|
||||||||||||
A Pilgrim's Handbook to Fatima|
|
|
|
|
A Pilgrim's Handbook to Fatima
Facts, timetables for the ceremonies, a brief history of the Shrine together with biographies of the visionaries, historic milestones in its development, a detailed guide to the buildings and their treasures, explanations of key Portuguese words and phrases, a treasury of hymns and devotions, even the beautiful Mass of Our Lady of Fatima in English - they are all here to help the Pilgrim familiarise him or herself with the rich customs and patrimony of this place of prayer, this suburb of Paradise. © 2001 Leo Madigan - 244 pages - 1 colour Map; 10 B&W photos - 18cm x 12cm The compiler, Leo Madigan, is a New Zealand writer who lives in Fatima. He is also the author of the best selling booklet What Happened at Fatima (Catholic Truth Society). Read some extracts from the Fatima Handbook here. Available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com: Introduction In the eighty plus years since Lucia dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto saw a beautiful lady in the Cova da Iria who told them that She came from heaven, years which have seen the Cova grow from a piece of rocky land with scant pasture to one of the major pilgrimage sites in the world, there hasn't been a comprehensive, factual guidebook to it in the English language - or indeed in any language, it seems, except the Santuario's official Guia do Peregrino de Fatima in Portuguese. So, until the Baedeker of Fatima appears, I hope this offering will serve as a vademecum, not only to the bricks and mortar of the Sanctuary and the town, but to the message of Fatima, and to the spirit of Our Heavenly Mother who came here Herself to deliver it. Compiling a guide to a religious shrine is not quite the same as getting one together for, say, the Palace of Westminster or downtown Manhattan. Curiosity is not a feature here. Fame, or splendour or value against the gold exchange are not criteria. This is not the same as saying that there is nothing curious about Fatima, that fame, or splendour or money have had no part in her development. It means that these material things, when they are met here, are secondary. Fatima is the place that heaven chose to speak to earth. It is the twentieth century's Sinai. It is the message that gives the place significance. For the individual pilgrim the only importance Fatima has is the message - that it is received, that it is understood, that it is taken to heart and acted upon. One essential of the message is prayer. The form of prayer advocated by Our Lady, when She spoke at the Cova da Iria, is the Rosary. The other essential of the message is penance. Penance should never be a negative thing. It isn't just a matter of not eating eclairs, but of willingly eating humiliation too - the lure is in discovering the inexplicable sweetness of aligning one's will with God's. But the guide mustn't aspire to be the preacher. However, he must advise his party that Fatima is neither a museum nor a theatre. If the simple words of the message - prayer and penance - revolt you, or anger you, or are meaningless, it is better to go elsewhere until you feel more amicably disposed. The blind don't visit galleries nor the deaf concerts. It is true that on occasions miracles are worked here, but God won't work a miracle where no miracle is wanted. It is not the nature of Love to impose. A Pilgrim's Handbook to Fatima, (ISBN 0 85244 532 6) is published by Gracewing Publishers, Availabe from U.K. distributors Family Publications - Also available from Amazon.co.uk |
Here, at last, is an inexpensive and indispensable guide to Fatima, which will answer all those questions, essential and incidental, that present themselves to English speakers on pilgrimage to the Cova da Iria, the place where the Queen of Heaven came to speak to contemporary men.