When Our Lady of Fatima appeared to Sr. Lucia on December 10, 1925, the Virgin Mary requested the practice of the First Saturday devotion for the conversion of Russia.
This request was also connected to the famous "consecration of Russia" to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that is so often a point of debate among Fatima enthusiasts.
The Holy See has repeatedly insisted that the consecration of Russia has taken place, and that Sr. Lucia confirmed this fact to St. John Paul II.
Yet, the consecration was not the only requirement for the conversion of Russia, according to Our Lady of Fatima. She included the request for the observance of the First Saturday devotion.
What is the First Saturday devotion?
Our Lady of Fatima revealed to Sr. Lucia the following aspects of the First Saturday devotion.
All of these actions should be done with the intention to make reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Above all, this devotion is not simply meant to be a mechanical or meaningless recitation of prayers, but a true conversion of heart.
Pope Benedict XVI, when he was a cardinal, explained this central aspect of the "secret" of Fatima.
The future of Russia is in God's hands, but we can do our part by seeking an interior renewal of the heart, looking to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for inspiration, allowing her heart to triumph in the world.
