As the Catholic Church celebrates this month the 100 year anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, we recall the account of Joseph Cardijn from his visit there in 1953.
Cardijn speaks of how Fatima has a global importance, particularly for lay people in the church. He says: "This solemn consecration of the whole of humanity highlights the importance of the lay apostolate, an organised and adapted apostolate, without which the Church will never succeed in conquering the modern world for Christ, particularly the worker world, which is in the process of being born and developing in every continent and in every race on earth."
The inspiration of the young people at the centre of the Apparition, reinforced Cardijn's view about the need to support the young find their place in the world, saying, "The YCW is not an accidental, accessory, arbitrary and secondary means in the pastoral ministry, in pastoral life. Young workers need and have a primordial right to understand their worker and Christian vocation in the Church, in their life and in their worker milieu of life."
"This apostolic formation and organisation of young workers is not easy. It requires not just perseverance but also support and mutual support among the priests who are responsible for it."
We continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the YCW of Portugal, may Our Lady of Fatima keep their work going strong!
For more information, please find a full account here: http://www.josephcardijn.com/1953---fatima-and-the-ycw
