Cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert Sarah are leading a global initiative to promote the First Saturdays devotion, marking 100 years since the Virgin Mary requested it in Pontevedra, Portugal, in 1925.
This Marian devotion, centered on making reparation for the offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, promises two extraordinary graces for those who participate with true devotion and repentance: the assistance of the Blessed Virgin at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation, and peace on earth.
To commemorate the centenary, the "Fatima First Saturdays Alliance"—a global federation of Catholic groups based in France—launched the "2025 Fatima First Saturdays Jubilee" on January 4th. "Let us show God that we know how to unite to obey this essential request of Our Lady," declared Régis de Lassus, main coordinator of Salve-Corde, the umbrella organization overseeing the initiative.
The devotion requires four specific acts during five consecutive first Saturdays: confession (within 8 days before or after), communion, praying the rosary, and 15 minutes of meditation on the mysteries. These instructions were given by the Virgin Mary to Sister Lucia, the Fatima visionary, during an apparition in Pontevedra where the Child Jesus was also present.
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude," were the words of the Virgin to Sister Lucia, according to historical records. The Blessed Virgin linked the end of wars to the fulfillment of two conditions: the practice of the First Saturdays throughout the Church and the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
A notable example of a response to this devotion occurred in Burundi, where 10,000 faithful participated in a First Saturday on May 3, 2025, marking the first time that the Church of an entire country united to answer the Virgin's call. The initiative has gained momentum with the support of monasteries, shrine rectors, and episcopal conferences worldwide.
Cardinal Burke, in a homily at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wisconsin, emphasized that the devotion "is not an isolated act but expresses a way of life, that is, the daily conversion of the heart to Christ, under the maternal guidance of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary."
Looking ahead, the Alliance views this centenary celebration as a step toward permanently establishing the devotion, with so-called "First Saturday Cities" already established in hundreds of locations around the world. The next significant milestone will be the centenary of the request for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 2029.
"More than ever, we must work to obey Our Lady, using the means she has given us, particularly the Rosary and the First Saturdays," de Lassus concludes, suggesting that the triumph of the Immaculate Heart could manifest over the next three and a half years between these two historic anniversaries.
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