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. All of this is available for you to watch and hear about in the palm of your hand. And the best part is you can pray right along with Pope Francis and the pilgrims in Fatima in real time. Who would have guessed 100 years ago that we would have such technology today?! As marvelous as that is, it still doesn’t compare to Our Lady’s direct communication from Heaven to those little children.

Once again, if you don’t have a clue as to what this post is about, PLEASE check out EWTN’s comprehensive web site devoted to this subject.