Over 100 years after Our Lady first appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, her call to prayer, penance and conversion to her Immaculate Heart remains as urgent today as it was in 1917.
From the quiet hills of Portugal to the rolling countryside of Warren County, New Jersey, the message of Fatima continues to echo — guarded and proclaimed by the World Apostolate of Fatima, also known as the Blue Army Shrine.
On May 13, 1917, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto were playing in a field when they saw a flash of light and a lady dressed in white. She told them not to be afraid and revealed that she was from heaven, asking if they would offer themselves to God in reparation for sinners and pray for their conversion. Lucia responded affirmatively for all three, and Our Lady assured them that although they would suffer, God’s grace would bring them comfort. She instructed them to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world.
Over the next five months, Our Lady appeared to the children — then aged between 7 and 10 –five times, urging them to continue praying the Rosary. She showed them a vision of hell, called for Russia’s consecration to her Immaculate Heart and requested that a communion of reparation take place on first Saturdays. Despite ridicule and threats, the children remained faithful, and on Oct. 13, Our Lady revealed herself to them as the Lady of the Rosary and performed the Miracle of the Sun for thousands of believers and skeptics alike.
Francisco and Jacinta died soon after, in 1919 and 1920, during the influenza epidemic. Lucia, however, continued to share the message of Fatima. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as a postulant in the convent of Pontevedra in 1925, later making her profession as a Discalced Carmelite in 1949 and dedicating her life to prayer and penance.
Building up the World Apostolate of Fatima
In 1947, concerned that the Fatima message was not reaching the world, Catholic author John Haffert traveled to Portugal with permission from the bishop of Fatima to meet Sister Lucia. In their conversation — later recounted in his book “Dear Bishop“ — Lucia explained that while the Rosary is essential, the core of Our Lady’s request was the faithful fulfillment of daily duties, offered in reparation for sin and for the conversion of sinners. This daily offering, she said, was key to overcoming evil and obtaining peace.
Together, Haffert and Sister Lucia drafted the Blue Army Pledge: a commitment to pray the Rosary daily, wear the brown scapular as a sign of consecration to Mary, offer up daily sacrifices, and practice the Five First Saturdays devotion, which Our Lady outlined in an apparition to Sister Lucia in 1925. The pledge quickly spread, and within a few years, tens of millions around the world had joined the spiritual movement.
During the early Cold War, Haffert partnered with Msgr. Harold V. Colgan to formally establish the Blue Army as a spiritual response to communism. They founded the Ave Maria Institute on Haffert’s farm in Washington, New Jersey, which became the movement’s hub for publishing, pledge coordination and pilgrim outreach. Around the same time, they built Domus Pacis (House of Peace) in Fatima, which continues to host pilgrims and serve as the headquarters of the international apostolate.
In 1978, the U.S. branch of the apostolate established its national center with the founding of the Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, New Jersey.
Barb Ernster, who serves as the national coordinator and communications director of the World Apostolate of Fatima (also known as the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima), told Our Sunday Visitor that “the core of the Fatima message remains important today.”
“Our Lord said that he wanted the devotion to the Immaculate Heart to be established throughout the world,” she continued. “That mission was given to Sister Lucia when she was 10 years old, and she carried it out through her long life, spreading the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary worldwide. Our apostolate continues that mission for her.”
A peaceful place for prayer
Nestled on 150 acres of rolling hills, the Blue Army Shrine offers a serene setting for prayer and meditation, featuring a Rosary garden, retreat houses and devotional sites, including the Holy House Chapel — a replica of the Holy Family’s home in Loreto — and the Capelinha, an exact replica of the original chapel built at the site of the apparitions in Fatima.
On Oct. 7, 2010, the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima was officially recognized by the Vatican as the World Apostolate of Fatima and designated a public International Association of the faithful, affirming its role as the Church’s voice for the Fatima message.
Additionally, the shrine was declared a pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year of Hope in December 2024, allowing visitors who fulfill the necessary conditions to receive the Jubilee indulgence for themselves or the holy souls in purgatory.
To honor the Fatima apparitions, the Blue Army Shrine hosts special events on the 13th of each month from May to October, featuring confession, a Rosary procession around the grounds, a guest speaker, Mass, a Eucharistic procession and the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
“When you see 2,000 to 3,000 people, or even 5,000 to 6,000 on some days, coming forward for Communion, it’s a powerful and moving way to honor both Our Lady and Our Lord,” Ernster shared.
The powerful witness of so many coming together for Communion reflects the deep resonance of Fatima’s message. As Ernster explains, that message offers a remedy to the troubles of today’s society: “Everyone is looking for peace — peace within themselves, peace in their families. And now, with all the talk of a possible third world war breaking out, people are more anxious than ever. But this was Mary’s plan — for peace in the world — and she’s calling us to trust in God. When we begin to do that, our fears start to melt away.”
“The more we turn to the Lord and trust in him, which is exactly what Mary’s message calls us to do, the more peace we find,” she continued. “She said to Lucia, ‘My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.’ She is a mother to all of us and she will never forsake us.”
To Ernster, that is the true message of Fatima: “Yes, there are prophecies and controversies — secrets and speculation — that come with Marian apparitions. You can go down that rabbit hole if you want, but you’ll miss the real point.”
Living a life of authentic love
While various conspiracies and speculation have followed the Fatima apparitions for decades, Ernster advised against becoming caught up in these theories, saying that “when we try to make sense of every mystery and know everything, we miss the beauty and simplicity of the message.”
“It doesn’t have to be complicated — Mary’s approach is simple and accessible,” Ernster continued. “After all, she brought this devotion to three young children who were just 7, 9 and 10 years old, and they were able to understand what she asked of them.”
John Paul Gutschke, who serves as the project manager at the Blue Army, shared a similar sentiment: “It’s just a distraction and ultimately weakens faith when you start getting into all these theories and debates about potential interpretations.”
“What’s really important about the Fatima message is looking into our own hearts, trying to love authentically and trying to give of ourselves. Ultimately, the greatest purpose is living a life of authentic love, and the Fatima message reminds us of that,” Gutschke told Our Sunday Visitor. “It really ties in well with John Paul II and his whole message of total self-gift, totus tuus, or ‘totally yours,’ this idea of making your life a gift to God.”
Reflecting on the witnesses of Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, Gutschke emphasized that “even in our smallest actions, we can have great significance” when we live with authentic love and entrust ourselves to Our Lady, just as the children did.
‘When Our Lady speaks, we should listen’
Describing Mary as “the most perfect human, save Our Lord, to ever live,” Gutschke highlighted her unique role as an intercessor.
“When we ask God for anything — when we’re petitioning him, pleading to him or simply speaking to him — we can, of course, always go directly,” he explained. “But there’s also something very beautiful, meaningful and powerful about asking Our Lady to intercede for us.”
“She has that loving, motherly, nurturing quality that we see reflected in humanity, in the differences between men and women, fathers and mothers. When she goes to her son on our behalf, there’s nothing more compelling to his Sacred Heart than his mother. From Fatima, we learn that when Our Lady speaks, we should listen.”
Because Christ himself asked that devotion to his mother’s Immaculate Heart be established, the Blue Army has embraced this mission with dedication, working to spread the message of Fatima to millions — particularly reaching out to the families and young people of today’s modern world.
Sharing the Fatima message with younger generations
As a young adult with a background in media, Gutschke has helped lead that outreach by creating faith-centered content for the apostolate’s YouTube page. The videos explore often-overlooked aspects of Catholic life through honest conversations about what it means to live the faith today.
Through initiatives like the newly launched “Franciscan Fridays at the Shrine” — a series featuring Father Luke Mary Fletcher and Brother Pius Marie Gagne — as well as the “Fatima Today” podcast and a growing library of digital resources, the apostolate continues the mission entrusted to the Fatima seers and carried forward by its co-founders. With these efforts, it brings Our Lady’s message to new generations and extends its reach in the digital age.
“We’re trying to bring in younger people and show how Fatima is still relevant. The discussions we’re having are very real and relatable regarding the faith,” Gutschke shared. “We want to also promote the beauty of the faith itself. The devotion to Our Lady of Fatima is a wonderful way to grow in your faith and to give directionality — because you can live your faith in many different ways. There are so many different charisms and different devotions.”
“Our Lady of Fatima is a very handy devotion,” he added, “one that gives direction and focus to your life, reminding you to live the Gospel well.”
