From 4 to 29 May, every Wednesday (after the regular General Audiences of the Holy Father) – and every Saturday, it will be possible to join in this special Marian pilgrimage among the botanical and artistic wonders of the Pope’s’ Gardens, a place once reserved for the Pontiffs’ brief moments of rest, and today also open to visits and appreciation by the general public. A precious opportunity to admire how, over time, the Popes have honoured Mary in this unique garden, designed as a place of prayer and contemplation.

The various nature trails are dotted with effigies of the Virgin Mary from all over the world, starting from the most ancient, Our Lady of Lourdes – a faithful copy of the French original – up to the most recent ones from Latin America, and including Our Lady of Fatima and the monument to Our Lady of Guadalupe, so dear to and venerated by Pope Francis himself.

A visit and experience open to all, including families with children (recommended age 6 and over).

The guided tours – conducted in Italian or English – are entirely accessible to those with sensory, motor and learning disabilities (dedicated booking at accessibilita.musei@scv.va).

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This new document, whose publication date has not yet been revealed, will be the first of its kind since 1978, when the then Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the “Norms regarding the manner of proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions of revelations.”

That document described the process followed by the Catholic Church in investigating alleged apparitions or revelations, establishing both positive and negative criteria for judging their authenticity.

Chronologically speaking, the most recent document dealing with the topic of Marian apparitions dates back to 2001: it is the “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines,” issued by the then Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

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The Mass with Monsignor Fisichella and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Monsignor Charles John Brown, took place after three days of prayer and thanksgiving for the historic event, from February 23rd to 25th. Also present at the celebration were the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula, the Bishop of Antipolo, Monsignor Ruperto Santos, and the rector of the Shrine, Father Reynante Tolentino, along with other bishops from Filipino dioceses, priests, deacons, seminarians, consecrated individuals, and thousands of lay faithful.

“The presence of a shrine like this is a sign of grace that calls all of us to a profound witness of faith,” said the Pro-prefect during the homily. He continued: “We are in the shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God who intercedes for us, first and foremost, so that peace can reign throughout the world and in our homes. The pilgrims who come to the shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, know that they cannot leave the Sanctuary without taking home with them the message of peace that the Mother of God gives. The pilgrimage to the International Shrine has the mission of spiritually uniting Christians with all believers throughout the world. Being an International Sanctuary is not just a privilege that is granted, but a mission that must be shared.”

Archbishop Fisichella concluded his homily with a challenge: “May this house of God therefore be a place where faith becomes stronger through the incessant prayer that rises towards the Father through the intercession of the Virgin Mary; a place where hope is strengthened for the journey we must take until we reach our final goal; and a place where charity be lived in abundance recognizing the many forms of mercy that the Lord has left us.”

Next year, on the occasion of the 2025 Jubilee, His Excellency recalled, the pilgrims from Antipolo who arrive in Rome for the Holy Year will also have the responsibility of being “Pilgrims of Hope”.

At the beginning of the Mass, the Pro-Prefect placed the “Golden Rose” in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, which had been offered as a gift to the Sanctuary by Pope Francis. It is the first time that a Marian sanctuary in the Philippines, indeed in the entire Asian continent, has received such recognition from the Holy Father. “On the occasion of this honor granted to our Sanctuary,” they wrote in the final prayer of thanks, “may we truly become bearers of the word of God and the love of God, demonstrating devotion to the Blessed Virgin of Antipolo and engaging in charitable works”.

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The figure reveals an increase of 39% in regard to 2022, and is compared with 2019, year in which the Shrine welcomed 6.3 million, a marked growth of 9%. The data presented at the 45^th Meeting of Hoteliers and Heads of Religious Houses, which host pilgrims in Fatima, is in line with what was recorded before the pandemic. Since 2010, year in which the celebrations began of the Apparitions’ Centenary, the average number of pilgrims was between five and seven million, with the exception of the year 2017 itself – Year of the Centenary, with the presence of Pope Francis and the Canonization of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto –, when affluence to the Fatima Shrine reached over nine million people. The young people that went to Cova da Iria, in the framework of the Lisbon World Youth Day in 2023, contributed to the figure of 6.8 million attending a variety of celebrations, a total of 1,151, 287, which represents 17% of the global number of pilgrims.

The data also reflects that, in 2023, organized groups that visited the Shrine amounted to 4,779, of which 3,618 were foreigners and 1,161 were Portuguese. In this case also, the increase was 58% in respect of 2022, year in which the Shrine welcomed 3,028  groups.

The number of countries from which the pilgrims hailed was the largest since 2017. The Shrine receive people from 94 countries, a figure that was only larger in the Year of the Centenary of the Apparitions, with 109 different nationalities present in Cova da Iria.

In 2023, groups from Europe were larger, with pilgrims from Spain, Italy and Poland prevailing. America was the second Continent from which more pilgrims came, the largest numbers coming from the United States, Brazil and Mexico. Asia was the third Continent represented. In 2023, the pilgrims came primarily from the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam. To be recalled is that in 2019, Koreans held the first place, by origin in the Asian Continent. Filipinos and Indians took second and third place, respectively.

Foreign groups preferred the months of August and October to visit Fatima. Organized Portuguese pilgrimages reached their zenith, in terms of numbers, in May and September.

The total number of recorded celebrations in 2023, both official and private, was 9,557, — an indicator that rose again in respect of 2022, year in which 8,271 celebrations were held, but without reaching the value of 2019: 10,136. The increase from 2022 to 2023 was 16%.

The Shrine’s Chapel continues being the place where most pilgrims gather: 3million 112 thousand participants in 3,6562 celebrations.

However, the Prayer Room and the Basilicas of the Most Holy Trinity and Our Lady of the Rosary also gathered over 3 million participants in the approximately one thousand celebrations, which they housed.

The Shrine is a place of agglomerations, but it’s also one of family and intimate celebrations. Celebrated there, in 2023, were 27 weddings, 130 Baptisms and 288 silver, 305 gold and 33 diamond Wedding Anniversaries, a total of 626 anniversaries.

The numbers of the Sacrament of Confession also reflect that, converging in the Fatima Shrine, are trajectories of conversion and reencounter with God: 113,500 Confessions were heard.

822,009 visitors went to the permanent exhibition in the Rectory building; to the temporal exhibition in the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity; to the House of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Mato, and the House of Lucia of Jesus.

The year 2023 was also marked by the opening of the Lucia of Jesus Listening Center on June 17. The Center received 734 visitors in the first months after its opening.

The Shrine’s presence in the digital realm is also significant. 23,896,172 people visited its official Facebook page.

Despite the increase in donations, the year also witnessed an increase of expenses, given the increase of pilgrims in this especially singular year. Income reached 21.73 million euros and expenses 21.62 million euros. Personnel expenses amounted to 6.74 million euros, 4.24 million euros allocated to amortizations, and 4.35 million euros to services and goods. The expenses incurred in the 2023 Lisbon World Youth Day amounted to 1.42 million euros.

What the numbers presented in this meeting reveal is that Fatima is a place of many transits, where there is always space for all.

With information of the Fatima Shrine.

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Analogous to the Spanish “Camino de Santiago,” it’s an itinerary that makes possible a pilgrimage through beautiful landscapes to promote the New Evangelization around the Guadalupe theme, having the Eucharist and works of mercy at the center.

With the recent blessing of the three new images of the Virgin on the slopes of the volcano, the “Camino de Guadalupe”already has, in short time, twelve “Guadalupe Squares” and reaches half of its route: 50 kilometers. Each one of the Squares has a monumental image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, made by very talented Mexican artists, as can be appreciated in this video:

“In the Camino de Guadalupe, prayer and action go hand in hand,” said to ZENIT Father Evaristo Sada, LC, promoter of the project. Therefore, among the works of corporal mercy — for the benefit of the volcano’s peasants –, which the Legionaries of Christ have carried out, while doing the Camino with the parish priests and local communities, highlighted is the construction of 25 housing units (with 40 others about to be built), 57 kilometers of piping for potable water conduction and the corresponding collection centers for nine communities and various productive projects (200 foliage orchards, 25,000 fruit trees, 80 greenhouses for the cultivation of flowers, 85 chicken coops, etc.).

And why this volcano? Father Sada reminds us that, being the highest peak in Mexico, it symbolizes the highest destiny to which we can aspire — Heaven. Hence, to “pilgrimage on the “Camino de Guadalupe” is to walk with determination to the arms of the Father by the hand of the Virgin Mary and inspired by the volcano’s peasants, genuine Juan Diegos of our times. Mexicans are convinced that the Virgin of Guadalupe is the surest manifestation of God’s loving presence in Mexico.”

Given the great beauty of the landscapes, the sculptures and the Squares, some call it the “Camino of Beauty.” Lovers of nature, hikers, adventurers of mountain cycling and aficionados of photography and painting, meet here in the surroundings. While pilgrimaging, one contemplates the beauty of the nature of the Vera Crus highlands: forests of fog, rivers, cascades, fields overflowing with flowers, flocks of sheep and goats and, especially, hospitable towns.

Father Evaristo Sada, LC, promoter of the “Camino de Guadalupe,” explained that it is “a path of prayer, inspired by beauty; of service, challenged by the poverty; of conversion, attracted by the heavens; and of development, urged by Mexico.

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With the recognition granted by the Vatican, accepting a request from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in 2021, the Cathedral of Antipolo has become the first international sanctuary in the Philippines and the entire Southeast Asia. Currently, there are only three international sanctuaries in Asia, and the Filipino one is the only one linked to Marian devotion; the other two are the Church of St. Thomas in Kerala and the Martyrs’ Church in Haemi, South Korea.

The proclamation of the title of an international sanctuary took place on January 26 during a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles John Brown, along with the Bishop of Antipolo, Bishop Ruperto Santos, and 80 other bishops from across the country. Among the numerous faithful present was also the First Lady of the Philippines, Louise Araneta-Marcos.

In his homily, the Nuncio highlighted the importance of this event as a testimony to the “international character of the Filipino Catholic Church,” emphasizing the immigrants’ devotion to the Virgin of Antipolo, whom they pray to for safety in their travels. He said, “You are bearers of a gift to the world, and Our Lady here in Antipolo is truly the mother of that gift because that gift is Jesus,” linking the Filipino diaspora with evangelization.

“We ask the Lord and hope to be a blessing to all, to be his channels of grace and instruments of God’s goodness to others,” said Bishop Santos. “This will be our mandate and mission from now on, so that this may be a sanctuary of conversion, compassion, and charity,” he added, urging the sanctuary to be especially alongside “the most vulnerable and those without a voice.”

The temple was built in 1632 as a sanctuary for the Virgin of Antipolo, an image brought by Governor General Juan Niño de Tabora from Acapulco, Mexico. Despite damage caused by repeated earthquakes, the sanctuary became a place of pilgrimage during the Spanish colonial period. Even the young José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, recalled in his diaries that he had gone there as a pilgrim with his father in 1868.

The title of Our Lady of Peace attributed to the sanctuary is related to the painful events during World War II when Japanese occupation forces transformed it into an arsenal in 1944. Sacristan Procopio Ángeles saved the image of the Virgin by hiding it in an empty gasoline drum buried underground. From there, it was taken to the Quiapo Church in Manila, thus escaping US bombings. Rebuilt after the war, the church was proclaimed a national sanctuary in 1954 and later became a cathedral when the Antipolo diocese was created in 1983.

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The devotion to the Divine Shepherdess originated from a dream of Friar Isidoro in Seville, Spain, in 1703. The dream depicted a virgin dressed in white and blue surrounded by sheep. By 1736, the parish priest of the Basilica of Santa Rosa commissioned a statue of the Immaculate Conception, but by mistake, the sent statue was that of the Divine Shepherdess. Despite attempts to return it, the incident was interpreted by the people as a sign that the Divine Shepherdess should stay and become the patroness.

Every January 14th, a procession of the image of the Divine Shepherdess takes place, where the faithful carry the statue from its church in the town of Santa Rosa to the metropolitan cathedral of Barquisimeto. During the return journey, they visit 44 churches in various parishes of the state. The sanctuary of the Divine Shepherdess is the second most important pilgrimage site in the Americas, after the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

This year, upon reaching the cathedral, the Archbishop Emeritus of Coro, Mariano Parra, celebrated Mass and noted in his homily: “It is not a coincidence that this procession has been celebrated 166 times, and each time the number of people accompanying the Divine Shepherdess increases, making it one of the largest manifestations [of Marian devotion] in the world.”

The procession coincided with the conclusion of the 121st Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the Venezuelan bishops, where they addressed the country’s major problems. In a pastoral statement, the bishops called for working towards peace, justice, and solidarity, urging the opening of doors and the construction of bridges for understanding and coexistence. They also highlighted urgent issues in areas such as the economy, humanitarian crisis, immigration, education, and corruption.

In a notable development, political leader María Corina Machado, winner of the opposition primaries in October 2023, participated in this year’s procession, emphasizing the importance of unity and hope in challenging times.

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The first experiment was applauded by Barrie M. Schwortz, a renowned sindonologist, who actually helped promote it. Currently, this initial work is housed in the Department of Studies at the Sanctuary of Fátima in Portugal.

This new result, revealed in early 2024, is the result of Átila Soares da Costa Filho’s meticulous research work. Soares, a Brazilian industrial design graduate, is also credited with reconstructions of the faces of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.

The new images show what we already knew but now allow us to visualize better: Mary was a beautiful woman.

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Researchers of the University of Pavia in Italy, came to this conclusion in a 2001 study published by the British Medical Journal in which they carried out the test with 23 healthy participants, placing sensors to measure the cardiac frequency, blood flow and feedback of the nervous system while they recited the Rosary in Latin, the official language of the Church, some reciting the first part and others the response.

The sensors registered a slowdown in the participants’ breathing, which caused the flow of blood to the brain and the variability  of the cardiac frequency to begin to increase. This helped the heart and the nervous system to function with their greatest efficiency. In addition to being surprising, the results were very evident, as when the participants began to speak again and breathe normally, this tendency began to be reverted.

A decade later, in 2013,, two New York doctors, Patricia Gerbarg and Richard Brown, carried out two studies gathered in a New York Times bestseller, written by Journalist James Nestor entitled “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.” They concluded that the most efficient breathing was when patients inhaled for 5.5 seconds and exhaled for 5.5 seconds, breathing between 5 and 6 times per minute.

These studies helped patients survivors of September 11, who suffered a chronic cough from staying in the rubble. They improved significantly with this method. They discovered that practicing this breathing for ten minutes a  day, had surprising effects.

Stemming from the different analyses of pulmonary researches, Nestor concluded that this “perfect breath” turned out to be the root of health, happiness and longevity. He also found that this technique was found in spiritual practices worldwide, especially in the Rosary.

Although at present this breathing pattern is taught in different ways, through applications or postures, the Rosary, in addition to being an excellent spiritual practice, has benefits for our health without realizing it, or having to think about it.

An excellent resolution for this new year would be to pray the Rosary, including daily if possible, given that, although we limit ourselves to describing the physical benefit of this practice, above all it nourishes the soul and science now also corroborates that it gives physical health, enabling us to attain peace and mental balance in the midst of a fast-moving world.

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