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In preparation for the celebration of the Centennial of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima next year, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Valenzuela City organized the nine-month Centennial Visit of the National Pilgrim Image (NPI) of Our Lady of Fatima to nine different National and Marian Shrines in Luzon from August 2016 to April 2017.
A novena of nine months, the visit of the miraculous image will prepare Marian devotees from different localities for the celebration next year to give them a chance to be spiritually united with the National Shrine of Fatima. It will also be an opportunity to promote the message of Our Lady of Fatima.
The first church in the Centennial Visit is the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City from August 21 to 23, 2016. The second church is the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque City from September 18 to 20 while the third church is the Cathedral and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) from October 7 to 9. Schedules of visits from November 2016 to April 2017 are yet to be finalized.
During the visit, the devotees will be given a chance to venerate the NPI, to listen to some talks about Fatima, and to pray the Rosary and the novena to Our Lady of Fatima. Prayer cards will also be given away.
The NPI is one of the original statues blessed by Pope Paul VI and was later brought to the Philippines by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin and was crowned as the National Pilgrim Image during the launching of the National Marian Year on December 8, 1984. It was permanently handed to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in 1999 and was the main Fatima image that became the forefront of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 where Our Lady, through the statue, showed her maternal protection to our people. The image of Our Lady of Fatima is considered as the Queen of Peace.
Our Lady of Fatima was also declared as the Patroness of Valenzuela City in celebration of the Golden Anniversary of our Parish in 2011.
