Fatima Family Apostolate
Encyclopedia
The Fatima Family Apostolate is a U.S. based Roman Catholic Apostolate that is headquartered in Hanceville, Alabama
. Founded in 1986 by Fr. Robert J. Fox and named after Our Lady of Fátima
. The apostolate has received the endorsement and blessings of the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Lopez Trujillo who is based in Rome.
There are FFA groups in Australia and it is finding its way into the Philippines where its magazine, the Immaculate Heart Messenger
is printed for places in Asia. Australia members made a summary of the FFA Charter. The Charter is approved by the Vatican
.
The Apostolate is a call to holiness for baptized members of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church and thus has as its main goal the sanctification of family life. The connection with Fatima is explained by the following: The final appearance of Our Lady to the three shepherd children took place on October 13, 1917 and on this occasion the promised miracle occurred. It took the form of the Miracle of the Sun with more than 70,000 people as witnesses, many of them non-believers. While this was happening Our Lady disappeared and in her place the children received a vision of the Holy Family. “The appearance of the Holy Family at Fatima has been interpreted, by the past and present bishops of Fatima, as a call for the sanctification of family life at a time when the world was facing an even greater break-down in the unity and holiness of the family.
The FFA is a movement which does not have any network of national officers and it operates as inexpensively as possible. It has no source of income and no dues are required of members. There is no major staff. The Immaculate Heart Messenger Magazine, to which all members or families of the Apostolate should subscribe, therefore serves as a source of unity and communication among the various groups. The Director of the FFA serves as the editor of the Immaculate Heart Messenger-
The FFA seeks to avoid complex structures of organisation. It is a movement to assist individuals, especially families, in living authentic Catholic life in the call to holiness. The structure consists in following the format for meetings as designated in the Marian Manual. Its success is not in any highly organised structure but in a spirit which follows the authentic teachings of faith and morals of the universal Church, using Fatima merely as one vehicle to communicate these truths and implement them into our lives. The Apostolate exists then not simply in some central office, but in the hearts and homes across a nation. (
The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity of the Second Vatican Council
clarified that all baptized members of the Church am called to holiness. The Holy Spirit works in all, according to their state in life, There is no need for the presence of a priest to guide and direct each prayer meeting. The concept that the laity can meet together in prayer and study only in the presence of a priest is not the teaching of the Church. The obligation of the laity is to introduce Christ to the world. The Church trusts the faithful, in fact encourages the faithful to meet together to discuss and read Sacred Scripture and the approved teachings of the Church and to take Christ to the world.
The Fatima message is not the source of our faith. Fatima merely reaffirms the teachings of the Catholic Church and leads us to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His holy Mother, the Mother of the Church. When we consecrate ourselves to Mary we allow her to bring us to the cross of her Son to receive His mercy. (
In pursuit of living a sanctified married life, members of this Fatima Family Apostolate accept all the official teachings of Holy Mother Church which is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ on earth. Members of this Apostolate do not accept dissent from Church teachings on faith and morals. Members of this Apostolate are to see in the teachings of our Holy Father, and of the bishops who teach in union with him, the teachings Of Jesus Christ Himself (Luke Ch. 10 v. 16). This same Catholic sense of the faith which respects the authority of Jesus Christ vested in the Pope and bishops of the church, the members of this Apostolate will seek to instill into the hearts of their children.
The message of Fatima reaffirms the Gospels, calls for the holiness of family life and exhorts all to adoration of the Real presence of Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament
, Eucharistic Reparation frequent reception of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion and frequent reception Of the Sacrament Of Reconciliation (Confession).
Every authentic Marian Spirituality is Eucharistic because it leads to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. This is true of the spirituality of this Fatima Family Apostolate. This Apostolate follows the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modem World) in treasuring the spiritual connection between Holy Matrimony and the Holy Eucharist
The message of Fatima is also a reaffirmation of the central role of the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation in the sanctification of family life.
A key aspect of the Apostolate is the support provided to each other in the difficult times in which we all live. Members meet at least once per Month to pray and discuss and support one another. They are thus encouraged to study their faith during the month and hold on to true Catholic principles. While the members of an Apostolate group are going about their daily lives during the course of each month they are living in Christ and in spiritual communion with each other due to the spiritual reading they undertake to do in the course of the month -
The concrete example and living witness of parents is fundamental and irreplaceable in educating their children to pray. Only by praying together with their children can a father and mother penetrate the innermost depths of their children’s hearts and leave an impression that the future events in their lives will not be able to remove. The private prayer of the Christian family in the home serves as preparation for the worship celebrated in church and as its prolongation in the home. Private prayer takes a great variety of forms. Apart from morning and evening prayer and prayers before meals, certain forms of prayer are to be expressly encouraged including reading and meditating on the Word of God and other devotions and practices. The Rosary
has been especially recommended by the Church as a form of family prayer. The family evening prayer where all are gathered together is an opportunity for saying all or part of the Rosary-
1. Married Marian Couples - composed of married couples who meet at least once per month for at least one hour of prayer and discussion. One of the formats in the Marian Manual is to be used at meetings. A group may be formed with as few as two couples with the ideal size being five couples. When a group has grown to seven or eight couples and another couple wishes to join, the group should divide so as to form two groups (pp. 41 & 42). see part VII of the charter for details on married Marian home meetings including recommended reading materials for study by the group.
2. Fatima Family Youth Groups - composed of teenagers or young single adults with these two groups meeting separately. Teenage groups should have an adult leader. Once again one of the formats in the Marian Manual is to be used at meetings. (pp 42 & 43). To discover details of the youth apostolate and what tools are available for youth groups see Part VIII of the Charter.
3. Children’s Groups - may vary in age from about four or five to age twelve. A total explanation and the tools are in the Mary’s White League album with talks for small children covering the basics of the faith and illustrated books for meditating the Rosary. Parents or an adult are needed to guide these children and a manual in the Mary’s White League album is offered to assist the adult in implementing the program.
4. General Family Prayer Groups- These are mixed groups composed of adults of all ages, and people in general, whether married or single, widowed etc. These also use one of the Holy Hour formats of the Marian Manual- Part X gives more details on general or mixed groups- These are mixed groups composed of adults of all ages, and people in general, whether married or single, widowed etc. These also use one of the Holy Hour formats of the Marian Manual- Part X gives more details on general or mixed groups5. Confraternity of the Holy Rosary for Families - This involves joining in communion with many other families and individuals in offering the daily rosary for holiness of family life everywhere. It does not require any additional burdens for those who already belong to other specific groups of the Apostolate but encourages a confraternity of Rosary prayers for the sanctification of families beyond one’s autonomous group.
6. Suffering Members for the Conversion of One’s Country - Anyone with a serious bodily affliction that appears to be permanent may join this special Apostolate of the Suffering. They can receive a special certificate of membership and a card with a short prayer to be prayed daily. (p. 44). See Part XI of the Charter for additional information on Suffering Members.This section which gives a general outline on the various groups concludes with a short commentary on Mary as God’s Mother being the inspiration for the groups and finally some guidelines on general instructions for all groups.
On November 26, 2009 at 12:45 P.M. Father Robert J. Fox, Founder of the FFA passed away peacefully at his home in Hanceville, AL. A lay person author and writer and convert to the Catholic Church, John C. Preiss, became President of the Fatima Family Apostolate and Editor of the quarterly magazine the Immaculate Heart Messenger.
Hanceville, Alabama
Hanceville is a city in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2,951.-Geography:Hanceville is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. Founded in 1986 by Fr. Robert J. Fox and named after Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
. The apostolate has received the endorsement and blessings of the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Lopez Trujillo who is based in Rome.
There are FFA groups in Australia and it is finding its way into the Philippines where its magazine, the Immaculate Heart Messenger
Immaculate Heart Messenger
Immaculate Heart Messenger is a Roman Catholic international quarterly magazine which brings its readers teachings of sound Catholic faith and morals in harmony with the teachings of the Universal Church. It has been endorsed by the last two presidents of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the...
is printed for places in Asia. Australia members made a summary of the FFA Charter. The Charter is approved by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
The Apostolate is a call to holiness for baptized members of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church and thus has as its main goal the sanctification of family life. The connection with Fatima is explained by the following: The final appearance of Our Lady to the three shepherd children took place on October 13, 1917 and on this occasion the promised miracle occurred. It took the form of the Miracle of the Sun with more than 70,000 people as witnesses, many of them non-believers. While this was happening Our Lady disappeared and in her place the children received a vision of the Holy Family. “The appearance of the Holy Family at Fatima has been interpreted, by the past and present bishops of Fatima, as a call for the sanctification of family life at a time when the world was facing an even greater break-down in the unity and holiness of the family.
Summary or Principles
Important principles for the proper functioning and living: The Charter of the Fatima Family Apostolate is a working document to guide the various segments of the Apostolate as outlined in the Charter and the Marian Manual. For adult groups, the first literature to be studied by a newly forming group is the Charter itself. This can be done during the first couple of meetings so that it can be reasonably completed before starting to use the Marian Manual. It is the Marian Manual which provides the key formats for the meetings once the group is established and is to be used by all groups as outlined in the Charter-The FFA is a movement which does not have any network of national officers and it operates as inexpensively as possible. It has no source of income and no dues are required of members. There is no major staff. The Immaculate Heart Messenger Magazine, to which all members or families of the Apostolate should subscribe, therefore serves as a source of unity and communication among the various groups. The Director of the FFA serves as the editor of the Immaculate Heart Messenger-
The FFA seeks to avoid complex structures of organisation. It is a movement to assist individuals, especially families, in living authentic Catholic life in the call to holiness. The structure consists in following the format for meetings as designated in the Marian Manual. Its success is not in any highly organised structure but in a spirit which follows the authentic teachings of faith and morals of the universal Church, using Fatima merely as one vehicle to communicate these truths and implement them into our lives. The Apostolate exists then not simply in some central office, but in the hearts and homes across a nation. (
The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
clarified that all baptized members of the Church am called to holiness. The Holy Spirit works in all, according to their state in life, There is no need for the presence of a priest to guide and direct each prayer meeting. The concept that the laity can meet together in prayer and study only in the presence of a priest is not the teaching of the Church. The obligation of the laity is to introduce Christ to the world. The Church trusts the faithful, in fact encourages the faithful to meet together to discuss and read Sacred Scripture and the approved teachings of the Church and to take Christ to the world.
The Fatima message is not the source of our faith. Fatima merely reaffirms the teachings of the Catholic Church and leads us to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and His holy Mother, the Mother of the Church. When we consecrate ourselves to Mary we allow her to bring us to the cross of her Son to receive His mercy. (
The Spirituality of this Apostolate
The main goal is the sanctification of family life, This Apostolate is thus a help to families and individuals in a personal way to meet the Church’s call to holiness. This includes the sanctification of husband and wife and all children of the family. It looks to the education and formation of children from their earliest years through adolescence into young adulthood. This growth in sanctification never ends. On the principle that “one cannot give what one does not have,” couples in the FFA realize that they must sanctify their lives as husband and wife, father and mother, before they can, as instruments of Jesus Christ in the Spirit, lead their children to holiness. For the education and formation of children it, the Christ-life couples in the FFA do not look to others as the primary educators and formers in the faith of their children, but look to themselves as primary according to the words of the Second Vatican Council as given in the Declaration on Christian Education article 3 and in the Decree on the Apostolate Of the Laity article 11. Prayer which is to be said aloud by the group at some time when studying the Charter. It commits each family to work for the sanctification of families beginning with their own family.In pursuit of living a sanctified married life, members of this Fatima Family Apostolate accept all the official teachings of Holy Mother Church which is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ on earth. Members of this Apostolate do not accept dissent from Church teachings on faith and morals. Members of this Apostolate are to see in the teachings of our Holy Father, and of the bishops who teach in union with him, the teachings Of Jesus Christ Himself (Luke Ch. 10 v. 16). This same Catholic sense of the faith which respects the authority of Jesus Christ vested in the Pope and bishops of the church, the members of this Apostolate will seek to instill into the hearts of their children.
The message of Fatima reaffirms the Gospels, calls for the holiness of family life and exhorts all to adoration of the Real presence of Jesus Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, Eucharistic Reparation frequent reception of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion and frequent reception Of the Sacrament Of Reconciliation (Confession).
Every authentic Marian Spirituality is Eucharistic because it leads to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. This is true of the spirituality of this Fatima Family Apostolate. This Apostolate follows the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II Familiaris Consortio (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modem World) in treasuring the spiritual connection between Holy Matrimony and the Holy Eucharist
The message of Fatima is also a reaffirmation of the central role of the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation in the sanctification of family life.
A key aspect of the Apostolate is the support provided to each other in the difficult times in which we all live. Members meet at least once per Month to pray and discuss and support one another. They are thus encouraged to study their faith during the month and hold on to true Catholic principles. While the members of an Apostolate group are going about their daily lives during the course of each month they are living in Christ and in spiritual communion with each other due to the spiritual reading they undertake to do in the course of the month -
The concrete example and living witness of parents is fundamental and irreplaceable in educating their children to pray. Only by praying together with their children can a father and mother penetrate the innermost depths of their children’s hearts and leave an impression that the future events in their lives will not be able to remove. The private prayer of the Christian family in the home serves as preparation for the worship celebrated in church and as its prolongation in the home. Private prayer takes a great variety of forms. Apart from morning and evening prayer and prayers before meals, certain forms of prayer are to be expressly encouraged including reading and meditating on the Word of God and other devotions and practices. The Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
has been especially recommended by the Church as a form of family prayer. The family evening prayer where all are gathered together is an opportunity for saying all or part of the Rosary-
Various Groups
The FFA has six major segments in which members may participate according to their needs and circumstances in life This part of the Charter gives a general Overview of all the segments of the Apostolate The Marian Manual the handbook of this Apostolate is required for earl member of a group The Marian Manual clarify in a simple manner the procedures followed at meetings with Is various prayer study discussion formats far the different groups . The various segments am as follows:1. Married Marian Couples - composed of married couples who meet at least once per month for at least one hour of prayer and discussion. One of the formats in the Marian Manual is to be used at meetings. A group may be formed with as few as two couples with the ideal size being five couples. When a group has grown to seven or eight couples and another couple wishes to join, the group should divide so as to form two groups (pp. 41 & 42). see part VII of the charter for details on married Marian home meetings including recommended reading materials for study by the group.
2. Fatima Family Youth Groups - composed of teenagers or young single adults with these two groups meeting separately. Teenage groups should have an adult leader. Once again one of the formats in the Marian Manual is to be used at meetings. (pp 42 & 43). To discover details of the youth apostolate and what tools are available for youth groups see Part VIII of the Charter.
3. Children’s Groups - may vary in age from about four or five to age twelve. A total explanation and the tools are in the Mary’s White League album with talks for small children covering the basics of the faith and illustrated books for meditating the Rosary. Parents or an adult are needed to guide these children and a manual in the Mary’s White League album is offered to assist the adult in implementing the program.
4. General Family Prayer Groups- These are mixed groups composed of adults of all ages, and people in general, whether married or single, widowed etc. These also use one of the Holy Hour formats of the Marian Manual- Part X gives more details on general or mixed groups- These are mixed groups composed of adults of all ages, and people in general, whether married or single, widowed etc. These also use one of the Holy Hour formats of the Marian Manual- Part X gives more details on general or mixed groups5. Confraternity of the Holy Rosary for Families - This involves joining in communion with many other families and individuals in offering the daily rosary for holiness of family life everywhere. It does not require any additional burdens for those who already belong to other specific groups of the Apostolate but encourages a confraternity of Rosary prayers for the sanctification of families beyond one’s autonomous group.
6. Suffering Members for the Conversion of One’s Country - Anyone with a serious bodily affliction that appears to be permanent may join this special Apostolate of the Suffering. They can receive a special certificate of membership and a card with a short prayer to be prayed daily. (p. 44). See Part XI of the Charter for additional information on Suffering Members.This section which gives a general outline on the various groups concludes with a short commentary on Mary as God’s Mother being the inspiration for the groups and finally some guidelines on general instructions for all groups.
On November 26, 2009 at 12:45 P.M. Father Robert J. Fox, Founder of the FFA passed away peacefully at his home in Hanceville, AL. A lay person author and writer and convert to the Catholic Church, John C. Preiss, became President of the Fatima Family Apostolate and Editor of the quarterly magazine the Immaculate Heart Messenger.