By Karina Lai
When I visited Fatima, Portugal, in 2012, I promised Our Lady that I would encourage more people to know her and consecrate themselves to her.
In 2017, the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, she touched many lives.
The International Centennial Pilgrim Image of Our Lady of Fatima visited St. Francis Xavier Parish July 4, and it was my honour to be the coordinator of this event. It was a challenging mission as the bilingual (Chinese and English) evening program included Mass, a Marian procession, and adoration. Whenever I experienced difficulties, I asked Mary to give me strength and inspire me.
Six hundred people attended the event and many received spiritual fruits during the visit of this special image. Sisters from Alliance of the Holy Family International shared with me that it was a special night when Our Lady entered our parish. People were touched by Mary and cried as their lives intersected with her. It was a spiritual fruit that Mary granted to them.
Also at St. Francis Xavier Parish last summer, more than 90 people participated in 33 days of devotion and on Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption, consecrated their lives to Jesus through Mary.
As a coordinator of this 33-day journey, I invited my goddaughter to join. She had been suffering from being unable to conceive a child for many years and had been praying earnestly to God to grant her a baby.
She found peace and joy through the 33 days of devotion, and entrusted herself completely to the hands of our Immaculate Mother. Three months later, she shared with me she is pregnant and believes her child was conceived after the Feast of the Assumption.
It was a truly blessed gift for her family. I asked my goddaughter to meditate on Mary during the Advent season, especially on how Mary conceived Jesus during that time. It is a peaceful and joyful daily prayer for her, and I asked for the Holy Family’s intercession for her during Christmas.
Karina Lai is a member of St. Francis Xavier Parish and the Legion of Mary.
