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Note from Our Founder
Ave Maria!
Greetings from the Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima! I’d like to share with you what happened in the last three months. In January, we spent a great deal of time trying to raise money for Latin Mass seminarians, and I’m really excited to announce that one of our seminarians will be ordained a deacon in the summer. We would really appreciate you keeping him in your prayers, his name is Seminarian Lance. He’s a fine young man, and Bishop Schneider knows him well. He’ll be a great asset to the Church and when he’s ordained a priest, we’ll have another seminarian able to celebrate the Mass of the Ages. In February, I made an apostolate trip to the Philippines. I will share more about this below, but it was very fruitful, and I’m blessed to see the Confraternity’s work continue to grow.
Finally, in March, we had been gearing up for the Consecration to Our Lady of Fatima! It began on April 10th and we have hundreds joining us from multiple different countries. It is our fifth year of doing the Consecration, and the fifth anniversary of the Confraternity! I invite you to join the sessions I will be hosting throughout the 33-Day Preparation at 7am EST on True Devotion and how to have True Devotion to Mary so that we can recover what we, as Catholics, believe about Our Lady!
Thank you for your support in all our different apostolate works. We hope you have a blessed Lent, Holy Week, and Easter! God bless you.
In the Hearts of Jesus & Mary,
Christopher Wendt
International Director
Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima
Consecration according to St. Louis de Montfort
If you’ve been with us for over a year now, you know that promoting the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, according to St. Louis de Montfort, is a core mission of the Confraternity. In my opinion, this is what the Reign of Mary is truly about. When we make the Consecration with sincere hearts, we completely surrender everything to the loving and Immaculate Heart of Our Lady, giving Her total reign over our lives.
That’s why we are so excited to see the Consecration continue to grow and expand each year. Last May—during our main Consecration journey—we had over a thousand men and women from around the world consecrate themselves to Jesus and Our Lady. It was a powerful act of unity and devotion, as people from different cultures, backgrounds, ages, and personal histories gave themselves in total surrender to Our Lady—whether for the first time or as a renewal.
Because of this growing interest, we’ve now made the Consecration a biannual initiative. We will be hosting the 33-Day Preparation in April/May, concluding on May 13th, and again in September/October, ending on October 13th—two of the most significant Fatima feast days. Last October was the first time we hosted the Consecration in the fall. Although it wasn’t as large as our May journey, we were still blessed to see several hundred men and women complete the prayers!
We’ve also welcomed many new members from various areas in Leyte—such as Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos, Matalom, and Albuera—as well as from other parts of the Philippines, including Quezon City, Antique (Iloilo), Bohol, Lanao del Sur, Malaybalay (Bukidnon), Cebu, and Pintuyan (Southern Leyte). We are grateful to see our spiritual family continue to grow each year, united around the world by a deep love for Our Lady!
One of our favorite aspects of this Consecration is that, thanks to your generous financial support and the efforts of our volunteers in the Philippines, we are able to provide the Blue Consecration books free of charge to those who need them but cannot afford them. It is our priority to ensure everyone has access to the resources they need to consecrate themselves to Our Lady. Please know that we could not continue to offer these books at no cost without your generosity.
Together, we share in the mission of the Confraternity: bringing about the Reign of Mary as soon as possible.
If you missed the opportunity to join us in May, we warmly invite you to participate in our Fall Consecration this October!
Kilimanjaro/St. Benedict House of Studies
For the first time, I—along with a few others—climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the St. Benedict House of Studies in Tanzania. I first announced the House last year, and since then, construction has progressed significantly. In such a short time, the foundations of the buildings are already in place. Each brick is handmade and carefully laid by the men working on the project. The construction is being carried out with great care—every brick and detail built with love. They have even managed to dig and begin receiving running water.
Already, three hundred men—eager to give their lives to Christ—have enrolled to study at the House. They now have the opportunity to study solid theology and philosophy in a truly authentic, Catholic setting. This is a beautiful mission that is very dear to Bishop Schneider, and we are excited to witness the progress and blessings that the future holds for the St. Benedict House of Studies.
FR. JOAO
The St. Benedict House of Studies is not only a great source of hope for the Church because of the future priests it will form, but also because it has helped us connect with other deeply holy men through this mission. One of them is Fr. Joao, who accompanied us on the climb to Mt. Kilimanjaro and carries a special mission for the Church. With a heart devoted to Jesus, the Truth, and the Traditional Latin Mass, Fr. Joao travels the world giving talks and seminars on the Mass of the Ages, seeking to promote and share its richness.
In March of this year, he visited Ave Maria and met with a small group to give a talk centered on the Traditional Latin Mass. He also celebrated the Mass, and all were invited to join in prayer. Though the gathering was small, it was a powerful experience—showing how even someone as simple as I could participate in such profound and divine worship.
During his visit, Fr. Joao made new connections, met faithful Catholics, and was surely encouraged to see how deeply loved and cherished the Traditional Latin Mass is among Catholics today.
Many of you generously gave to help bring him here, and he was truly grateful and blessed by your support.
Thank you!
Catholic Identity Conference
Thankfully, I had seen Fr. Joao just before March at the Catholic Identity Conference, where we were able to grow closer and discuss the True Faith. One evening during the three-day conference, we were invited to speak about Kilimanjaro and the St. Benedict House of Studies. It was a wonderful opportunity to share with like-minded individuals who care deeply about the True Faith and the work being done in Tanzania. The group of hikers who had attended the CIC each gave a brief testimony about their experience on the mountain.
For the past three years, we’ve attended this conference and will be back again this year with our table. We’ve met so many members of the Confraternity there, and it’s always a joy to connect and speak with you in person. That’s one of the main reasons we love returning year after year. Since joining for the first time, it’s become a meaningful tradition for us—and we hope to see you there!
MY TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES
I recently returned from an exciting trip to the Philippines. Since 2020, I’ve been blessed to travel there each year to meet with our coordinators across the islands, connect with the many catechetical volunteers and students helping with our mission, and personally work with the children we serve—distributing food and rosaries to them. It’s truly one of my favorite things I get to do through the Confraternity.
After each visit, there’s always a clear outpouring of new graces. Sometimes it’s a fresh idea for how to better serve the communities, a new donor stepping in to support the mission, or a breakthrough moment that allows us to take the next step toward our goal of bringing about the Reign of Mary as soon as possible.
The special blessing from this most recent trip was the opening of the House of Mary. Staffed by our dedicated team, it now serves as the central hub for all Catechism activity in the Philippines. Over one hundred children attend to learn traditional catechism through the Baltimore Catechism—the same one used in the 1950s. I had the joy of meeting many of these children, and they were absolutely dear.
The House of Mary was blessed on opening day by a very holy bishop, Bishop Cantillas. During lunch, he graciously gave us his blessing to become a private association of the faithful recognized within his diocese. This is a tremendous milestone. It means that the entire scope of the Confraternity’s mission in the Philippines will now expand at an exponential rate.
Thanks be to Our Lady, many, many more lives will be touched by the Consecration, the Holy Rosary, and Traditional Catechism.
Already, our children in the Philippines have taken part in Holy Week preparations at Immaculate Conception Parish in Baybay City, Leyte. This participation is a clear testament to what Bishop Cantillas emphasized during the blessing of the House of Mary—that as a private association, the Confraternity must be actively visible in both parochial and diocesan life.
In line with diocesan activities, our Youth Catechists also took part in the recently concluded 504th Anniversary of the First Easter Mass on Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte. We were blessed to send 13 young people to represent the Confraternity. They experienced a deeply meaningful pilgrimage and joined in various spiritual activities, including the cenacle and leading the procession to commemorate the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines.
And this is just the beginning of the profound impact this new status will bring. It is both a joy and a responsibility. We are praying earnestly to discern the paths Our Lady desires us to take as we continue working to extend the Kingdom of God more fully.
Trails for Tradition
While I was in the Philippines this past February, the volunteers and I hiked up Tan-awan Peak, located in Brgy. Plaridel, Baybay City, Leyte. Though often used as an analogy, this physical journey up a mountain served as a striking reminder that we are all called to grow in holiness as we navigate the trials of life. It was a small taste of what I experienced at Kilimanjaro, and it provided a tangible way for our volunteers to reflect on the deeper meaning of their mission.
We began our hike early in the morning as a group. Along the way, we prayed, shared conversations, and enjoyed the fellowship and sense of community. When we reached the summit, we prepared to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass. It was a profoundly beautiful liturgy, and I was especially encouraged to see the young people growing in their love for this sacred form of worship.
After Holy Mass, I made pancakes for the group, and we shared a quick picnic before beginning our descent. The group truly loved the experience, and it has since become a tradition we plan to continue in the years ahead.
Youth Catechism Classes
We continue to teach young children the True Faith through Traditional Catechism classes held in various locations throughout the Philippines. In Baybay, specifically in Sitio Looc, we are just seven lessons away from completing the Baltimore Catechism. We’ve also held a series of classes at San Miguel Chapel, where we are currently using the St. Joseph First Communion book as a preparatory resource before transitioning into the Baltimore Catechism.
For the Parish Youth, we are using My Catholic Faith, and will begin Lesson 31 this April. Additionally, we’ve conducted classes with the GK Combado Kids in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, also using the Baltimore Catechism.
These classes continue to grow, as more and more children come eager to learn the True Faith. We are incredibly blessed to have Catechists with missionary hearts—joyfully sharing the Gospel and teaching with love. It is a joy to see the smiles on the children’s faces as they play games tied to the lessons, compete for prizes, and absorb the rich knowledge and treasures of the Catholic Church.
How to Become a Member of the Confraternity
Becoming a member of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima is very easy.
All you have to do is to read the following statement and agree (not under the pain of sin) to try to fulfill the following obligations listed below to the best of your ability:
I ___________________ now join the Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima and promise to the best of my ability and not under the pain of any sin to observe the following prayers and good works:
- Confession once a month
- Daily Rosary (5 decades)
- One daily act of simple penance
- Wear the Scapular
- Pray the Prayer for the Hastening of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary each day
The Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima is a worldwide family of Catholics who are dedicated to bringing about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as soon as possible. They are dedicated to spending the rest of their lives living out the call of Our Lady of Fatima and doing penance for poor sinners and reparation to Her Immaculate Heart.
Please click HERE to join.
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