First Saturday Devotions
Offered in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, First Saturday Devotion will be offered May–October 2020.
During her apparition at Fatima, Our Lady said to Lucia, “I shall come to ask...that on the first Saturday of every month, communions of reparation be made at one moment for the sins of the world. Tell them that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, in order to make reparation to me, on the first Saturday for five successive months - go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on the twenty mysteries of the Rosary.”
The Intention: To console the Immaculate Heart of Mary, offer reparation for the blasphemies and ingratitude of unrepentant sinners, and for peace in the world.
The Reason for this Devotion: On May 29,1930, Our Lord explained to Sister Lucia why five first Saturdays.
“My daughter, the reason is simple. Against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, five kinds of offenses and blasphemies are committed.
· Those committed against the Immaculate Conception;
· Those committed against the virginity of Our Lady;
· Those committed against the Divine maternity,
refusing the same time, to accept Her as the Mother
of men;
· Those committed by men who publicly attempt to instill indifference, scorn and even hatred for this
Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children;
· Those committed by men who insult Her directly in Her statues.”
Offered in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, First Saturday Devotion will be offered May–October 2020.
During her apparition at Fatima, Our Lady said to Lucia, “I shall come to ask...that on the first Saturday of every month, communions of reparation be made at one moment for the sins of the world. Tell them that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, in order to make reparation to me, on the first Saturday for five successive months - go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on the twenty mysteries of the Rosary.”
The Intention: To console the Immaculate Heart of Mary, offer reparation for the blasphemies and ingratitude of unrepentant sinners, and for peace in the world.
The Reason for this Devotion: On May 29,1930, Our Lord explained to Sister Lucia why five first Saturdays.
“My daughter, the reason is simple. Against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, five kinds of offenses and blasphemies are committed.
· Those committed against the Immaculate Conception;
· Those committed against the virginity of Our Lady;
· Those committed against the Divine maternity,
refusing the same time, to accept Her as the Mother
of men;
· Those committed by men who publicly attempt to instill indifference, scorn and even hatred for this
Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children;
· Those committed by men who insult Her directly in Her statues.”
Advent Candles and their Meaning
Traditionally, Advent wreaths are constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent. Ideally, three candles are purple and one is rose, but white candles can also be used.
The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas.
The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead.
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent. When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate that it be blessed by the head of the household.
All make the sign of the cross as the leader says:
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Response (R/.) Who made heaven and earth.
Then the Scripture, Isaiah 9: (lines 1-2 and 5-6) or Isaiah 63 (lines 16-17 & 19) or Isaiah 64 (lines 2-7) is read:
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
With hands joined, the leader says:
Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
The blessing may conclude with a verse from
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:
O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
--From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers
Traditionally, Advent wreaths are constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent. Ideally, three candles are purple and one is rose, but white candles can also be used.
The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas.
The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead.
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent. When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate that it be blessed by the head of the household.
All make the sign of the cross as the leader says:
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Response (R/.) Who made heaven and earth.
Then the Scripture, Isaiah 9: (lines 1-2 and 5-6) or Isaiah 63 (lines 16-17 & 19) or Isaiah 64 (lines 2-7) is read:
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
With hands joined, the leader says:
Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
The blessing may conclude with a verse from
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:
O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
--From Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers
