Heaven's Promises ~ First Five Saturday Devotion

Church Approved Apparition of Our Lady

The Blessed Virgin Mary gave this message to Lucia at Fatima in 1917: "Jesus wants to use you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish the devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne." Our Lady has requested we make the Five First Saturday devotion in honor of her Immaculate Heart. "I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

There are three principal practices of devotion which Our Lady has requested in honor of her Immaculate Heart: the First Saturday of the month, the Five First Saturdays, and the Consecration of Russia. They bear a marked similarity to the devotions in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The practice of the First Saturdays: This consists of the following exercises, performed with the intention of consoling the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and making reparation to her for all the outrages and blasphemies of which it is the object on the part of ungrateful Christians: 1. the Rosary
2. Communion of Reparation.
The practice of the Five First Saturdays - In addition to the two exercises already mentioned, the following two are added on the first Saturday of five consecutive months:
3. Go to confession.
4. Join with Our Lady in meditation for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary. These two must be offered in reparation to the Immaculate Heart . The meditation may be on one or several mysteries.
5. Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Our Lady asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart and Lucia, one of the seers, has explained that Our Lady wants the Pope and all the bishops of the world to do this on one special day. If this is done She will convert Russia and there will be peace. This was indeed performed by Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II of happy memory.

Again, the Promise of the First Saturday Devotion: "I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." ~The Words of Our Lady of Fatima to seers Lucia, Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francisco.

I strongly encourage the practice of this Devotion with your children or grandchildren. Shortly after my youngest made his First Communion, we as a family completed the First Five Saturdays and all they included. Now we are working on the First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart and this is more challenging, but so worth it! One hint for completing the meditation portion of the devotion with little kids - we played segments of movies made with scenes from the mysteries of the Rosary. A childrens rosary book could be used as well. It is not easy for children to meditate, but this can be easily overcome!

In this age of great temptation, wickedness and apostacy, having your children complete this devotion could be a sure means for conversion and salvation should they fall prey to worldliness. There are so many good Christian parents who lament their "stray" children. I hope to die in peace counting on this promise! Amen!