The Fatima devotion of reparation

Five Saturdays, four conditions, one intention.

At Fatima, Our Lady asked for a specific devotion of reparation to her Immaculate Heart: five consecutive first Saturdays, each with four conditions. It is precise, achievable, and among the most widely practised of the Fatima requests.

The Four Conditions

1. Confession — within eight days before or after the first Saturday, with the intention of reparation.
2. Holy Communion — received on the first Saturday itself.
3. Five decades of the Rosary — prayed that day.
4. Fifteen minutes’ meditation — keeping Our Lady company, reflecting on one or more mysteries of the Rosary.

The Intention

All four are offered in reparation for the offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The intention matters as much as the acts; forming it explicitly is what distinguishes this devotion from an ordinary Saturday.

A Prayer of Reparation

Most Holy Virgin, and our Mother,
we listen to the sighs of your afflicted Heart
and we make reparation for the offences with which men repay you.

We wish to make amends for the ingratitude of those
who turn from you, for the coldness of those who forget you,
and for our own past neglect.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.

About This Devotion

Our Lady made the request to Lucia dos Santos in 1925, at Pontevedra, after the Fatima apparitions had ended. Five consecutive months is the length asked for; if one is missed, the count begins again. The devotion pairs naturally with the Nine First Fridays to the Sacred Heart.