For 15 years now 13th of May has been a triple feast day for me. Why a triple feast day? On 13th of May we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima as on the day we recall the first apparition of Our Blessed Mother to the three children in Portugal in 1917. As an Oblate I love any day which is a celebration of our heavenly Mother. On 13th of May we also remember the day when Saint John Paul II was shot at the Vatican Square in 1981. When Pope John Paul II visited Mehmet Ali Agca, his would-be killer in jail, the man asked him: “Why didn’t you die? I know that my aim was true and I know that the bullet was very powerful and mortal.” The Pope responded: “One hand fired the shot. Another (the hand of the Virgin Mary) guided it.” Some years later the Pope reflecting on the event which took place in Saint Peter's Square on May 13, 1981 said: “At that time I experienced mortal danger and suffering, but also the great mercy of God. By the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima my life was given back to me.” Although years pass on but I am always moved by how John Paul II saw the providential hand of God in the events of his life and in the events of the world.
In our Provincial House, here in Melbourne, where I am stationed now, there is a precious relict we treasure; it is a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1950 the statue was sent to the Oblates by Sister Lucia who spoke with Our Lady at Fatima. The statue was carved and painted by Jose Thedim who carved the statue in the Chapel of Apparitions, and also, under the personal direction of Sister Lucia, the statue of the Pilgrim Virgin of which this is a small replica. I have a devotion to Sister Lucia who not simply heard Mary but who listened to what Mary said. Of course the Apparitions in Fatima are classified as private apparitions and one doesn’t need to follow them. However I find it very humbling that Our Blessed Mother came in such humility that she doesn’t force anyone to accept her message. I do accept it out of love for her who loves Jesus so much.
In our Provincial House, here in Melbourne, where I am stationed now, there is a precious relict we treasure; it is a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1950 the statue was sent to the Oblates by Sister Lucia who spoke with Our Lady at Fatima. The statue was carved and painted by Jose Thedim who carved the statue in the Chapel of Apparitions, and also, under the personal direction of Sister Lucia, the statue of the Pilgrim Virgin of which this is a small replica. I have a devotion to Sister Lucia who not simply heard Mary but who listened to what Mary said. Of course the Apparitions in Fatima are classified as private apparitions and one doesn’t need to follow them. However I find it very humbling that Our Blessed Mother came in such humility that she doesn’t force anyone to accept her message. I do accept it out of love for her who loves Jesus so much.
Replica of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima donated to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate by Sister Lucia
Another (third) reason contributing to the triple uniqueness of this day is that on this the anniversary of death of Fr Joseph Kubiaczyk, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate who died in 1998, occurs. The Oblate cross I put on my cassock now, belonged to Fr Joseph. In our Religious Congregation the sign that an Oblate has taken perpetual vows is the Oblate cross he carries. An Oblate who is going to take such vows can request to be given a brand new cross or a cross of an Oblate who has died. When we die the cross isn’t buried with us but it is placed in the archives so that it can be passed onto the next generation as a sign of unity of our life and mission over centuries.
I was doing my second year of studies when Fr Joseph died at the age of 47 and was buried at the Oblate cemetery attached to our Scholasticate. When I was attending his funeral and later when every Sunday our whole community would go to pray for the deceased Oblates at the seminary, I didn’t know yet how closely Fr Joseph's path and mine would cross. Literally speaking our paths have been joined in the Oblate cross he received at his final vows in 1974 and carried it until his death in 1998 and the same cross I was given in 2000. When I put the cross on I think of Fr Joseph and the many graces given to the people through his ministry which the cross was a silent witness and a powerful contributor. For me it is an expression of what they Church teaches on “the communion of Saints”.
I was doing my second year of studies when Fr Joseph died at the age of 47 and was buried at the Oblate cemetery attached to our Scholasticate. When I was attending his funeral and later when every Sunday our whole community would go to pray for the deceased Oblates at the seminary, I didn’t know yet how closely Fr Joseph's path and mine would cross. Literally speaking our paths have been joined in the Oblate cross he received at his final vows in 1974 and carried it until his death in 1998 and the same cross I was given in 2000. When I put the cross on I think of Fr Joseph and the many graces given to the people through his ministry which the cross was a silent witness and a powerful contributor. For me it is an expression of what they Church teaches on “the communion of Saints”.
The Oblate cross which belonged to Fr Joseph Kubiaczyk OMI and now is my faithful companion.
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