First Saturday Devotion

First Saturday Devotion 

The First Saturdays Devotion (also called the Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Catholic devotion which, according to Lúcia of Fátima, was requested by the Virgin Mary in an apparition at Pontevedra, Spain in December 1925. This devotion has been approved by the Roman Catholic Church.

History

The pious practice of honoring the Blessed Mother on Saturday is an ancient custom, derived from the tradition that Jesus appeared to her on Holy Saturday. The liturgical observation of venerating Mary on Saturday is attributed to Mary was largely the Benedictine Alcuin (735-804), "Minister of Education" at the court of Charlemagne, composed a Votive mass formulary for each day of the week. Alcuin assigned two formularies to Saturday in honor of Our Lady. The practice was quickly embraced by both clergy and laity.

The First Saturdays devotion had already been an established custom in the Catholic Church. On July 1, 1905, Pope Pius X approved and granted indulgences for the practice of the First Saturdays of twelve consecutive months in honor of the Immaculate Conception. This practice greatly resembled the reported request of Mary at the Pontevedra apparitions.

Pontevedra apparitions

At the age of 14, Lúcia Santos, one of the purported visionaries of Our Lady of Fátima was admitted as a boarder to the school of the Sisters of St. Dorothy in Vilar, near the city of Porto. On October 24, 1925, she entered the Institute of the Sisters of St. Dorothy as a postulant in the convent in Tui, Spain, just across the northern Portuguese border.

Sister Lucia later reported that on December 10,1925, the Virgin Mary appeared to her at the convent in Pontevedra, Spain, and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. According to Lucia, Mary requested the institution of the Devotion of the Five First Saturdays in reparation to her Immaculate Heart.

Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.

Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.

WHY FIVE SATURDAYS?

It is sometimes asked why Our Lady asked for Communions of reparation on five first Saturdays, instead of some other number. Our Blessed Lord answered that question when He appeared to Sr. Lucia May 29, 1930. He explained that it was because of five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely: blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, against her perpetual virginity, against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary, blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images, and the neglect of implanting in the hearts of children a knowledge and love of this our most holy Immaculate Mother.

The five first Saturdays correspond to the five kinds of offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They are:

  a.    Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception
  b.    Blasphemies against her virginity
  c.    Blasphemies against her divine maternity, at the same time the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all men
  d.    Instilling , indifference, scorn and even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children
  e.    Direct insults against Her sacred images

The Act of Reparation

When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:

Part One of Three:  Confession and Communion

Why Confess and receive Holy Communion?

On February 15, 1926 the Child Jesus alone came to visit Sr. Lucia and asked if the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was being propagated. Sr. Lucia spoke of a difficulty some people have in confessing on the first Saturday, and asked if they might be allowed eight days in order to fulfill Our Lady's requests. Jesus answered: "Yes, even more time still, as long as they receive Me in the state of grace and have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

 

 Sacramental Confession

The confession can take place within eight days before or even after the Holy Communion is received, but the Holy Communion shall be received with dignity, in a state of Grace, keeping in mind that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist (Transubstantiation). The Intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be kept to oneself; it is not necessary to notify the confessor priest.

AND

Receive Holy Communion

The Holy Communion has to be received within the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the Month. Attendance to Holy Mass is optional. Receiving Holy Communion as part of this devotion must be consciously intended as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart. The devotee need not tell anyone else, but keep it in mind. To avoid omitting the Intention every Saturday, the General Intention for the devotion of the Act of Reparation can be mentally or outspokenly stated before starting the First Saturdays (or in between).

If a person has a valid reason not to attend Mass (Masses not available on Saturdays, difficult mobilization, other major event), the devotee may consult a priest about receiving Communion privately or on another day with the intention of making this Communion as part of the devotion.

   

Part Two of Three :  Pray the Rosary

Why Recite the Rosary?

The second requirement in the practice of the Five First Saturdays is the recitation of the holy Rosary, with meditation upon its Mysteries. We should bear in mind that, while the complete Rosary is composed of fifteen decades, five decades are, strictly speaking, sufficient to fulfill the requirement of this devotion. The recitation of the entire Rosary, however, is more in keeping with the spirit of Our Lady's requests at Fatima. We should not forget that little Francisco was admonished by the Queen of Heaven to pray "many Rosaries" if he was to go to Heaven. Certainly, none of us would claim to be more certain of Heaven than Francisco was!

There are two aspects of the devotion of the Rosary: prayer and meditation. The vocal prayer of the Rosary always has as its foundation the interior act of meditation upon the Mysteries of the Life, Suffering, and Glory of Our Divine Lord and of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But the fifteen-minute meditation specified in the practice of the First Saturdays is another thing. During these fifteen minutes our attention should be centered on the mysteries only, without any other vocal prayer. If the time of this meditation be inserted between, or distributed over, the recitation of the decades, it can be directed to the Mystery which is announced at the beginning of each of them. Or we may make the fifteen minutes of meditation all at one time, reflecting on one or more of the Mysteries. Either method, or one similar, is acceptable.

Let us consider this meditation a little more closely. Concerning Our Lady, the Gospel says, "His mother kept all these things in her heart". (Luke 2:51). Our Lady is always the best model for a soul that proposes to know and imitate Jesus Christ. In the hands of a good spiritual director, this practice of meditation will give us a wonderful opportunity for setting forth throughout the whole year the principal passages of the Gospel in their different aspects: historical, doctrinal, and ascetical.

A small detail of interest in the recitation of the Rosary is the aspiration that Our Lady invites us to insert between the decades:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy."

And as slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we add the invocation:

"Most Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Who are those "souls who have most need"? We can understand this to mean the poor, forgotten souls in Purgatory, enduring excruciating torments against the uncertain day of their deliverance. Christian charity demands that, even though their souls have been saved, we are not to neglect our obligation to assist our brethren in the Church Suffering. But we mean above all, poor sinners, those who seem obstinately unrepentant, those who are daily exposed to a sudden and unprovided death, those who live in the state of mortal sin, and finally, those who by circumstances of place, environment, or education, are furthest from any possible priestly influence and from the Sacraments, even in the last moments of life. For all these poor souls, most in need of the mercy of God, should be poured out the efficacious prayers of the Catholic faithful, interceding for them and making reparation for their sins, uniting themselves with the mediation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother and Refuge of sinners.

 

 Pray the  Rosary

The Rosary may be recited at any time or place; yet, since one will be attending Mass in order to receive Holy Communion, a very desirable time and place would be before or after Mass in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the church or the adoration chapel. Meditation on the mysteries the most important part of  praying the Rosary.

 

The Rosary(five decades) is recited as follows:

• The sign of the cross on the Crucifix;
• The Apostles' Creed, still on the Crucifix;
• One, Our Father prayer, on the first large bead in honor of for the intentions of the pope
• Three, Hail Mary prayers, one on each of the next three beads each in honor the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity); and
• One Glory Be prayer on the next large bead.

The five decades of the rosary continues with prayers meditating on the appropriate daily mysteries:

Monday and Saturday - Joyful Mysteries
(Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation, Finding in Temple)

Tuesday and Friday - Sorrowful Mysteries 
 (Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning of the Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, Crucifixion)

Wednesday and Sunday - Glorious Mysteries 
(Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption of Mary, Coronation of Mary)

Thursday - Luminous Mysteries 
( Baptism of Jesus, Wedding of Cana, Sermon on the Mount, Transfiguration, Institute of the Eucharist

• Start each decade by announcing the first mystery of the first decade
• then recite The Our Father Prayer on the large bead;
• then follow with The Hail Mary prayer one on each of the ten small beads;
• On last bead of decade one Glory Be prayer and Fatima prayer: "O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven especially those inmost need of thy mercy. Amen"
• Repeat  and continue with Second Mystery on second decade, then continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth Mysteries on consecutive decades.

Conclude rosary with the following prayers :

• Hail Holy Queen Prayer: "Hail! Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send our signs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
  O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worth of the promises of Christ."
• Then: "May the divine assistance be with us always and may the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen"
• The sign of the cross.

 

Prayers after the rosary

O Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. 


Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary,
pray for us.

Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Saviour,
Mother of mercy,
Pray for us.

Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Pray for us.

Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Pray for us.

Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Pray for us.

Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Pray for us.

Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.
Pray for us.
 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee,
O Lord God,
that we, your servants,
may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
may be delivered from present sorrow,
and obtain eternal joy.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Part Three of Three : 15 Minute Meditation on Mysteries

Why meditate on the mysteries of the rosary?

According to Blessed Lucia: Our Lady of Fatima has asked that in addition to praying the rosary on the first Saturdays, one should also spend fifteen minutes meditating on one or more of the rosary mysteries in order to better exemplify the virtues hidden therein.  

SR. LUCIA’S METHOD FOR FIRST SATURDAY MEDITATION

“Here is my way of making the meditations on the mysteries of the rosary on the first Saturdays:

First mystery, the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Our Lady":

First prelude: to imagine myself seeing and hearing the Angel greet Our Lady with these words: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace.’

Second prelude: I ask Our Lady to infuse into my soul a profound sentiment of humility.

1st point: I will meditate on the manner in which Heaven proclaims that the Most Holy Virgin is full of grace, blessed among all women and destined to become the Mother of God.

2nd point: The humility (humble) of Our Lady, recognizing Herself and declaring Herself to be the handmaid of the Lord.

3rd point: How I must imitate Our Lady, in Her humility, what are the faults of pride and arrogance through which I most often displease the Lord, and the means I must employ to avoid them, etc.

"On the second month, I make the meditation on the second Joyful mystery. The third month, I make it on the third Joyful mystery and so on, following the same method of prelude meditation.

When I have finished the Five First Saturdays, I begin another series five First Saturdays and meditate on the Sorrowful mysteries, then the Glorious ones, then the Luminous ones, and when I have finished them I start over again with the Joyful ones.”

A 15-Minute Meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary

This Meditation should also be done in an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Rosary Meditations can be done on all 15 of the mysteries or fewer but must last for 15 minutes. This meditation is in addition (i.e separated) to the recitation of the Rosary. It can be done alone or in a group and with or without the aid of sacred scriptures:

"Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary." as requested by Jesus and our Most Holy Blessed Mother Mary.

The question is often asked: Does the meditation while reciting the Rosary fulfill this condition, or is there required an additional fifteen minutes of meditation? That an additional 15 minutes of meditation is required was recently confirmed by Sr. Lucia of Fatima. It is clear too from a statement by the first Bishop of Fatima.

The last entry in the chronology of Fatima, published in the official Calendar of the Sanctuary for the year of 1940, and signed by Dom Jose Correia da Silva, the first Bishop of Fatima, gave a summary of Our Lady's requests concerning the Five First Saturdays. From that official statement in the Calendar of the Sanctuary, we read the Bishop's enumeration of the various items that pertain to the devotion of the five Saturdays:

It consists in going to Confession, receiving Communion, reciting five decades of the Rosary and meditating for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary on the first Saturday of five consecutive months. The Confession may be made during the eight days preceding or following the first Saturday of each month, provided that Holy Communion be received in the state of grace. Should one forget to form the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it may be formed at the next Confession, occasion to go to confession being taken at the first opportunity.

The meditation embraces one or more mysteries; it may even include all, taken together or separately, according to individual attraction or devotion; but it is preferable to meditate on one mystery each month.

Speaking of the requirement of "keeping me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary," the Bishop's comment that "it is preferable to meditate on one mystery each month" could apply only to an extra fifteen minutes, for each decade of the Rosary must have its own particular meditation. 

This is clear from the definition of the Rosary given in the official document of the Church on indulgences, the ENCHIRIDION OF INDULGENCES published by Pope Paul VI in 1968. It describes the Rosary as follows:

* * * * * * * * * *

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, and tender Mother of men, in accordance with thy ardent wish made known at Fatima, I consecrate to thy Immaculate Heart myself, my brethren, my country and the whole human race. Reign over us, Most Holy Mother of God, and teach us how to make the Heart of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ reign and triumph in us even as It has reigned and triumphed in thee. Reign over us, dearest Mother, that we may be thine in prosperity and in adversity; in joy and in sorrow; in health and in sickness; in life and in death. O most compassionate Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our minds and our hearts and preserve them from the deluge of impurity which thou didst lament so sorrowfully at Fatima. We want to be pure like thee. We want to atone for the many sins committed against Jesus and thee. We want to call down upon our country and the whole world the peace of God in justice and charity.

Therefore, we now promise to imitate thy virtues by the practice of a Christian life without regard to human respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of every month and to offer thee five decades of the rosary each day together with our sacrifices in a spirit of reparation and penance. Amen.

Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Most Holy Virgin and our beloved Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of the Immaculate Heart, surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Moved by the ardent desire of loving thee as our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, we prostrate ourselves at thy feet to prove the sorrow we feel for the grief that men cause thee and to atone by means of our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which men return thy tender love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. A word from thee will obtain grace and forgiveness for all. Hasten, O Lady, the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus and cease to offend God, already so much offended, and thus avoid eternal punishment. Turn thine eyes of mercy towards us so that henceforth we may love God with all our heart while on earth and enjoy Him forever in Heaven. Amen.

Fatima Prayers

Pardon Prayer

The seers said this prayer was taught to them in the initial Fátima apparition in the spring of 1916, by an angel who called himself "the Guardian Angel of Portugal":

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I beg pardon for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.

 

Angel's Prayer

In the autumn of that year, according to Lucia, she and her cousins saw the same angel again, and he taught them a second prayer. At the same time they beheld a vision of the Blessed Sacrament suspended in the air before which the Angel prostrated himself and prayed:

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.

The Angel's Prayer is an Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity.

Eucharistic Prayer

On May 13, 1917, the three children saw a woman clad in radiant white, whom they later realized was the Virgin Mary. Her primary message at first was the importance of praying the Rosary. She also asked the children if they would be willing to offer sacrifices in reparation for the sins of the world, and they agreed; she then said:

"You will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort." When she said "the grace of God" she held out her hands and the children experienced a great light surrounding and penetrating them. Without thinking about it, they found themselves saying these words:

"Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament."

Lucia later wrote that they were "moved by an interior impulse",as she was at the October 13, 1917 vision where she was heard calling "Look at the sun!"

Sacrifice Prayer

On the 13th of June of that year, the seers said the "lady from heaven" appeared again and taught them two more prayers, the Decade Prayer and the Sacrifice Prayer. This second prayer was to be said when offering up an action or some suffering in a spirit of Sacrifice.

O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [Some add here "that I pray/do this"].

William Thomas Walsh said Lucia told him the words as follows: "O Jesus, it is for thy love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

This prayer, spoken sincerely, effectively allows any hardship, illness or pain in one's life to be offered as Acts of Reparation.
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