Cenacles of Life

One of the most important messages affecting the world over the last 90 years has been the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady came to bring a heavenly plan for peace to a war-torn world. In 1917 World War I was raging.

With nearly 20 million dead, there seemed to be no human hope that the war would end before the human race might actually destroy itself. It was with good reason that they called World War I the "war to end all wars." Our Lady foretold the end of World War I, but she also foretold "another and greater war" that would occur if we did not heed her message of prayer and penance to atone for the sins of the world. Unfortunately, World War II was an even greater tragedy with 50 million dead.

Our Lady also foretold the rise of atheistic Communism in Russia and how its propaganda and distortions of the truth would immerse the world into many smaller wars, famine, annihilation of nations, and great persecutions of the Church. All of this occurred just as Our Lady said it would. But she said that she would come back to ask for two things that would lead to the conversion of Russia, peace in the world and "the triumph of her Immaculate Heart."

Our Lady asked first for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.

This was accomplished by Pope John Paul II on March 25, 1984 when he consecrated the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Sister Lucia, the only living visionary from Fatima, confirmed the fact that "Heaven accepted the consecration." The fruit of this consecration lead to the taking down of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by those who had put it up. They had experienced a change of heart. This was followed by the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1992-93 when several countries received their freedom and autonomy once again. Even more recently in 2005 Pope John Paul II sent back to Russia the only known icon to be declared miraculous by the Russian Orthodox Church, namely, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. This icon had been secretly smuggled out of Russia when the Communists took over in 1917 because they surely would have destroyed it. One Russian Orthodox priest, when he was asked what the significance of the return of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan meant for Russia, responded "It means that the faith can once again flourish in Russia."

The second thing Our Lady requested for the conversion of Russia was for us to carry out what is now called the Five First Saturdays Devotion. Our Lady requested that we go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray one rosary, and then spend 15 minutes in conversational prayer with her, meditating on the remaining mysteries of the rosary, offering reparation to er for all the offenses against her Immaculate Heart. This we must continue to do since the full conversion of Russia has still to be accomplished. Basic to Our Lady of Fatima's message is the need to offer prayer and penance in reparation for the sins of the world and to implore God for the conversion of sinners. The prayer Our Lady singled out was the rosary. She said it can stop wars, bring world peace, and bring about the conversion of sinners. The movement of the Cenacles of Life is a way of fulfilling Our Lady's request for prayer and penance. Through many rosary groups praying two rosaries one day a week and fasting one day a week for the express intention of defeating the Culture of Death in its most horrendous aspects, namely, abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, and assisted suicide, God will be moved to bring about the triumph of the Culture of Life.

Won't you join us by either asking your rosary group to become a Cenacle of Life if you are already part of such a group or won't you consider starting a Cenacle of Life so that a greater power of prayer might be ascending to Heaven from throughout the world. The peace of the world is still in the balance.

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Fr. Apostoli, a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, has been teaching and preaching retreats and parish missions for several decades. He is the author of numerous books, and is the vice-postulator for the cause for the canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He also is an EWTN Global Catholic Network host.

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