Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Gain indulgence during Fatima centennial
Published: April 24, 2017
Message of Our Lady of Fatima
"The message of Fatima highlights many central truths and devotions of the Catholic faith: the Trinity, the Eucharist, penance, the rosary and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. There is special emphasis on the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is a refuge of maternal love for us all and a sure path that leads us to God. In the end, Mary’s Immaculate Heart will triumph because Mary is full of God’s grace and is all pure. She has the heart of a mother who cares for her children and wishes them to be saved by her divine Son, Jesus." Learn more about the apparitions at Fatima by visiting Our Sunday Visitor.
May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. Pope Francis will make a two-day pilgrimage to the site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children, Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Lucia dos Santos, in 1917.
In a letter to the people of the Diocese of Little Rock, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor invited Arkansas Catholics to join Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton in celebrating this centennial. "Pope Francis has acknowledged the centennial year and decreed that those who observe the centennial year by praying before an image of Our Lady of Fatima and fulfilling the other, ordinary requirements may receive a plenary indulgence," he wrote.
Mary appeared to the children six times from May 13 to Oct. 13, 1917, on the 13th day of each month. Therefore, the Benton parish will offer the sacrament of reconciliation and celebrate Mass on these dates to help parishioners gain a plenary indulgence. All are invited to the following:
Saturday, May 13 — Confessions, 4 p.m., Mass, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13 — Confessions, 6 p.m., bilingual Mass, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 13 — Confessions, 6 p.m., bilingual Mass, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 13 — Confessions 30 minutes before Mass, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Wednesday, Sept. 13 — Confessions, 5 p.m., bilingual Mass, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 13 — Confessions, 6 p.m., bilingual Mass, 7 p.m.
To learn more, visit Arkansas Catholic. Our Lady of Fatima Church will also be open during daylight hours to welcome visitors daily for the rest of the year. For more information, contact the parish directly at olfchurchsec@gmail.com or (501) 315-5186.
