Church celebrates end of Jubilee Year

Lorain’s Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church at 418 W. 15th St. celebrated the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Fatima on Oct. 13.

Parishioners marked the conclusion of the centennial celebrations of the apparitions of Fatima with a rosary procession to the statue of Our Lady of Family representing the final apparition on Oct. 13, 1917.

In May, the church opened the centennial celebrations with a week’s worth of events which included a visit from the Cleveland Diocesan Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The

statue’s visit was the only one to Lorain County.

Philip Bak, who helped lead the ceremony is a member of the church’s parish commission and serves on the education committee.

“This started in May for us because the first apparition appeared in May of 1917 and then the final one was on this day 100 years ago. They occurred on the 13th of every month except for August,” Bak said. “The diocesan statue came here for a week. We had rosary processions and presentations and it was really well received. This parish has always had a strong devotion to Mary, mother of God. And I think it really did help increase the devotion during that time.”

The apparitions of Fatima occurred in Portugal when Mary is believed by adherents to have revealed herself to three young children, giving them specific messages from God.

“The whole point is to grow closer to Jesus, to avoid sin and to bring other people closer to God,” he said.

“Churches are important because they anchor the neighborhood. Even if they might not come here they realize that they might come to this area and they appreciate the work we do with the poor in the neighborhood and they are very grateful.”

In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Fatima, Pope Francis made a pilgrimage to Fatima in May.

There he declared two of the children — Francisco and Jacinta Marto — a brother and sister who witnessed the apparitions along with their cousin Lucia Santos — to be saints in heaven.

Francisco and Jacinta are the youngest nonmartyr saints in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

KEVIN MARTIN — THE MORNING JOURNAL Parishioners participate in a rosary procession at Lorain’s Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church at 418 W. 15th St. on Oct. 13 for a celebration marking the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Fatima where the final apparition of Mary appeared 100...