A program for every parish ~ school and family to lead our world's children and youth to the 'source and summit' of the Church the

3. They said, "they will never come."

4. This booklet is to serve as a
Guide and Promotion
of the
Annual Worldwide Eucharistic Holy Hour
for Children and Youth
and the fruit of this movement is:
CHILDREN OF THE EUCHARIST
A program for every parish ~ school and family to lead our world's
children and youth to the 'source and summit' of the Church the
Most Blessed Sacrament!
United let us enroll the Children and Youth of the World into the
“School of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”

5. “In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph”
Our Lady to the Little Shepherds of Fatima ~ July 13th ~ 1917

6. Children of the Eucharist received a perpetual Apostolic Blessing from
His Holiness Benedict XVI in the Year for Priests, for children who pray
for priest before the Most Blessed Sacrament.

7. Children of the Eucharist
movement is:
dedicated to the little Shepherds of Fatima!
Children's Eucharistic Adoration
is dedicated to
Blessed Francisco
1908 – 1919
Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta have been
“set on the lamp stand which God has lit to give
light to humanity in its hours of darkness and
doubt.” May they now shine even more brightly by
their example, by the way in which they responded
to the call for conversion and to make reparation for
the offenses committed against God and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
It has pleased God to grant many graces to those
who have recourse through the intercession of
Blessed Francisco…
– Pope John Paul II ~ Beatification of the
“Shepherds of Fatima”
Fatima, Portugal 2000
Blessed Francisco wanted to be the “Consoler of Jesus" primarily by praying
the Rosary and adoring the “Hidden Jesus” in the Tabernacle of his parish
church.
“He lived motivated by one desire so revealing of the way young
people think, of “consoling and cheering up Jesus"
May the children and youth of the world follow the way of this
Blessed Little Shepherd of Fatima.
Pope John Paul II ~ Beatification Ceremony
May 13, 20

8. TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph
FOREWORD
Professor Americo Pablo Lopez-Ortiz
International President of the World Apostolate of Fatima
APOSTOLIC BLESSINGS OF THE MOVEMENT
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Fifth Annual Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour
Year for Priests - Children praying for priests before the Holy Eucharist
DECREE of the World Apostolate of Fatima
Public International Association of the Faithful
The Pontifical Council for the Laity, Vatican City
LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
TO THE WORLD’S CARDINALS, BISHOPS AND CLERGY
Connie Schneider ~ International Coordinator
LITURGICAL GUIDE OF THE
FIFTH ANNUAL WORLDWIDE CHILDREN’S EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
Approved liturgy: Bishop Robert W. Finn and Liturgist at the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception
ORDER OF SERVICE – SHORT VERSION
ORDER OF SERVICE – COMPLETE VERSION

9. DESIGNATED EUCHARISTIC EPICENTERS
IMPORTANT TO NOTE
THE NEW EVANGELIZATION AND THE LITTLE SHEPHERDS OF FATIMA
José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation of the Saints
CHILDREN OF THE EUCHARIST PROGRAM
“CHILDREN OF THE EUCHARIST – CONSOLERS OF THE HIDDEN JESUS”
DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Mrs. Jean Prather, Coordinator of Elementary Religious Education
Holy Family Catholic Church, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
WORLDWIDE CHILDREN’S EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
BEATIFICATION OF FRANCISCO AND JACINTA MARTO, SHEPHERDS OF
FATIMA – Saturday 13 May, 2000 – Fatima, Portugal
CAN CHILDREN BE SAINTS?
Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Australia –
ZENIT NEWS – HOLY HOUR EMPHASIZES PRAYERS OF CHILDREN
ORGANIZERS URGE PARTICIPATION OF WORLD’S CHILDREN

10. PREFACE
Most Reverend Robert W. Finn
Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri
Fatima’s “Angel of Peace” appeared to the three little shepherds in 1917, and convened
the first “Children’s Holy Hour.” Quickly they would become students in the “School of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” and apostles of prayer and sacrifice. God used these
small children to renew the Gospel message of repentance and call the world back,
through Mary, to His Son.
On the 90th anniversary of the apparitions I had the privilege to preside at the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington D.C., at the 2007 Worldwide
Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour.
Crowning the image of Our Lady of Fatima and entrusting ourselves to her classroom of faith
and love, we readied our hearts in prayer and song and adored our Lord Jesus Christ.
In response to the children’s questions I wanted to teach about Eucharistic adoration – the
first and highest prayer of the human heart, a prayer which directs itself to the supreme and
sublime mystery of the Godhead. At the same time, I learned from our children what the
world learned from Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta: a way of trust and joy and prayer by which
we approach the Blessed Sacrament, hand in hand with Mary, and learn to live with a more
pure love.
We prayed before the monstrance, and contemplated the mysteries of the rosary, focused as
they are on the unfolding revelation of the Incarnate Lord, His victory over sin and death, and
the exemplary participation of Mary in the pathways of the Christian journey.

11. As priests facing the challenging circumstances of our Pastoral Ministry, we daily come
before the “Ineffable Mystery”: the living Presence of Jesus Christ. In Holy Mass, and in its
extension in adoration, we draw strength and light from the Eucharistic Sacrifice, “the center
and root of the whole priestly life,” and the source “from which principally flows the priest’s
pastoral love.” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, no. 14)
Children also are drawn to the Eucharistic Jesus. It is not that they become suddenly capable
of articulating deep mysteries – any more than we do – but that they begin to acquire peace
and a listening heart necessary to following our Lord.
God chose the children at Fatima to be apostles for peace in the world through prayer and
sacrifice. The “Lady dressed in white” prepared them to suffer much, to persevere in virtue,
and to be images of holiness in ordinary life.
This simple outline offers a framework for and resources for such a Holy Hour in your
diocese and parishes. I ask my brother bishops and pastors throughout the world to consider
the value of children’s Eucharistic adoration for the sanctification of families, and as a locus
of intercession for peace and authentic conversion.
I join the founders of the Worldwide Catholic School Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour in
inviting you to gather for the annual observance on the First Friday in October as participants
in a global response to the New Evangelization following Mary’s invitation to renewal.
In Christ and
Mary,
† Bishop Finn

12. FOREWORD
The CHILDREN’S EUCHARISTIC ADORATION PROGRAM is a fruit of the Holy Spirit,
a beautiful and powerful inspiration implemented into a Program of
the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF), an international public
association of the faithful, present in more than 120 countries and
having more than 20 million members pledged to follow the requests
of Our Lady of Fatima to bring peace and God’s kingdom to earth.
Prayer is so powerful and so much needed! The lack of faith,
materialism, and consumerism of our present societies are poisoning
the environment to such degree that salvation of souls is more
difficult than ever before! Nevertheless, the infinite power of God’s
mercy, his perfect love and grace, are superabundant, as they can overcome all obstacles to
bring sinners to repentance and friendship to God.
Children’s prayers are even more powerful than those of ordinary adults, since the children’s
hearts are capable of more transparency and authenticity, qualities that God himself can not
resist! This is why the three little shepherds of Fatima were chosen to become messengers of
God’s plan for our days to rediscover the Gospel of Jesus Christ and recover Faith, Hope, and
Charity. The Message of Fatima is a great instrument for the New Evangelization of our
present societies and the prayer of adoration, taught to the little children of Fatima is the key
to reconciliation and peace through recognizing God’s majesty and honor and making
reparation for the sins of the world, preventing the terrible consequences of evil.
We need to teach our children “to experience God” in their prayers. The Holy Hour before
the Blessed Sacrament in our churches is a wonderful means “to immerse young people in
that light coming from the Immaculate Heart which is God Himself.” Through adoration we
can contemplate the mystery of God and we can go deep into His merciful love as, coming
closer to Him, inviting Him to dwell in our hearts, and experiencing His presence and its
fruits of peace and spiritual joy! No matter how much we may be suffering because of
sickness, poverty, or grievances. Christ’s peace and joy is of such spiritual nature that it
overcomes all negative circumstances.
Also, through the authentic prayer of adoration, our children “will also see themselves, their
souls and consciences as in the best of mirrors,” learning to know themselves, developing “an
inner life” which will become the theater where they will experience their friendship with
Jesus Christ, their personal relationship with God Himself Who will forever dwell in their
hearts. Only adoration can open a heart to God in such a degree that the invitation to come
and live in it is irresistible! This is their personal history of salvation.
Blessed Francisco Marto is the model for our children and young people who search and long
for the best of friends, Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
His meditative prayer, his dedication “to console the Good Lord, so much offended”, his
“inner life” that developed into a personal friendship, his “openness to silence” so that he

13. would be able to listen in his heart the voice of God, are authentic qualities so much needed
today to live a Christian life!
Blessed Francisco, as he was not able to hear Our Lady’s Message, since he only could see
her, learned the great lesson that to hear God’s voice in his heart, he must first empty his
inner self from all materialistic obstacles and must pray in meditation (many Rosaries), as
our Blessed Mother did on earth, contemplating in her Heart all those precious moments and
experiences with Jesus Christ, her beloved Son. It is this kind of prayer that today’s world
must learn if humanity really wants to prevent the terrible consequences of sin and bring
peace and justice to all. This is the path to salvation because through the prayer of adoration,
through meditative prayer (like the Holy Rosary well prayed), we will discover the value of
Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection and we will live the memory of Him in our inner
life! Then, Blessed Francisco, at the end, of the three children of Fatima, was the one having
the most profound prayer of contemplation!
Blessed Francisco, the little child of less than ten years, will teach us how to walk the path to
holiness. This, in synthesis, is the significance and actuality of the Children’s Eucharistic
Adoration Program of the World Apostolate of Fatima. A program that must be present in
our parishes, schools, apostolic movements, youth organizations, and family practices. How
nice to unite our families in prayer, the prayer of adoration before the tabernacle of our
parishes, the same way as we all participate in a baseball game, a football practice, or a
basketball tournament.
The yearly event of the Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour on the First Friday in
October must be planned carefully, so that the greatest possible spiritual fruit is achieved. But
not only this special day, but throughout the year, in many instances that small groups or
large ones may come to Jesus in the tabernacle of our churches and pray in adoration. Let us
learn the beautiful Fatima prayers that the Angel of Peace and Our Lady taught the little
shepherds and recite them with devotion and faith. Our environment will be much better and
our children will become closer to God! Grace and Mercy to all!
In Christ and Mary,
Prof. Americo Pablo Lopez-Ortiz
International President of the World Apostolate of Fatima

14. DECREE

15. The World Apostolate of Fatima is an association of the faithful that has as its
general purpose “the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church
and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of
adherents through faithful adherence to the message of Fatima and the promotion of
the common good by the spreading of the message of Fatima” (Statutes, art. II, 1-3).
In the apparitions of 1917, the Blessed Virgin reaffirmed to the three little
shepherds – Lucia dos Santos and her blessed cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto –
the perennial Christian message of conversion, prayer and penance in reparation for
sins and for the conversion of sinners, together with a more genuine devotion to the
Eucharist, the devotion to the Rosary and the consecration to her Immaculate Heart.
At the same time, “the World Apostolate has the specific purpose of
promoting the Pledge given by each member of the World Apostolate of Fatima”
(Statutes, art. II, 4).
The members of the World Apostolate of Fatima, spread throughout numerous
countries of the world, commit themselves to become faithful witnesses of the
Catholic faith in their families, at work, in the parishes and communities,
participating in this way in the “New Evangelisation.”

16. The Second Vatican Council, together with the post-conciliar teaching, has given special
attention to the new forms of aggregation of the Christian faithful and their participation in
the life of the Church. Deep esteem and consideration has been shown to them (cf. Decree
on Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam actuositatem, 18, 19 and 21; John Paul II, Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, 29).
In his Apostolic letter, Novo millennio inuente, His Holiness John Paul II wrote about the
great importance of “the promotion of forms of associations, whether of the more traditional
kind or the newer ecclesial movements which continue to give the Church a vitality that is
God’s gift and a true “Springtime of the Spirit” (46).
Consequently:
Having examined attentively the request presented to this Dicastery, by Prof. Américo Pablo
López Ortiz, President of the World Apostolate of Fatima, that this association be erected as a
public international association of the faithful and that its Statutes be approved;
Considering that the World Apostolate of Fatima is a suitable instrument for the
formation of the lay people through the message of Fatima in view of the new
evangelisation proposed by the Holy Fathers John Paul II and Benedict XVI;
Valuing the commendatory letters received from many Dioceses around the world,
which reflect the positive appreciation of the Bishops for the activities developed for
the members of the World Apostolate of Fatima to benefit the Church;

17. In light of articles 131-134 of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus for the Roman
Curia and according to canon 312; §1, 1º of the Code of Canon Law, the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decrees:
1º. The erection of the World Apostolate of Fatima as a public international
association of the faithful, according to canons 298-320 and 327-329 of the Code of
Canon Law.
2º. The approval of the Statutes of this association duly authenticated by this
Dicastery and deposited in our Archives, for a period of five years ad experimentum.
Vatican City, 7 October 2005, Memory of the Blessed Mary Virgin of the Rosary

18. INTRODUCTION
WORLDWIDE CHILDREN AND YOUTH
EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
Catholic school children and all the children of the world
following the way of the little shepherds of Fatima!
“The proper meaning of catechesis, in fact, must be this: to bring the flame of Jesus’
love, even if it is a small one, to the hearts of children, and through the children to their
parents, thus reopening the places of faith of our time.”
– Pope Benedict XVI (Bressanone, Italy, August 22, 2008)
Dear Cardinals and Bishops,
Clergy, Catholic Educators, and Parents,
Let us unite and open the door for a New Springtime for families!
At Fatima, the “Angel of Peace” was sent as a Tutor in Love by our Blessed Mother to
draw the little shepherds into the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus. He taught them how to adore
Jesus, to pray, and to make sacrifices for the conversion of the world as a kind of prelude to
what the essence of her message would be.
GOD IS OFFENDED – WE MUST DO PENANCE AND AMEND OUR LIVES
Lucia wrote in her Memoirs:
“The words of the Angel were indelibly impressed upon our minds. They were like a light
which made us understand who God is, how He loves us and desires to be loved, the value
of sacrifice, and how pleasing it is to Him and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of
conversion to sinners …”
The Worldwide Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour is a call to the world’s
clergy, catholic educators, and parents to escort the children of the world into their parish
churches and chapels each year on the first Friday of October, to spiritually unite the prayers
of our world’s Catholic school children and all the Catholic children of the world, as they are
guided into the School of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It’s easy, and free, and will serve
as a first step to open the hearts of our children and youth then the parents.
During these tumultuous times in which we live in which so many parents are burdened
with anxiety concerning the material and temporal needs of their children, it’s logical to send
a call to those who already have the daily care of the souls of our world’s children.

19. The Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour lends the opportunity to open a
floodgate of graces and mercy on our world, as millions of children throughout the world
gather into the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus, united in prayer as they console the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, make reparation to His Most Sacred Heart as requested by the
“Angel of Peace” at Fatima, Portugal, and give them the unprecedented opportunity to pray
for the needs of their own family and all the families of the world. It is easy and logistically
straightforward for clergy, school principals, and teachers to literally walk their students to
their parish churches and chapels to participate.
The children of the world are wounded by the scourges of divorce, drugs, abuse, impurity
– and the list goes on. Who is going to repair these wounded hearts? We must bring them
into His Presence to be bathed in His love because He alone can “fan the flame of faith in the
souls of our world’s children, and through the children to their parents, thus reopening the
places of faith of our time.” The fruit of this Eucharistic global event will be untold graces
that will be shed on the families of the world.
DOMESTIC CHURCH ENTRUSTED TO THE PRAYERS OF CHILDREN
In his 1994 Christmas Letter to the world’s children, Pope John Paul II stated:
“At the close of the year of the family and in this letter he wrote: “My dear young
friends, it is to your prayers that I want to entrust the problems of your own family and all
the families in the world.”
We need a crusade to guide the children of the world into the presence of Jesus, rather
than leaving it to chance of them finding the Blessed Sacrament while on earth, and thus
leaving only the terrible examples offered to them by immoral television programming,
movies, and magazines.
Please consider making an appeal to your diocese to participate in and support the
Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour, which is always held on the first Friday in October. By
doing so, you would be an instrument in the hands of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and our
Eucharistic Lord in the realization of the long-awaited New Springtime for our families and
the world.
The Worldwide Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour will bring grace and peace
to families – it will help change the world. Not with great words, not with great actions, but
with great love … and God’s beloved little children will lead them.
Our children will be transformed in holiness and become active evangelizers in their
parishes, schools, and families, and thus will have hope of escaping the consequences of a
world that has literally lost its way.
Connie Schneider

20. October ~ 2006
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Catholic school children from the
Archdiocese of Washington
Diocese of Arlington
and
Archdiocese of Baltimore.

21. WORLDWIDE CHILDREN AND YOUTH
EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
LITURGICAL GUIDE
This guide was
the order of service for the
Fifth Annual Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in
Washington, DC
Presided by the Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, D.D.
It is an excellent guide for clergy, educators, and parents for the
Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour as well as for
Children’s Eucharistic Adoration
in our parishes, schools, and families.

22. WORLDWIDE CHILDREN AND YOUTH
EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
ORDER OF SERVICE
Intentions for the Worldwide Children's Holy Hour
o To console the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
o To pray for the families of the children present and all the families of the
world as entrusted to them by Pope John Paul II
o For the Holy Father, for his protection and the success of his mission on
earth, following the example of Blessed Jacinta Marto.
MODERATOR WELCOMES all Present
o Lighting of Unity Candle
o Announcement of Intentions
o PROCESSION OF OUR LADY'S STATUE
o Placement of Petition Basket
o Student Presentation - Fatima
The Bishop or Priest begins with the Sign of the Cross and greets all present
o OPENING PRAYERS
o Come Holy Spirit prayer
Moderator invites those gathered to join in the:
o Canonization Prayer of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta
o Crowning of our Blessed Mother's statue
o Crowning Hymn
QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME
BISHOP OR PRIEST RECEIVES QUESTIONS FROM CHILDREN
This is patterned after Pope Benedict XVI meeting with the children of Rome on October
15, 2005

23. EXPOSITION AND ADORATION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
o Eucharistic Hymn: O Salutaris Hostia
o Prayers as taught by the Angel of Peace
o Entrustment Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
o TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE
WORLD MISSION ROSARY FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE WORLD
BENEDICTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
o Eucharistic Hymn: Tantum Ergo
o Benediction
o The Divine Praises
o Closing remarks
o Recessional Hymn: Holy God We Praise Thy Name
To maintain spiritual unity throughout the world please consider
the four following devotions.
o Children are gathered before the Most Blessed Sacrament
o Pray the prayers as taught by the Angel of Peace
o Pray the Entrustment prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
o Pray the Rosary for all the families of the world

24. WORLDWIDE CHILDREN AND YOUTH
EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
ORDER OF SERVICE
WITH PRAYERS
INTRODUCTION
• Welcome
In honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we, the children of the world,
light our Unity Candle.
• Lighting of Unity Candle and Announcement of Intentions and Special
Petitions
PROCESSION OF OUR LADY'S STATUE
• Processional Hymn: Hail Holy Queen
The Bishop or Priest processes into church with other participants in the Holy Hour:
PROCESSIONAL HYMN
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria!
Hail, Mother of mercy and of love, O Maria!
Refrain:
Triumph all ye Cherubim! Sing with us ye Seraphim!
Heaven and earth resound the hymn!
Salve, salve, salve, Regina!
Our life, our sweetness here below, O Maria!
Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria! (Refrain)
When this exile is complete, O Maria!
Show us thy Son, our Jesus sweet, O Maria! (Refrain)
• Placement of Petition Basket
• Student Presentation - Fatima

25. The Bishop or Priest begins with the Sign of the Cross and greets all present:
Bishop: In the name of the Father …
All: Amen
Bishop: Peace be with you!
He may explain the meaning of the event before praying the Opening Prayer.
OPENING PRAYER
Bishop: Let us pray:
Lord, Jesus Christ,
We worship you living among us in the Sacrament of Your Body and Blood.
May we offer to our Father in heaven a solemn pledge of undivided love.
May we offer to our brothers and sister a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom,
where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen
COME HOLY SPIRIT, Come by means of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your dearly
beloved spouse.
COME HOLY SPIRIT, Unite and heal all the families of the world.
COME HOLY SPIRIT, and pour out your Holy Spirit upon all the children of the world.
† The Moderator greets those gathered and invites them to join in the prayer:
Prayer for the Canonization of
Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta
All: Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly with all the
powers of my soul, and I thank Thee for the apparition of the most Holy Virgin in Fatima,
which has made manifest to the world the treasures of her Immaculate Heart. By the infinite
merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, I implore Thee – if it should be for Thy greater glory and the good of our souls – to
glorify in the sight of Thy Holy Church, Francisco and Jacinta, the shepherds of Fatima,
granting us through their intercession the grace which we implore. Amen.

26. CROWNING OF OUR LADY’S STATUE
“Heavenly Father, to You we offer praise and thanksgiving
because what You have kept hidden from the proud and learned
You have revealed to the merest of children. Thank You, Father,
for You have graciously willed it so.” (Luke 10:21)
CROWNING HYMN
We Are the Children of the World – Answering His Call
O Lord, prepare my soul to breathe Your breath,
come Holy Spirit; You are my joy; You are my strength,
my Bread of Life, Holy Eucharist.
CHORUS
We are the children of the world, answering Your call!
You are the Savior of the world, Jesus in the Eucharist,
I love You!
Hail Mary full of grace, Blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus; He bled and died that I might live; Blessed is the fruit of
your womb, Jesus; Forever present in the Eucharist, O Most
Blessed Sacrament, O Most Blessed Sacrament. CHORUS
“Let the children come unto Me,” He said, “Let the children
come...” (Sing Hosanna!) then repeat CHORUS
Dearest Lord we pray, bless our families with Your peace and
love; You tell us, “Do not be afraid”; Bless all people with Your
peace and love; The peace of Christ throughout the world,
through the Blessed Sacrament, O Most Blessed Sacrament.
CHORUS
QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME
BISHOP OR PASTOR RECEIVES QUESTIONS FROM CHILDREN
PATTERNED AFTER POPE BENEDICT XVI MEETING WITH THE CHILDREN OF ROME ON OCTOBER 15, 2005
EXPOSTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
• Eucharistic Hymn: O Salutaris Hostia
• Prayers as taught by the Angel of Peace
• Entrustment Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE
WORLD MISSION ROSARY FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE WORLD
26

27. BENEDICTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
• Eucharistic Hymn: Tantum Ergo
• Benediction
• The Divine Praises
• Closing remarks by Bishop/Pastor
• Recessional Hymn: Holy God We Praise Thy Name
EXPOSITION AND ADORATION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
Opening Hymn – O Salutarus
O SALUTARIS Hostia,
Quae coeli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.
Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna resid,
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.
Amen
O Saving Victim, open wide
The gate of heaven to man below!
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.
To Thy great Name be endless praise. Immortal Godhead, One in Three!
O grant us endless length of days.
In our true native land with Thee.
Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE ANGEL OF PEACE
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You, and I beg Your pardon for those
who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You. (Three times)
O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee. My God, my God, I love
You in the Most Blessed Sacrament!” (One time)
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You,
and I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore,
do not hope, and do not love You. (Three times)
27

28. O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You
profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul,
and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of
the world, in reparation for all the outrages, sacrileges, and
indifference by which He is offended. Through the infinite
merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. (One time)
CHILDREN’S ENTRUSTMENT PRAYER TO THE
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
“O Virgin Mary, My Mother, I give to your Immaculate Heart,
my body and my soul, my thoughts and my actions. I want to be
just what you want me to be, and do just what you want me to
do. I am not afraid because you are always with me. Help me to
love your Son, Jesus, with all my heart and above all things.
Take my hand in yours so I can always be with you.”
two minutes of silence
WORLD MISSION ROSARY FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE WORLD
AFRICA ~ AMERICAS ~ EUROPE ~ OCEANIA ~ ASIA
BENEDICTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
At the conclusion of the Holy Hour, Tantum Ergo is sung as the
Blessed Sacrament is incensed.
Tantum Ergo
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
28

29. Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et residen,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et residenn:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit residen.
Amen.
Down in adoration falling,
This great Sacrament we hail;
Over ancient forms of worship
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith will tell us Christ is present,
When our human senses fail.
To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who made us free,
And the Spirit, God proceeding
From them Each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Bishop or Pastor: You have given them Bread from Heaven
All: Having all sweetness within it
Bishop: Let us pray
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Your suffering and death.
May our worship of the Sacrament of Your
Body and Blood help us to experience the salvation You won for us and the peace of the
kingdom where You live with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
All: Amen
29

30. BLESSING OF THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH
THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Divine Praises
Bishop leads each acclamation, all repeat.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin, and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
RECESSIONAL HYMN
Holy God We Praise Thy Name
Holy God we praise Thy name; Lord of all we bow before Thee;
All on earth Thy scepter claim; All in heaven above adore Thee.
Infinite Thy vast domain, Everlasting is Thy reign!
Infinite Thy vast domain, Everlasting is Thy reign!
Hark, the loud celestial hymn; Angel choirs above are rising;
Cherubim and Seraphim, In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heavens with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy, Lord!
Fill the heavens with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy, Lord!
Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit: three we name Thee,
Though in essence only one; Undivided God we claim Thee,
And adoring bend the knee while we own the mystery.
30

31. And adoring bend the knee while we own the mystery.
Recessional Procession of the Fifth Annual Worldwide Eucharistic Holy Hour
with Most Reverend Bishop Finn presiding.
31

32. Fruit of the Worldwide Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour is
Children and Youth Eucharistic Adoration
in our
parishes, schools, and families!
The ANGEL OF PEACE
Heaven’s “Tutor of Love”
Sometimes our Lord himself intervenes to convey to us, by means of private revelations,
parts of the universal Message of Salvation which are in danger of being forgotten, and
therefore need to be repeated. Such was the case, for example, of the revelations of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. At other times, our Lord allows His
Blessed Mother to come on His behalf. Rarer still, if not unique in the history of the Church,
is the case of our Lady having sent an angel ahead of her to pave the way for her own
coming. She thus provided for the events in Fatima a kind of prelude which at once plunged
the children into a supernaturally charged atmosphere in which they learnt the coordinates of
what was to constitute the essence of her Message:
God is offended; we must do penance and change our lives.
– Fr. Luis Kondor, S.V.D., Vice Postulator of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta
The apparitions of the Angel of Peace preceded the apparitions of our Blessed Mother at
Fatima, Portugal. She sent him as a “Teacher of Love” to teach the little shepherds how to
adore Jesus, how to pray while adoring Him, and the value of reparation and sacrifice,
“...thus convened the first children’s holy hour.”
Parishes and schools throughout the world participate in the global Children’s Eucharistic
Holy Hour. We must remember that the fruit of this Holy Hour is Eucharistic Adoration in
our parishes, schools, and families. The following Order of a “Visit with the Hidden Jesus” is
an excellent outline for a Eucharistic Program for parishes and schools. It is simple, easy to
follow, and easy to do. It is way for clergy, teachers, youth leaders, and parents to draw the
children in their care into the true Eucharistic presence of Jesus. Most importantly, it follows
the way the Little Shepherds of Fatima who were taught by a “Teacher of Love” from
Heaven. The angel’s instructions developed the children’s spirituality in the “School of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary” and into becoming the first unmartyred children to be beatified
and one day canonized. Let each one of us become a “signpost of love” for the children of
the world— reading, this way to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
32

33. THIS IS A SIMPLE 'ORDER OF SERVICE' THAT IS USED IN THE BOOKLET "MY
VISIT WITH THE HIDDEN JESUS"
FOR YOUR PARISH, SCHOOL OR FAMILY
o Welcome
Opening Prayers
• Come Holy Spirit
• Pardon Prayer
• Sacrifice Prayer
• Prayer to the Most Holy
Trinity
TWO MINUTES OF SILENT
ADORATION
o Prayer to Blessed Francisco
and Jacinta for the families of
the world
o Prayer for Canonization of
• Blessed Francisco
• Blessed Jacinta
o Entrustment Prayer to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary
o Holy Rosary (complete or a single decade)
33

34. Optional
o Gospel or Scripture Reading
o Questions from Children
o Teaching on Eucharistic Reparation, Prayer, Penance, and Sacrifice
o Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament
o Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament
34

35. DESIGNATED EUCHARISTIC EPICENTERS FOR THE ANNUAL
WORLDWIDE CHILDREN AND YOUTH
EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR
Cardinals and Bishops throughout the world!
Would you consider designating a basilica, shrine, or parish church in your diocese as a
Eucharistic Epicenter for the Annual Worldwide Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy
Hour?
Presently, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the global
Eucharistic Epicenter, and it is our hope for the future that each continent and nation will
designate its own Eucharistic Epicenter for their school children. This will provide regional
locations for the world’s school children to gather and pray before our Lord present in the
Blessed Sacrament during the Global Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour.
In the future, if funds permit, we hope to link up via satellite connection to enable children
throughout the world to visually unite in prayer, powerfully witnessing to each other the
unity of the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
35

36. Children throughout the world are joining in this Global Eucharistic event for
Children
Children sent this picture from New Guinea
36

37. IMPORTANT TO NOTE
Because this Global Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour is broadcast, we do not wish to
imply that schools around the country and world join in ONLY if they have the technical
capabilities to do so.
The broadcast of the Holy Hour provides ‘a spiritual Eucharistic epicenter’ for children from
around the world to spiritually unite with the school children gathered at the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC and all children
throughout the world.
The primary focus is: On one day, always the first Friday in October, to gather the children of
the world before our Eucharistic Lord, follow the program, and to pray for peace in our
families and world. It is the responsibility of those leading the Holy Hour in your parish or
school to help the children participating to understand they are spiritually united with other
children and young people around the world, and that Jesus truly Present in all the
Tabernacles of world, sees them united as
ONE
37

38. NEW EVANGELIZATION AND THE
LITTLE SHEPHERDS OF FATIMA
“Father, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you
have revealed to the merest children” (Mt 11:25).
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins,
Prefect of the Congregation of the Saints spoke of
the gift of the “Little Shepherds” to the Church and to the world, in the context of the New
Evangelization.
October 12 ~ International Fatima Congress for the 21st Century
“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God”
– June 13
Our Lady appeared to the little Shepherds gleaming with light, but in her words and also in
Her face, which at times was veiled in sorrow, because of the constant reality of sin.
She showed the children her Immaculate Heart crowned with thorns, and explained that
prayer and sacrifice are needed in order to make reparation for the many evils that offend
God, to bring an end to war and to obtain peace for the world. Mary’s language is simple,
suited to children, without being toned down or fanciful.
The Virgin chooses innocent children as her privileged collaborators in order to combat the
terrible leprosy of sin which is corrupting mankind with the weapons of prayer and penance.
Pius XII, whose cause for beatification is now under way, made his prophecy. I quote his
words: “You must not think that a tender age is an obstacle in the way of consummate
perfection, for holiness.
Our predecessor Pius X declared that there will be saints among young children when he
opened to them the Eucharistic Tabernacle. He knew, as we ourselves know, that physical
age does not stand in the way of the soul, so that the human being, even a young human
being, can attain the perfection of spiritual age (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III,
q. 12, sed contra and ad 2). If Jesus calls for spiritual childhood as a condition for entering
into heaven, and then goes on to say: ‘Let the little children come unto me,’ how can one
deny that children are able to attain evangelical perfection?”
No. In no way. To prove it, we have the example of the two little Shepherds who, in
accordance with the Church’s most recent practice, inaugurated precisely with them, were
solemnly raised to the honor of the altar. These two who, in a sense, originated this new
practice, were also, one might say, the first to benefit from it.
Turning to Francisco,
38

39. The words of the Angel, “Console your God,” impressed Francisco very deeply and guided
his whole life. He wanted to be the ‘Consoler of Jesus’ primarily by praying the Rosary and
adoring the Hidden Jesus in the Tabernacle of the Parish Church.
He wanted to go often and stay in church as long as he could in order to be near the
tabernacle close to the “hidden Jesus,” as he called the Eucharist in his childlike, profound
way of speaking.
God told only Francisco “how sad” he was, as he said. One night his father heard him
sobbing and asked him why he was crying; his son answered: “I was thinking of Jesus who is
so sad because of the sins that are committed against him.” He was motivated by one desire
—so expressive of how children think – “to console Jesus and make him happy.”
– Pope John Paul II
The Rosary
In addition to all this, if we examine the many episodes in the lives of the little Shepherds, we
cannot but see the line which links them all together, namely the recitation of the Rosary.
When we pay attention to this undoubted fact, we perceive that for them the Rosary is a reply
of love to the Lady who came to visit them.
Let us work together to help the children of the world to come to know the “Power of the
Most Holy Rosary.”
39

40. INTRODUCTION TO
Igniting the 'flame of faith' in the hearts of the children of the world!
as they follow the way of the little Shepherds of Fatima!
SCHOOL OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
The World Apostolate of Fatima’s Children’s Program, Children of the Eucharist, is an
invitation to our world’s clergy, teachers, and parents to help the children and young people
of the world follow the way of the Little Shepherds of Fatima and lead them to enroll into the
School of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is the school of God Is Love.
THIS IS NOT A NEW WAY!
It is a way initiated by Heaven to children, approved by the Church, and yet lived by
saints for centuries, notably by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church.
THE WAY IS SIMPLE: “TO JESUS THROUGH MARY”
Our Lady of Fatima sent the “Angel of Peace,” as a Tutor of Love to pave the way for her
coming and to place the little shepherds in the loving and true presence of Jesus in the Most
Blessed Sacrament, to teach them how to adore Jesus, and to teach them prayers of reparation
to pray while in His Eucharistic Presence. He also guided them into the school of adoration,
prayer, penance, and sacrifice as they found themselves in the school of love, which is none
other than part of the School of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Our Lady desired to present a way, a simple way for the little shepherds and all the
children and young people of the world, for all of humanity, to make peace with God as He
pours His peace into our families and the world.
The souls of the little shepherds were set in a flame of love!
In her Memoirs, Lucia stated:
“We received from the experience of the Angel of Peace ‘…a light which made us
understand who God is, how He loves us and desires to be loved, the value of sacrifice, how
pleasing it is to Him and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of conversion to
sinners.’”
40

41. When this light was given to them to understand that God loves us and desires to be
loved by us, they immediately began to live heaven’s requests, not because of a command,
but out of love.
If sacrifices have their origin in love, they begin to change us one step at a time. This is
the path the ‘Angel of Peace’ set the children on and they entered totally and deeply into an
intimate relationship with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
where our Lady then continued to gently guide them on their earthly journey to her Divine
Son, Jesus. They were thus transformed into saints.
God Is Love: Children and our young people need to know that God loves them and that
He wants to be loved by them. There are too many in the world who do not love God because
they do not know Him as they should and that He desires their love. By encouraging this
school of thought to children and youth through making visits out of love for Jesus in the
Tabernacle, as well as praying throughout the day and showing their love through sacrifices,
the children will
take on the heart
of Blessed
Francisco. The
little shepherd
said, “I am sad,
because He is
sad, and I wish to
console Him.”
Children and
the youth of the
world need to
know that God
loves all people
and that there are
those who are in
danger of going to
Hell. Out of love, children can offer prayers and sacrifices to God for souls who do not pray
for themselves and who do not have anyone to pray for them. It is through the transcendent
value of love, which is the very basis on which such an offering exists that God, Who is
Love, grants the grace of conversion to sinners.
The Children of the Eucharist program consists of the many calls of the entire Message
of Fatima and its teachings: the offering of prayers and sacrifices, devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, and reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and
Mary.
41

42. The program is simple – such is the message of Fatima. Here we have mapped out a little
way that will help children, young people and yes, adults, to begin a life of prayer, penance,
and sacrifice, and to become sensitive to sin as they grow in virtue and grace and follow the
way of the little shepherds of Fatima, thus growing in holiness.
The objective is hope for the children of the world by helping them to learn and live the
ABCs of the message of the “Angel of Peace” and our Lady’s requests, as they continue their
journey on the path of life and become active missionaries in their parishes, schools, and
homes.
Dear Boys and Girls: Our Lady needs all of you to console Jesus, Who is sad because of the
bad things done to Him. She needs your prayers and your sacrifices for sinners. Ask your
parents and teachers to enroll you in the ‘School of Our Lady’ so that she can teach you to be
like the Little Shepherds who tried to do whatever she asked them."
Pope John Paul II
Beatification Ceremony of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta
2000 Fatima, Portugal
42

43. THE PROGRAM IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD!
What follows is a step-by-step easy way and we hope unique way, to introduce the
requests of Our Lady of Fatima and the “Angel of Peace.” It is a simple way to help children
of all ages to live the Gospel message by following the way of the Little Shepherds of Fatima
in the School of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
It is excellent for your parish, school, and religious education program and family.
PROMISE CARD: The Promise card is explained to the children that they are being
invited to be enrolled in a worldwide mission to help Our Lady of Fatima bring the
world back to God.
Certificate of membership is downloaded.
Global Morning Offering: Children throughout the world spiritually unite in the
prayer of the “Morning Offering” in their classrooms and families, as they offer their
every thought, word, and action of the day, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
as a daily sacrifice to God, for the conversion of the world.
Entrustment Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Children are introduced to the “Entrustment Prayer” as a foundation of devotion to
the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Wearing a sign of Entrustment to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
o The Brown Scapular
o Miraculous medal of Our Lady
The Rosary or the World Mission Rosary for Families
The World Mission Rosary inspired by the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, helps
children to envision how they are praying for their own family and all the families
of the world, one continent at a time.
Annual Global Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour
43

44. Each first Friday of October Catholic school children and all the children of the
world gather in their diocesan cathedrals, parish churches and chapels, spiritually
uniting their prayers with children throughout the world, for the intentions of their
own families and all the families of the world.
Children and Youth Eucharistic Adoration in parishes, schools and families!
o This is the fruit of the Worldwide Children and Youth Eucharistic Holy Hour.
o Let us unite and begin an International Catholic School Campaign where, on
each first Friday, Eucharistic Adoration is beginning to be promoted in every
Catholic school and parish.
First Friday Adoration, promotes the Great Promises of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and the Five First Saturday devotions are introduced wherever possible
44

45. DIRECTORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
As Coordinator of Elementary Religious Education at Holy Family parish in St. Louis Park
(Minneapolis), the sufferings I see in some of the children I meet can overwhelm me at times.
Some carry the hurt of divorce. I’ve met children who carry the burden of drug addiction or
alcoholism in their families. I’ve met children exposed to internet pornography as young as
second grade. There are children with illnesses including mental illness at such tender ages.
And then there are the almost universal sufferings of so many who struggle with grades,
struggle with friendships, or struggle to overcome certain fears. I often pondered, “Is there
something I can do that would really make a difference in the lives of these children?”
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
At the end of the 2000 school year, I seriously asked myself that question. “Is there
something that I can do that would really make a difference in the lives of these children?” I
was specifically thinking of the public school children that came to the parish religious
education classes on Wednesday evenings that I coordinated. I went to my pastor, Father
Thomas Dufner, and expressed my concerns. What more can be done that we are not already
doing in the short amount of time we have them?
When dealing with personal challenges, trials, and sufferings, I knew the answer. I knew
where to go. I knew Who to go to. I turn to our Lord in prayer, making a daily visit to our
Adoration Chapel, asking Him to help me, heal me and guide me. He is always available for
me to come to Him and bring Him my burdens so He can console me and strengthen me. But
how could that truth be bridged over to children? How do you make that truth a reality in
their lives? And not just in the lives of a few children but in the lives of many children?
Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark 10:14
In the Fall, I took the Wednesday night religious ed students, grades 1-8, into the sanctuary
and together we knelt in front of the altar. Father exposed the Blessed Sacrament for us and
that was the first large group time of Children’s Eucharistic Adoration at Holy Family. Using
the hand held microphone, I greeted Our Lord truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I
thanked Him for always being here for us. I stood up and pointed to the little white Host in
the monstrance and told the children, “This is really and truly Jesus. Isn’t He so smart and
wonderful to think of such a tremendous way of always being with us?” We prayed our
decade of the Rosary together for our families and for all the families of the world. Then we
had a few moments of quiet time. I said to them, “Boys and girls, now I want you to think of
anything that you are worried about. Anything that is on your mind. Anything that is
45

46. important to you. You tell Jesus about it right now. He is so interested. He will hear you and
help you if you ask Him.” And in those moments of silence, He did hear. And He continues
to hear. Since that night, we have implemented Children’s Adoration into our public school
program every month, every year. The effects of our time in prayer have been transforming
not only to the overall success of the Wednesday Religious Ed program, but most
importantly in the lives of the children themselves. They began to experience the effects of
their prayers. They met Jesus personally. They started to understand that the Jesus they were
learning about in class, who walked on this earth 2000 years ago, is really and truly present
for them, right now, tonight, at this moment.
I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Matthew 11:25
For the past 8 years it has been an amazing experience for me to pray with children before
the Most Blessed Sacrament. And it doesn’t matter if it is the public school children, the
children making their First Holy Communion, children coming to special retreats, children
from our parish school or the overwhelming group of children gathered for Catholic Vacation
Bible School every summer. We sing for Him, bow and adore Him, thank Him, offer our
prayers of petition and entrust to Him all our cares.
This year I have the great honor of leading the newest formed group of children in guided
Eucharistic Adoration. They are the toddlers and preschoolers of Holy Family. Yes, you read
that correctly. And they really get it. I think my favorite part of our time together is the very
end. Spontaneously they will often start waving their little hands and calling out, “Goodbye
Jesus! Goodbye! We love You!!!” These are the moments I just can’t seem to forget. I
wonder what Our Lord is thinking?
Once, after adoration for our country, a pain pierced my soul and I began to pray in this
way: “Most merciful Jesus, I beseech You through the intercession of Your Saints,
and especially the intercession of your dearest Mother who nurtured You from childhood,
bless my native land. I beg You, Jesus, look not on our sins, but on the tears of the little
children, on the hunger and cold they suffer. Jesus, for the sake of these innocent ones,
grant me the grace I am asking of You for my country.”
At that moment, I saw the Lord Jesus, His eyes filled with tears, and He said to me:
“You see, my daughter, what great compassion I have for them.
Know that it is they who uphold the world.”
– Entry #286 from the Diary of Saint Faustina
Mrs. Jean Prather, Coordinator of Elementary Religious Education
Holy Family Catholic Church, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
46

47. 47

48. History and Development of the
Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic
Holy Hour
Matthew 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits."
The Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour was founded by two members of the
Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocesan division of the World Apostolate of Fatima. The
inspiration was presented to Archbishop Harry Flynn as a celebration for the Year of the
Rosary. At the suggestion of the Archbishop, the World Apostolate of Fatima co-sponsored
with the Archdiocesan Office of Family, Laity and Marriage, to celebrate and acknowledge
the Year of the Rosary, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
The founders knew it would be an inspiring and effective way to spiritually unite the prayers
of children around the globe and to offer prayers, especially the Rosary, before the Most
Blessed Sacrament, for the families of the world, as entrusted to the prayers of children, by
Pope John Paul II in his Christmas Letter to the world's children.
Inspired by the success of the program, the World Apostolate of Fatima continued to co-
sponsor the event with the Office of Family, Laity, and Marriage, as they continued
promoting the program nationally and internationally.
The Year of the Eucharist in 2005 presented an unprecedented opportunity to spread the
program to all Catholic schools in the United States. In 2005, “Year of the Eucharist” the
Archdiocesan division of the World Apostolate of Fatima, developed a National “Prayer of
Petition” contest to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for Catholic school children to participate
in. Irish Singer, Dana, took the winning petitions and put them to song. From that, our theme
song was born: We are the Children of the World.
This was also the first year that the International body of the World Apostolate of Fatima
participated in and promoted the Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour. On February
2006 pilgrimage to the Vatican and Fatima, the World Apostolate of Fatima received their
‘Decree of Approval’ as a new ‘Public Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right from
the Pontifical Council of the Laity. At the first international Congress of the World
Apostolate of Fatima at Rome, the Program was introduced to the delegates participating at
the “Salesianum” by the International President of the WAF, Prof. Américo Pablo López-
Ortiz and Mrs. Connie Schneider, Archdiocesan President of the WAF in the Archdiocese of
St. Paul-Minneapolis. It was during the on going pilgrimage to Fatima and a visit to the
graves of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta, two of the little shepherds of Fatima, that
Children of the Eucharist was born.
In 2006, Our Lady opened the doors of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, D.C. and for the first time EWTN broadcasted the Holy Hour
LIVE to over 140 nations. Since then the Basilica has become the Eucharistic Epicenter of
this annual event.
48

49. APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO FATIMA (MAY 12-13, 2000)
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
BEATIFICATION OF FRANCISCO AND JACINTA MARTO,
SHEPERDS OF FATIMA
Saturday, 13 May 2000
Fatima
1. “Father,… to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever
you have revealed to the merest children” (Mt 11: 25).
With these words, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus praises the heavenly Father for his designs;
he knows that no one can come to him unless he is drawn by the Father (cf. John 6: 44);
therefore he praises him for his plan and embraces it as a son: “Yes, Father, for such was
your gracious will” (Mt 11: 26). You were pleased to reveal the kingdom to the merest
children.
According to the divine plan, “a woman clothed with the sun” (Rev 12: 1) came down from
Heaven to this earth to visit the privileged children of the Father. She speaks to them with a
mother's voice and heart: she asks them to offer themselves as victims of reparation, saying
that she was ready to lead them safely to God. And behold, they see a light shining from her
maternal hands which penetrates them inwardly, so that they feel immersed in God just as –
they explain – a person sees himself in a mirror.
Later Francisco, one of the three privileged children, exclaimed: “We were burning in that
light which is God and we were not consumed. What is God like? It is impossible to say. In
fact we will never be able to tell people.” God: a light that burns without consuming. Moses
had the same experience when he saw God in the burning bush; he heard God say that he was
concerned about the slavery of his people and had decided to deliver them through him: “I
will be with you” (cf. Ex 3: 2-12). Those who welcome this presence become the dwelling-
place and, consequently, a “burning bush” of the Most High.
2. What most impressed and entirely absorbed Blessed Francisco was God in that immense
light which penetrated the inmost depths of the three children. But God told only Francisco
"how sad" he was, as he said. One night his father heard him sobbing and asked him why he
was crying; his son answered: "I was thinking of Jesus who is so sad because of the sins that
are committed against him.” He was motivated by one desire – so expressive of how
children think – "to console Jesus and make him happy.”
A transformation takes place in his life, one we could call radical: a transformation certainly
uncommon for children of his age. He devotes himself to an intense spiritual life, expressed
in assiduous and fervent prayer, and attains a true form of mystical union with the Lord. This
spurs him to a progressive purification of the spirit through the renunciation of his own
pleasures and even of innocent childhood games.
49

50. Francisco bore without complaining the great sufferings caused by the illness from which he
died. It all seemed to him so little to console Jesus: he died with a smile on his lips. Little
Francisco had a great desire to atone for the offences of sinners by striving to be good and by
offering his sacrifices and prayers. The life of Jacinta, his younger sister by almost two years,
was motivated by these same sentiments.
3. “Another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon” (Rev 12: 3).
These words from the first reading of the Mass make us think of the great struggle between
good and evil, showing how, when man puts God aside, he cannot achieve happiness, but
ends up destroying himself.
How many victims there have been throughout the last century of the second millennium!
We remember the horrors of the First and Second World Wars and the other wars in so many
parts of the world, the concentration and extermination camps, the gulags, ethnic cleansings
and persecutions, terrorism, kidnappings, drugs, the attacks on unborn life and the family.
The message of Fatima is a call to conversion, alerting humanity to have nothing to do
with the “dragon" whose "tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to
the earth” (Rev 12: 4). Man’s final goal is heaven, his true home, where the heavenly
Father awaits everyone with his merciful love.
God does not want anyone to be lost; that is why 2,000 years ago He sent His Son to earth,
“to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19: 10). And he saved us by His death on the Cross. Let
no one empty that Cross of its power! Jesus died and rose from the dead to be “the first-born
among many brethren” (Rom 8: 29).
In her motherly concern, the Blessed Virgin came here to Fatima to ask men and women “to
stop offending God, Our Lord, Who is already very offended.” It is a mother’s sorrow that
compels her to speak; the destiny of her children is at stake. For this reason she asks the little
shepherds: “Pray, pray much and make sacrifices for sinners; many souls go to hell because
they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”
4. Little Jacinta felt and personally experienced Our Lady’s anguish, offering herself
heroically as a victim for sinners. One day, when she and Francisco had already contracted
the illness that forced them to bed, the Virgin Mary came to visit them at home, as the little
one recounts: “Our Lady came to see us and said that soon she would come and take
Francisco to heaven. And she asked me if I still wanted to convert more sinners. I told her
yes.” And when the time came for Francisco to leave, the little girl tells him: “Give my
greetings to Our Lord and to Our Lady and tell them that I am enduring everything they want
for the conversion of sinners.” Jacinta had been so deeply moved by the vision of hell during
the apparition of 13 July that no mortification or penance seemed too great to save sinners.
She could well exclaim with St Paul: “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my
flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the
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51. Church” (Col 1: 24). Last Sunday at the Coliseum in Rome, we commemorated the many
witnesses to the faith in the 20th century, recalling the tribulations they suffered through the
significant testimonies they left us. An innumerable cloud of courageous witnesses to the
faith have left us a precious heritage which must live on in the third millennium. Here in
Fatima, where these times of tribulation were foretold and Our Lady asked for prayer and
penance to shorten them, I would like today to thank heaven for the powerful witness shown
in all those lives. And once again I would like to celebrate the Lord's goodness to me when I
was saved from death after being gravely wounded on 13 May 1981. I also express my
gratitude to Blessed Jacinta for the sacrifices and prayers offered for the Holy Father, whom
she saw suffering greatly.
5. “Father, to you I offer praise, for you have revealed these things to the merest children.”
Today Jesus’ praise takes the solemn form of the beatification of the little shepherds,
Francisco and Jacinta. With this rite the Church wishes to put on the candelabrum these two
candles which God lit to illumine humanity in its dark and anxious hours. May they shine on
the path of this immense multitude of pilgrims and of all who have accompanied us by radio
and television. May Francisco and Jacinta be a friendly light that illumines all Portugal and,
in special way, this Diocese of Leiria-Fatima.
I thank Bishop Seraphim, of this illustrious particular Church, for his words of welcome, and
with great joy I greet the entire Portuguese Episcopate and their Dioceses, which I deeply
love and which I urge to imitate their saints. A fraternal greeting goes to the Cardinals and
Bishops present, with a special word for the Pastors from the community of Portuguese-
speaking countries: may the Virgin Mary obtain reconciliation for the Angolan people; may
she bring comfort to the flood victims of Mozambique; may she watch over the steps of
Timor Lorosae, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe; may she preserve her
Brazilian sons and daughters in the unity of faith.
I extend a respectful greeting to the President of the Republic and to the authorities who have
wished to take part in this celebration. I take this occasion to express, through them, my
gratitude to everyone who helped make my pilgrimage possible. A cordial embrace and a
particular blessing to the parish and city of Fatima, which today rejoices in her children who
are raised to the honors of the altar.
6. My last words are for the children: dear boys and girls, I see so many of you dressed
like Francisco and Jacinta. You look very nice! But in a little while or tomorrow you will
take these clothes off and ... the little shepherds will disappear. They should not disappear,
should they?! Our Lady needs you all to console Jesus, who is sad because of the bad
things done to him; he needs your prayers and your sacrifices for sinners.
Ask your parents and teachers to enroll you in the “school” of Our Lady, so that she can
teach you to be like the little shepherds, who tried to do whatever she asked them. I tell you
that "one makes more progress in a short time of submission and dependence on Mary
than during entire years of personal initiatives, relying on oneself alone" (St Louis de
Montfort, The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, n. 155). This was how the little
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52. shepherds became saints so quickly. A woman who gave hospitality to Jacinta in Lisbon, on
hearing the very beautiful and wise advice that the little girl gave, asked who taught it to her.
“It was Our Lady,” she replied. Devoting themselves with total generosity to the direction of
such a good Teacher, Jacinta, and Francisco soon reached the heights of perfection.
7. “Father, to you I offer praise, for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever
you have revealed to the merest children.” Father, to you I offer praise for all your children,
from the Virgin Mary, your humble Servant, to the little shepherds, Francisco and Jacinta.
May the message of their lives live on for ever to light humanity’s way!
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53. Can Children Be Saints?
The children of Fatima responded to the messages Mary brought us all. They did not merely
pass these messages on as instruments. They were the first to respond to a divine call to
arms, to the spiritual combat called for in an age of revolution, when the golden chain of the
holy rosary must be raised against tyranny, persecution, and increasing moral corruption.
The children of Fatima were not merely channels, but willing mere children who cooperated
with divine grace, spiritually mature with heroic fortitude, allowed grace to change their
lives in the space of three or four years.
Whatever replies others may have given to this question, on May 13, 2000, in Fatima,
Portugal, Pope John Paul II beatified two children who died respectively at the ages of 11
and 10, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Their cousin, Sister Lucia, a Carmelite nun aged 93,
was present at the solemn Mass of beatification.
We know these children as the three visionaries of Fatima, the ones chosen by God to receive
messages of hope and peace for humanity, divine appeals and warnings, even timely
prophecies only revealed by the Church at the beginning of the Third Millennium. These
calls for "prayer and penance" were given through the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. On May
13, 1917, the first apparition took place on the field known as the Cova da Iria. On this same
day, May 13, 1981, an assassin’s bullet struck the Pope who returned once again in gratitude
to Fatima to beatify the children.
These are the two youngest persons ever to be beatified in the history of the Catholic Church,
that is, apart from young martyrs. Yet, in a sense, theirs was a path of martyrdom. Both of
them, in the last years of their short earthly lives suffered greatly in body and spirit and that
is the point to begin in giving praise to God for their sanctity.
Their heroic practice of the virtues is surely the best place to begin. Without heroic virtue or
martyrdom the process of beatification and canonization cannot succeed. These reflections in
praise of the virtues of these two children are drawn from various recollections and memoirs
of Lucia herself. The virtues of faith, hope, and love shine through her vivid memories of the
shepherd children of Fatima. Faith, hope, and love…
FAITH
The courageous faith of Francisco emerged in prison, where the children were taken to terrify
them, an attempt to force them to deny what they claimed to have seen. As Lucia tells us, the
boy was prepared to die rather than deny what he had seen. In this he was exactly like the
men and women who were the witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus, the people who saw
the risen Lord, who could say with the convinced faith of Saint Peter, “Lord, to whom else
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!”
Likewise, through Lucia’s memoirs we see how the childlike faith of Jacinta the little
shepherdess was tried and tested during her final illness, when her small body was racked
with the aching pains of the influenza that was sweeping the world at that time, often
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54. incurable. Her realism was reflected in her reply when Lucia asked if she was feeling better.
“You know I am not getting better. I have such pains in my chest. But I don’t say anything. I
am suffering for the conversion of sinners.” Her final illness fulfilled her spiritual thirst for
making personal sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, a practice she developed as Our
Lady had requested. Ultimately, as Our Lady had told her, this little child was to die alone,
separated from her parents and friends in a hospital in Lisbon on February 20, 1920. That
was the final cross for Jacinta. She felt it deeply and admitted that frankly to her cousin, but
she feared not. She trusted in God and his Blessed Mother. Her practice of the virtue of faith
was remarkable not only in its simplicity but in its realism.
Francisco shared this courageous sense of mortification and self abnegation with his younger
sister. For example, Lucia recalled how they both felt abandoned in prison, and really
believed they would be martyred, and yet here they offered even this abandonment as a
sacrifice for sinners and for the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XV. Note their consciousness of
the Vicar of Christ at that moment of fear and stress. This indicates a sense of the wider
Church, which rapidly grew in their lives, going beyond the limitations of their culture and
narrow experience of life in a small community in a remote place in a humble land. Faith in
Jesus Christ means faith in his Church, fidelity to all her teachings. Their courageous
experience in prison also reveals the single-mindedness, the purity of heart, the candid faith
of children that Jesus presented as the model of all faith.
They both grew rapidly in the practice of prayer, the essential language and dialogue of faith.
Francisco’s prayer life developed an ascetical quality, a portent of the kind of adult faith
already emerging in this young man. Had he lived longer, no doubt he would have found his
vocation in a contemplative life, as did his cousin Lucia. He preferred to pray by himself, to
“console Our Lord” as he put it. His mortification helped tame the boisterous side of his
personality, revealing a spiritual maturity well beyond his years, and this is quite at variance
with the developmental theories of some educationalists of the last century.
HOPE
The second theological virtue given by the Holy Spirit is hope. In spite of the pressures they
endured, these children, like all true saints, had a sense of joy about them. This too has to be
taken into account in any process of beatification. The Church does not beatify gloomy
people because a lack of joy may well indicate a weakness in living out the virtue of hope.
Jacinta loved to dance, although she gave this up as a sacrifice for sinners. She rejoiced in the
beauty of creation, especially collecting wild flowers. There is a quietness and stillness about
her joy. Francisco, on the other hand, was more open and outgoing than his sister; social,
friendly and smiling boy, according to Lucia. Both children retained a sense of humor
throughout the final years of their lives. It was tempered by the burdens placed upon them
but seems to have bubbled up in healthy reaction to the somewhat ludicrous behavior of
some of the faithful who fussed over them.
Joy never left them amidst all the trials that came with the responsibility Our Lady had
placed on them. When their time for leaving this world drew near, they did not fear death.
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55. They accepted what Our Lady had predicted for each of them – imminent death. But they
looked forward to heaven with inner joy because they both trusted in her Immaculate Heart.
With this motherly heart, Mary never abandons her children, a truth we all need to learn
again and again. Knowing this, Francisco and Jacinta lived the virtue of hope in a spirit of
joyful trust in whatever God willed for the future.
LOVE
We have reflected on their faith and hope. Now we have entered the golden realm of third
and greatest virtue, charity, love – caritas, agape. How well they learnt how to cultivate this
sublime virtue in the best school – the school of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, the temple of
love that can never be separated from the blazing furnace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Love points to the Eucharist, “summit and source” of all grace in the Church. Devotion to the
Eucharist is essential in the life of any saint. Lucia bears witness to these children’s love of
the Eucharist, “the Hidden Jesus” as both Jacinta and Francisco called our Lord ever
present in the most Blessed Sacrament. Both of them loved to visit the Blessed Sacrament in
churches, and both felt the pain of not being able to do this during their final illnesses. Their
practice of the love of God found its focus in their devotion to “the Hidden Jesus” in the
sacrament of His.
It was a time when the intentions of Pope Saint Pius X had not yet been fulfilled everywhere.
In that part of Portugal, Children were at least ten years old before they received their First
Communion. So both Francisco and Jacinta valued Holy Communion deeply, approaching
the Eucharist with reverent preparation and thanksgiving. Both of the children received the
Eucharist as penitents. It is particularly moving to read Lucia's account of how Francisco
prepared for his death on April 4, 1919. His last confession and Communion were uppermost
in his mind. The sacraments of Jesus' pardon and union with us were his main concern. He
knew he was preparing for the great and final journey.
Both of the children took sin seriously. Their innocence and purity was not naïve or bland.
There was much spiritual courage involved in their own struggle to maintain fidelity to God's
will under adverse circumstances. Those circumstances were not merely the hostility they
encountered in the early phase of the apparitions, but something more insidious and enticing
for a child, the great attention they attracted, which included attempts to spoil them, or to
make them into little celebrities, and this is also recorded by Lucia. They seemed to see
through this, to perceive the temptations involved, and by grace they rose above the choice of
creatures and chose the love of God.
The virtue of love included the love of others. With their different temperaments, Francisco
and Jacinta always showed a sense of charity towards others, of concern for other people's
needs. This is an essential factor in discerning the sanctity of candidates for beatification.
Both children responded to requests for prayer from people in need. Their deeper lives of
prayer and sense of union with God did not cut them off from others. Indeed they attracted
people, at first curious to see the little visionaries, but then able to see that in themselves
these were extraordinary children. Their love of God was thus filled in an outgoing and
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56. generous love of others. The supreme infused virtue, charity, love, greatest gift of the Holy
Spirit.
It therefore comes as no surprise that the holiness of Francisco and Jacinta is described by
Lucia as almost tangible. This is borne out in what Lucia recorded. These are the comments
of some local women about her cousins: "It's a mystery one cannot fathom! They are children
just like any others. They don't say anything to us and yet in their presence one feels
something one cannot explain and that makes them different from all the rest. “Likewise:
“We’ve just been talking to Jacinta and Francisco; when with them we feel that there is
something supernatural about them.”
In the light of such testimony, we know that these children are not being beatified just
because they saw Our Lady. An apparition does not cause holiness. We know from other
instances that contact with heaven is not necessarily an automatic cause of personal sanctity .
The children of Fatima responded to the messages Mary brought us all. They did not merely
pass these messages on as instruments. They were the first to respond to a divine call to
arms, to the spiritual combat called for in an age of revolution, when the golden chain of the
holy rosary must be raised against tyranny, persecution and increasing moral corruption.
The children of Fatima were not merely channels, but willing mere children who cooperated
with divine grace, spiritually mature with heroic fortitude, allowed grace to change their
lives in the space of three or four years.
As Lucia describes their warm and natural relations with parents and other relatives, we
also see the children of Fatima emerge clearly as saints of the family. In these times we need
strong Christian families built on holy marriages. May Blessed Jacinta and Blessed
Francisco intercede for all our families, and especially that children will grow to be like
them, in lives of faith, self sacrifice, charity, and holiness.
So we return to the question with which we began. Can children be saints? Through an act of
her chief Pastor and Teacher on earth, the Catholic Church replies “yes!”
Bishop Peter Elliot
Bishop Peter Elliott is the Titular Bishop of Manaccenser and Auxiliary Bishop in the Southern Region of
the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
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57. Stretch out your hand, O beloved and omnipotent children, to
the Vicar of Christ, and give the consolation of the
incomparable victory of your precious prayers.
Do your parents, your brothers and sisters, and all the adults of
your family respond to your humble demands?
Yes, they do what you ask; because it is irresistible, and for
God, the way that you speak to him and ask, is also irresistible,
and will be your example, to your loved ones, of who you all
are.
Pope Benedict XV
Excerpt from the Homily to the Children of Europe
July, 1916
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58. ENDORSEMENTS
Our Holy Father (Pope John Paul II) asks me to convey his prayerful good wishes for the
Children’s Day of Prayer to be celebrated on the 7th of October 2004.
Archbishop Harry Flynn
September 28th ~ 2004
“I give thanks to Jesus and His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Fatima, for the presence of so
many children gathered in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the National Basilica in
Washington DC. May God and our Lady so bless the hearts of all these children that they
will respond generously to the invitation of Jesus to go and make disciples of all the Nations.
International Secretary General of the Holy Childhood Association,
Father Patrick Byrne
November 1st ~ 2008
His Eminence, Sean Cardinal O’Malley has asked me to acknowledge his receipt of your
recent letter sent with enclosures concerning the School Children’s Eucharistic and Marian
Holy Hour, and to reply on his behalf.
It is good to know of the Holy Hour planned at the National Shrine on October 6th…with the
help of God and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, may the children of the
world indeed be gathered in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord to pray for families.
Reverend Robert T. Kickham
Secretary to the Archbishop
August 23rd ~ 2006
Through our e-mail connection with each parish we are sending this word of the “Worldwide
Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour.”
Cardinal William H. Keeler
Archbishop of Baltimore
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59. Inside Back Cover
…As I write these words, I am watching through the Eternal Word
Television Network, the children of the world bowing profoundly
before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, in the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. and to know that they are
being joined by children worldwide, including in my own diocese fills
me with an overwhelming, inner joy! Could there be anything more
beautiful than this?...
Filipe Neri Ferrao
Archbishop of Goa and Daman ( India )
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