Nearly a thousand parishioners took to the main streets of San Cristóbal de Las Casas to announce the fair for Our Lady of Fatima, which will take place on May 13 in the neighborhood of the same name, in the western part of the city. As is customary, thousands of parishioners will be venerating the image, carrying flowers and candles.
Our Lady of Fatima is known to be a venerated image in Catholicism. According to the faithful, its origin dates back to the testimonies of three shepherd children: Lucía dos Santos, Jacinta, and Francisco Marto, who claimed to have witnessed several Marian apparitions at Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal, between May 13 and October 13, 1917. Since then, this Marian image has spread its fame beyond its local boundaries, reaching the entire world.
The messages of the apparitions were attributed prophetic and eschatological components, especially regarding a possible new world war. Their followers interpreted the start of World War II as a confirmation, as well as the assassination attempt on John Paul II. Their main place of worship is the Church of Fátima, located in the neighborhood of the same name, west of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
The same occurred in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, where nearly a thousand parishioners from the Fátima neighborhood celebrated the neighborhood’s largest celebration. Participants included the so-called “panzudos” (small drummers), the image of the Virgin of Fátima, batucada bands, and other musical groups. The procession started from the church in the Fátima neighborhood and went through the streets of the north, south, east, and west of San Cristóbal, concluding again in the Fátima neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the novenas in honor of the Virgin have already begun in the church of the Fátima neighborhood. May 13th will be the neighborhood’s biggest festival, attended by thousands of parishioners to venerate the image. Security personnel will be on hand to divert traffic on the neighborhood’s main streets.
Source: oem
