Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. In 1991 I was present for the final Mass of the Pilgrimage season on October 13th. For me it was one of the most moving of faith experiences. All week the ordinary Portuguese had been coming to the shrine. Many of them had walked and when they entered the shrine they got down on their knees and made the final trip to the apparition site on their knees. On Sunday the vast area in front of the basilica was filled with thousands and thousands of mainly Portuguese pilgrims. At the end of Mass as the statue of Our Lady was carried through the crowd, the white handkerchiefs were waved in farewell. It was a beautiful celebration of faith. Fatima challenges us to pray for our world and above all to pray the Rosary to intercede for our world. This year as we celebrate the 100th anniversary our prayers are still needed for peace in our world and for men and women dedicated to the cause of peace. As Jesus reminds us “Blessed are the peace makers”. Peace makers are not cowards or wimps, but people of strong convictions and faith. Pray the Rosary this October for all who build peace in our world. Next year we celebrate the 160 anniversary of the Shrine of Lourdes, the shrine of healing. I have thought that it would be a great thing if we were able to organize a visit to both shrines to pray for our parish and our world. Who knows? What if? Pray the Rosary. Let the Journey continue, Fr Karl