Pope to welcome original statue of the Virgin of Fatima
09,Oct. 2013: On the occasion of Marian Day convoked in the context of the Year
of Faith, Pope Francis will welcome the original statue of the Virgin of Fatima
with a prayer service in St. Peter’s Square Saturday evening. (12 Oct). The original
statue of the Virgin of Fatima, normally resides in the Portuguese sanctuary of the
same name. The bullet which struck Blessed John Paul II in the assassination attempt
of 13 May 1981 in St. Peter’s Square, is set in the crown of the statue. On Sunday,
13 October, also in St. Peter's Square, the Pope will celebrate morning Mass on Marian
Day. Marian feast days are specific holy days of the liturgical year celebrated
by Christians as significant Marian days for the celebration of events in the life
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her veneration. The number of Marian feasts celebrated,
their names and at times dates can vary among Christian denominations. The Feast
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary that commemorates the death of Mary and
her bodily assumption into Heaven, before her body could begin to decay is the most
important of all Marian feasts. It is celebrated every year on August 15.