(LifeSiteNews) — The Fatima Center has launched a First Saturday Challenge with the goal of presenting to the Blessed Mother a bouquet of 100,000 completed First Saturdays by the 100th anniversary of her request for this devotion, December 10, 2025.
Nothing less than the salvation of souls and peace in the world are at stake as well as reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the insults directed against her. These include unspeakable and blasphemous references to her in pop culture by music artists like Madonna and Ghost as well as falsehoods about the Blessed Mother levied by non-Catholics.
“We cannot begin to imagine the power of the First Saturday Devotion to console Our Lady for the terrible blasphemies, offenses, and ingratitude which She endures at every moment, piercing Her Immaculate Heart like cruel thorns,” the Fatima Center wrote.
Sign up here to complete the First Saturday challenge.
In 1925, the Blessed Mother appeared to the Fatima visionary Lucia, then an 18-year old postulant nun, imploring her to tell the world about the First Saturday devotion:
“Look, My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me.”
Besides the Blessed Mother’s promise of the graces necessary for salvation, Christ Jesus told Lucia in 1930 that the devotion would also move His mercy “to forgive souls who have had the misfortune to offend” His Mother.
David Rodriguez, content director of the Fatima Center, explained to LifeSiteNews that the First Saturday devotion is one of two key parts to the solution given by Our Lady to the crises facing the Catholic Church and the world. While the other part, the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart, is much discussed, the First Saturday devotion seems to have been largely forgotten, said Rodriguez. Both are important to obtaining world peace.
Rodriguez stressed the importance of carrying out Our Lady’s request for the First Saturday devotion as its 100th anniversary in 2025 approaches. He pointed out that France suffered much bloodshed during the French Revolution 100 years after Our Lord asked the French King, through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart in 1689.
“The king(s) delayed. 100 years later, to the day, the French Revolutionaries stripped the king of his power. He was later imprisoned and then guillotined and his family lineage ended. So 100 years might be significant as a period of time God grants before a terrible chastisement,” said Rodriguez.
“Might we be facing a similar time limit of 100 years? In an effort to mitigate a chastisement, we want to demonstrate to Our Lady that we are striving to obey. Hence the motivation for this spiritual bouquet of 100,000 (First Saturdays) by the 100th Anniversary.”
Rodriguez pointed out that Pope John Paul II said a chastisement can no longer be avoided by the world, but that it can be mitigated through prayer, penance, and the rosary.
He explained to LifeSiteNews that “the chastisement had already begun. It is not primarily a physical one, nor the annihilation of nations; it is primarily a spiritual one. Sadly, we don’t have eyes to see with Faith and many STILL do not see the spiritual chastisement: so many souls falling into hell and the channels of grace being closed off to us even by Church authorities! Perhaps the only thing that will awaken our hard hearts and prideful minds will be terrible physical calamities that none can deny.”
How to complete the First Saturday devotion
Every first Saturday of the month, for five consecutive months, we should:
— Make a good Confession (within eight or so days before or after the First Saturday);
— Receive Holy Communion;
— Pray five decades of the Holy Rosary;
— Keep Our Lady company for 15 additional minutes while meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary;
— And importantly, we should offer each of the above acts in reparation for the blasphemies and offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Fatima Center has pointed out that “the most important part of the First Saturday Devotion is the fervor with which we perform its acts, specifically in reparation for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
It should be noted that each completed First Saturday, and not only each series of five First Saturdays, counts toward the goal of 100,000 First Saturdays offered.
The center’s FAQ page about the devotion notes that those who forget to form the intention of reparation while carrying out the acts of the devotion can form the intention at their next confession, as Our Lord revealed to Lucia.
The Fatima Center has provided resources to help Catholics carry out the First Saturday devotion, including a printable checklist with a consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and an alternative grid checklist.
Sign up here to complete the First Saturday challenge.
Rodriguez emphasized that God wishes to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart alongside the Sacred Heart, and that “a primary way by which we can be devoted to the Immaculate Heart — and fulfill God’s will — is by the First Saturday devotion.”
“Individuals can do it, families as well, parishes too led by their priests, and even dioceses led by their bishops. We need as many people as we can reach committed to the First Saturday devotion to gain many graces and offer necessary reparation. That is the goal of this spiritual bouquet.”