Catholic
Character
A spiritual resource for Catholics
Five First Saturdays
How to do the Five First Saturdays
There are four requirements to faithfully fulfill the Five First Saturdays.
-
Go to confession.
-
Receive Holy Communion.
-
Say five decades of the Holy Rosary.
-
Meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. (Separate from saying the Rosary.)
During the apparition of February 15, 1926, Sister Lucia presented Our Lord the problem some people had if confessing on Saturdays. She asked Our Lord if the confession would be valid if done within a period of eight days before or eight days after the first Saturday. Our Lord answered: “Yes, it can even be within many more days, provided they are in the state of grace when they receive Me, and have the intention of offering reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
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 Reasons 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 Devine maternity, refusing at the same time, to accept her as 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 to her statues.”
The Origin of the Five First Saturdays Devotion
On July 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared at Fatima to the three seers Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, and revealed a three-part secret to them. The first part was a vision of Hell, which was so terrible that Lucy later declared that if it were not for Our Lady’s presence, they would have died of fright.
After the vision was over, Our Lady spoke thus: “You saw Hell, where souls of poor sinners go. To save them God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. If they do what I shall tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace.
“The war [World War I] is going to end, but if they do not stop offending God, another even worse war will begin in the reign of Pius XI [World War II]. Behold, a night illuminated by an unknown light will be the sign that God shall give you that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father.
“To prevent it (the war) I will come to ask the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays. If they listen to my requests, Russia will convert and there will be peace; if not, it will spread its errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; and several nations will be annihilated. Finally, my Immaculate Heart will Triumph”
The Promise
On December 10, 1925, Our Lady promised Sister Lucia she would “. . . assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months confess, receive Holy Communion, pray a Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour meditating on the fifteen mysteries with the intention of offering me reparation.”