Fatima Centennial Tour for Peace: Oahu (Hawaii) Visit

"I come from Heaven..."

The miraculous International Pilgrim Statue of Fatima is back!  The hallowed image was here in Hawaii in November 2014 - just a little over two years ago - and it's returned, as part of the Fatima Centennial Tour for Peace that's currently making its way through all the 50 United States of America. The tour is part of special celebrations being observed by Marian devotees in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Fatima apparitions... and I again had the joy of twice seeing and venerating this special ambassador of Our Lady's message of Prayer, Conversion, and Peace; receiving a signal grace each time, through the generosity of Jesus and Mary...

+ Thursday, 2/2/2017: St. George Church, Waimanalo 

The Pilgrim Virgin Statue at
St. George Church, Waimanalo.

On its very first stop on the island of Oahu, the statue was venerated in my hometown of Waimanalo. I hadn't planned on attending this particular event but a friend of mine who was suffering from a painful ulcer in his eye asked me to accompany him so he could pray for healing. There was no way I could say "no" to a sick friend... plus I knew he wouldn't go alone... so off I drove from Honolulu to Waimanalo to pay my respect to our Blessed Mother of Fatima.

The moment we walked into the church, Mary's spiritual presence was tangible... and during the brief talk conducted by Patrick Sabat, the statue's current custodian, I sat glued to my seat; moved to tears by the "power" I felt emanating from the Pilgrim Virgin Statue. My friend also sensed Mary's presence and later used the same word to express the experience he had during our time in the church.

Before leaving St. George Church, we were both able to venerate the statue up close and snapped several photos near it and from afar. One particular photo I captured left me amazed and puzzled - I took it from about 30 feet away and, instead of showing the statue, a glowing silhouette of the Holy Virgin appears in place of it (see below)... but then again, I'm not that surprised. After all, due to its solid history of effecting signs, many devotees (including myself) have come to believe that the statue is truly a special instrument often used by Our Lady to make her presence known to the world. Now when I look at the photo, I can't help but recall to mind the description of the Virgin of Fatima provided by the visionary, Sr. Lucia: “A lady, clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light more clear and intense than a crystal cup filled with sparkling water lit by burning sunlight.”  It's exactly what I see in the picture.

Left:  An unusual photo showing the

Fatima statue (circled) replaced by a

brilliant silhouette (the face of the lady

in the front was purposely blurred).

Right:  A side-by-side comparison of

the pilgrim statue as it normally looks,

versus a close-up of the figure of light.

+ Friday, 2/3/2017: Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu

On the morning following its Waimanalo evening visit, the Fatima pilgrim statue was transported to the Honolulu Cathedral Basilica for a 24-hour extended visit, beginning at 7:00AM.  It was also the First Friday of the month so, in addition to the statue being displayed for veneration, our Eucharistic Lord was also exposed on the main altar for public adoration.  Awesome!  

In the Honolulu Cathedral, where Our

Lady's statue was displayed behind the

main altar on which her Divine Son was

central during Eucharistic Adoration.

Later in the evening, Bishop Larry Silva celebrated Mass in the presence of the many pilgrims who came to pay their respect to the statue... and since it was the Feast Day of St. Blaise, Patron Saint of Throat Ailments, the traditional blessing of the throat was conducted during the Mass.  

Again, I felt the Blessed Mother present in the church and I'm sure others must have sensed it, too. It was that tangible. At times I felt almost completely overwhelmed by Mary's tremendous "aura" and had to grab hold of my coworkers to avoid being slain in the Holy Spirit. And if that wasn't grace enough, during Bishop Larry's homily I was surprised to discover escarchas appearing on my right hand - bright gold ones!  A sure indication for me that Heaven's gate had opened above us... and gold was fitting, I thought to myself, since we - the entire congregation - were in the presence of the majestic Queen of Heaven.  I speculate that gold abundantly adorns the regal garments worn by Our Lady in Heaven (in Fatima her mantle was trimmed with it).  Perhaps, just perhaps... speckles of it had fallen in the church and on us pilgrims to affirm our devotion to her and the importance of the Fatima Message.

 

The International Pilgrim Virgin of

Fatima displayed in the Cathedral Basilica

of Our Lady of Peace... and one of the gold

escarchas that appeared on my hand

during the Mass. 

All in all, everything about the celebration at the Cathedral - the Eucharistic Adoration, the pilgrim statue, the Rosary, the statue coronation ceremony, the Mass, the Bishop's homily, the throat blessing, and the manifestation of escarchas - made for a highly memorable evening!  Thank you, Blessed Mother.

Video: Our Lady's statue is crowned

in the Honolulu Cathedral.

The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima will be in Hawaii for a few more days; until Monday, 2/6, in case any locals reading this are interested.  For details about the pilgrim statue's overall USA tour schedule, visit the Fatima Centennial Tour website by clicking here.