On the morning of 11 May, Notre Dame Priory was graced with a visit from its mistress and queen, Our Lady herself, under the guise of the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima. She was brought to us by Fr Gerard Ryan in company of Maree Triffett. Fr Gerard of the Confraternity of Christ the Priest is just starting a tour of Australian dioceses, and we were the first stop on the tour. Fr Gerard spoke quite eloquently of the place of devotion to Mary in our faith and of her apparitions in Fatima a century ago. He reminded us that the message of Fatima is an austere one: prayer and penance to save souls from hell, but he was prompt to add that this is the very message of the Gospel as taught by Our Lord Himself. We prayed together the Rosary and other devotions, had some silent prayer, then concluded with the Litany of Our Lady. This providential visit is part of our preparation for Saturday’s centenary celebration of the first apparition of Fatima on which we will take part in the consecration of Tasmania to the Immaculate Heart by Archbishop Porteous in the cathedral of Hobart and the consecration of Notre Dame Priory which will take place the same evening here.
