From Father Nicholas’ Desk (please read)
Since I was ordained on the first Saturday of the month of May, I have the great privilege of referring to myself as a Fatima priest! Mother Mary requested for special devotions to Her Immaculate Heart on the first Saturday of every month. Mother requested we receive communion in reparation to her Immaculate Heart for all the unjust calumny against Her and the blessed prerogatives given to Her by God the Father. She had said clearly in Her magnificat, “The Almighty has done great things to me. Holy is His Name.” She did recognize that everything of Her is GRACE: Freely given not because of any merits on Her part. Hence She gave all the praise and adoration to God for His loving PROVIDENCE!
Not only was I ordained on this beautiful day in the month of Mary, I was actually born on the Feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar. So is Fr. Young, born on September 13, which is one of the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Now this is no coincidence but God-incidences.
It is through Our Lady of the Pillar that
Christopher Columbus founded the great new and vast land named America today in the year 1492
exactly on the 12th day of October. Therein he knelt down and sang the “Salve Regina.” The expedition
was tough to the extent that there was a near revolt not to go on anymore with the quest, but Christopher Columbus said if on the 12 th of October, we do not find this new land, we will retreat and return to Spain. They were intent on bringing the Good news to America.
Of course Mary loves Her many children in this land and would never fail anyone who had recourse to Her.
What better way to bring the WORD of God to America than to utilize the same means through which God the Father sent His Son into the world? Through the “Vessel of Honor”, through the “Theotokos” a term defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Theotokos means God-bearer and indeed it was Christopher: “Christ-bearer” who brought him from far lands in Spain to us here in America with a ship named “Sancta Maria”. This trip had Mary all over it.
Prior to this time, Our Lady had appeared to St. James in Zarragoza when he was discouraged about his mission amongst the Spanish people. It was not going well. Our Lady who at that time was still living in Jerusalem had instructed the 12 Apostles to call on Her whenever they ran into any difficulty in their pastoral mission. Our Lady answered his call and appeared on a pillar of clouds with the baby Jesus in Her arms. She encouraged him to speak of Her always in his sermons. She exhorted him that the Spanish people, though looking suborn have very good heart and through Her, Jesus would be made known. She also assured him that in later years the Spanish people will take the Gospel to distant lands.
Indeed the Spanish have produced lots of saints. We cannot neglect the messages of Our Lady to St. James.
Mary needs to be preached and honored and She will always bring us the fruit of contemplating
Her: Jesus to us. Today we have in our parish something of Our Lady of the Pillar in me and something of Our Lady of Fatima in Fr. Chris, who is also a Christ-bearer. We are going to open the DOOR of GRACE for all of our parishioners to begin a new season of the WORD and GRACE flowing in all our programs and activities. Pray that the reign of the VIRGIN come into our families, especially through the praying of the Rosary: The Mystical Rose brought by Mother from the Heavenly garden.
We are planning a series of processions beginning from May 13, 2024 for Our Lady. Please begin to pray that this will be a reality. I bought a big statue of Our Lady of Fatima during my Marian Pilgrimage waiting for this purpose.
“Fr. Nicholas Akindele, JCL Pastor, Holy Family, Davenport
The Ostende Blog - Fr Christopher Young 