PVS GUIDELINES FOR PARISH
PURPOSE OF THE PILGRIM VIRGIN PROGRAM
In the United States today, the Pilgrim Virgin Program of the World Apostolate of Fatima (Our
Lady’s Blue Army) focuses on the need for prayer and penance, as requested by the American
Bishops and by Our Lady of Fatima, to bring down God’s grace on our nation to end abortion and
the moral corruption of our culture and to protect the religious freedom of the Church now under
attack by our own government. The Program offers a simple way for all Catholics to pray and make
sacrifices of reparation for the sins of our country. At Fatima, Our Lady promised peace for any
nation that will do what she asked.
PREPARATION FOR PILGRIM VIRGIN TOUR
Hosting the National Pilgrim Virgin is an exciting event for your parish. It is a great opportunity for
fellow parishioners to work together to help your community learn, live and spread the hopeful
Message of Fatima, to make new friends, and to cooperate with Our Lady’s requests to bring peace
to our families, our country and the world.
Hosting a Pilgrim Virgin Statue brings many blessings to all who come to honor Our Lady. Many
signal gifts continue to be received by those who approach Our Lady with faith and offer Her their
petitions while venerating Her special image.
The following guidelines are offered in order to help your parish enjoy a very successful
Pilgrim Virgin visit:
1. Publicity is important; no one will come if no one knows! Send parish bulletin notices and
bulletin board announcements to area parishes, with permission from the pastors. Personal
calls are much more successful than mail.
2. Invite all parish groups to participate: The Knights of Columbus, Rosary Alter Society,
Legion of Mary, etc. The Knights should be invited to provide security and appropriate
ceremony to welcome and honor their Queen, and to provide Knights to attend on the Image
of the Queen when she is being presented to her people. Different parish organizations may
wish to lead the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet or other devotions throughout the day.
3. Organize volunteers to help plan and conduct the program, man the literature tables, relieve
the Custodian for breaks, etc. Be prepared for volunteers who sign up but don't show up at
their appointed times. The WAF Division will help provide for this if they are sponsoring
the tour.
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PVS GUIDELINES FOR PARISH
PREPARATION OF THE CHURCH
The Statue needs to arrive one hour before the program begins (including Mass or Rosary). The
following preparations need to be in place:
1. One or two suitable tables at major entrances for Fatima materials.
2. Slips of paper for filling out petitions to be placed in the petition box.
3. A sturdy table, appropriately located for receiving the Statue. The table should be at least 2
feet wide and 4 feet long.
4. The table for the Statue should be close to where people will stand and kneel for veneration,
not far back. Kneelers to accommodate two to six people should be placed in front of the
Statue table, near enough to admire and venerate this beautiful work of Catholic art but far
enough back to prevent touching the Statue.
5. There needs to be a petition box and a donation basket, provided by the hosting WAF
Division, near the Statue, raised off the floor (on small tables or other small supports). The
donation basket needs to be visible and easily reached. Near the Statue there should be a
small table for prayer cards and membership forms.
6. If the church is appropriately equipped, it would be good to have CDs of good hymns,
especially Marian hymns, as background music especially during the times for venerating
the Image. Live music is appropriate if the parish wishes.
THE PARISH PROGRAM
The responsibility of the National Pilgrim Virgin Custodian is to bring the Pilgrim Virgin to the
parish and speak on the critical Message of Fatima at the appropriate time. The Custodian also
advises the parish on how to make the visit most successful.
All costs related to the visit are covered by free-will donations. To keep costs down, the parish
should do what it can to provide simple meals for the Custodian. If the visit requires the Custodian
to stay overnight, the parish should provide inexpensive lodging, e.g., at the rectory or with a local
members or friends of the parish.
It is the responsibility of the parish community to provide the specific program for the Pilgrim
Virgin visit, assuring that there is an appropriate and advantageous time allotted for the Custodian
to give a talk of 30-40 minutes on the Message of Fatima. The visit can include times for recitation
of the Rosary by various parish associations, a holy hour, Mass or other devotions. The Custodian
can give more than one talk. He has special talks he can give to children and young people. When
there is a Mass it is good for the Custodian to speak for 4 minutes before the last blessing to let
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PVS GUIDELINES FOR PARISH
people know what the Statue is and why our country needs their prayers and sacrifices of reparation
as requested by Our Lady of Fatima.
Many parishes use the Pilgrim Virgin Statue visit as an opportunity to consecrate the parish to the
Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of Fatima (WAF USA can provide a commonly used consecration
prayer).
The visit can be as short as two hours: arrival, talk, Rosary and veneration (e.g., at a nursing home
or school) or as long as two or even three days if the time can be put to good use. The all day visit
has been the most successful; this begins with morning Mass and a short talk before the final
blessing. The Image is then available for veneration all day, with parish groups leading the Rosary
or the Divine Mercy Chaplet at different hours if they wish. Around seven in the evening the
Custodian gives a talk on the Message of Fatima and invites those present to join the World
Apostolate of Fatima and help spread this important message. This is usually followed by the
Rosary and then veneration. On weekends the main talk can be given earlier in the day.
PARISH BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT SAMPLE
On October 13, 1917 God worked a spectacular miracle in Fatima, Portugal to prove that Our
Blessed Lady was appearing to three little shepherd children with an important message for our
time. This miracle took place in front of 70,000 people including government officials and
newspaper reporters, all of whom testified that it actually happened. Two leading secular
newspapers of Portugal gave complete accounts of the miracle as witnessed by their reporters.
On [date, time] the World Apostolate of Fatima is bringing to our parish the National Pilgrim Virgin
Statue of the USA. This beautiful Image of Our Lady of Fatima was blessed by Pope Paul VI and
given to our country by the Bishop of Fatima to carry the important message of Fatima to the
United States. It is a message Pope John Paul II said is more important today than ever.
All are invited and encouraged to come see this beautiful Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and learn
Our Lady's message for obtaining peace and putting an end to abortion and the moral corruption
that is afflicting our country today.
The Statue Custodian will explain how the message of Fatima applies to our country today and
discuss what we can do to earn the blessings on our country that Our Lady promised if her requests
are fulfilled.
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