Faith

Maureen Crowley
Heil

These last few weeks have felt like "All Fatima! All the time!" for us here in the Mission Office! And what a delightful time it has been as we have drawn ever closer to the Blessed Mother by concentrating on her message of peace and the conversion of the world to her Son.

We have been blessed by a legion of angels in our corner during these very challenging times. As people have tightened their belts during the pandemic, donations have dwindled. We've been concerned as to how we can continue to best serve the least among us -- our brothers and sisters in the missions.

Our Lady, Queen of the Missions, was surely smiling down on us to help calm our fears, as not one but two great opportunities came to us through people who are always working to draw people closer to Jesus. These included our friends Alexis Walkenstein of AWE, Inc. and Mattie and Mary Henry of Marian Pilgrimages.

Thanks to the public relations gifts of Alexis, we were linked with PictureHouse, who are about to release the feature film "Fatima", the Movie. Inviting us to link the message of Our Lady to the work of the mission Church -- bringing more people to know and love the Gospel -- was a gift from heaven. And to do so at a drive-in movie that would benefit the missions? What's better than sharing the Good News and having fun while doing it!

Enter Mary and Mattie Henry of Marian Pilgrimages who graciously agreed to help us reach for the stars with this fun fundraiser. They donated a pilgrimage for two to Fatima and Lourdes, scheduled for 2021. (If you are reading this before noon on Sunday August 9th, we still have a few tickets available for $100 each. Only 250 tickets will be sold! Go to www.propfaithbston.org for yours!)

As we get closer to our big day, we are grateful to all the people who have made this wonderful event possible, including Bishop Robert Reed of CatholicTV, who will be our Master of Ceremonies at the screening of "Fatima", the Movie.

We are thankful to all the parishes who published our bulletin announcements and helped us get the word out, even as many struggle financially themselves. This is truly a show of solidarity for the missions.

Finally, we must thank Father Jim DiPerri and his right-hand person, Sharon Micco, at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Waltham for hosting this wonderful night in their parking lot! Is it a coincidence that their parish is dedicated to the Blessed Mother?

We think Mary is smiling.

- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.

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