October 16, 2025 // Diocese

The Rosary ‘Is About the Heart of a Mother’

Christopher Lushis

Freelance Writer

For devotees of Our Lady of Fatima, every first Saturday of October offers an opportunity to gather in Fort Wayne and recall the powerful promises of Mary to aid her children in overcoming spiritual and temporal peril.

The local division of the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF) sponsors this event because Our Lady made great promises to those who would receive holy Communion, make a good confession, pray five decades of the Rosary, and spend 15 minutes in meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary on five consecutive first Saturdays. Held on Saturday, October 4, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, the faithful had the opportunity to go to confession, participate in prayers and meditations on the Rosary, and attend Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades.

In celebrating the October 4 memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, Bishop Rhoades emphasized the Marian connections to both St. Francis and the little shepherd child at Fatima named after him, Francisco Marto.

“Mary’s profound humility enabled her to fully accept God’s will and cooperate in His plan of salvation,” Bishop Rhoades said. “Mary was aware of her littleness and recognized that the great things done for her were the work of God. When we look at the apparitions of Our Lady, we cannot help but notice that she so often appears to humble individuals, particularly children and the poor. I think Mary is delivering a powerful, countercultural lesson against the pride and egotism so prevalent in society through the ages.”

Reflecting on the Gospel, he stated: “St. Francis was truly one of the childlike to whom God revealed His mystery. He is a model for us of taking up the cross of Jesus every day and not running away from it. In the cross is love and the truth that sets us free.”

Bishop Rhoades continued: “When Our Lady first appeared at Fatima, only Jacinta and (their cousin) Lucia saw her. When Lucia asked Our Lady why, she told Lucia to tell Francisco to pray the Rosary. As soon as Lucia told him to, he immediately started to pray and then began to see the Blessed Mother.” Francisco, who was known for praying many Rosaries each day, “became a very contemplative little boy, totally centered on God,” Bishop Rhoades said. “He spent many hours in Eucharistic adoration because he wanted to be with his friend Jesus in the Eucharist, ‘the hidden Jesus.’ He wanted more than anything else to console Jesus because the Blessed Mother, through a light that penetrated the children’s hearts, had showed them Jesus’ sadness because of so many sins.”

In conclusion, Bishop Rhoades said St. Francis and St. Francisco “embraced a life of prayer and sacrifice. They both had a penitential spirit and undertook acts of penance. They both had a deep devotion to the holy Eucharist and a profound love for our Blessed Mother. And they both accepted their suffering and approached death eager to be united with the Lord, whom they so dearly loved.”

Following Mass, a Marian procession took place to the Grand Wayne Center, as students from Bishop Dwenger High School and Bishop Luers High School carried a statue of Our Lady while the faithful sang and prayed the Rosary.

Upon their arrival, hundreds gathered for breakfast and to listen to guest speaker Gabriel Castillo, a well-known Catholic evangelist dedicated to promoting Marian devotion and the holy Rosary. Expanding upon Bishop Rhoades’ homily, he emphasized the importance of humility, penance, adoration, and the necessity of mental prayer – specifically through the Rosary – for growing in holiness.

“The Rosary is the foundation for every door to be opened in the spiritual life,” Castillo said. “It’s not the end of the spiritual life; union with God is the end of the spiritual life, but the Rosary is the key.”

Castillo explained that through consistent meditative focus on the mysteries of the life of Christ through the eyes of Mary, our knowledge, love, and willingness to follow Jesus grows and offers spiritual transformation.

Acknowledging that the Rosary can be tedious and difficult to persevere through, Castillo reminded the audience that Mary repeatedly has asked her children to bear the cross and that she helps us carry it alongside Jesus. Castillo also focused on the message of Our Lady to St. Dominic, noting that when the world was immersed in darkness, the words that rang out to announce the beginning of the redemption of humanity – “Hail Mary, full of grace!” – still echo as a battle cry against Satan, sin, and darkness today.

With heartfelt conviction, Castillo shared some of his own testimony about how he believes Mary saved him from destructive sins.

“If you know the message of Fatima, it isn’t just about the Rosary, it isn’t just about reparation, it is about the heart of a mother who wants to help her children,” Castillo said. Reflecting upon the reality of sin, he added: “Mary showed the children hell and said: ‘You have seen where poor sinners go because there is no one to pray and to do penance for them. Therefore, pray very much, and offer everything as a sacrifice.’ That message sounds negative, but what she’s really saying is: there’s hope! And the hope of the world is prayer, specifically the holy Rosary, and offering everything as a sacrifice. This is the secret of sanctity.”

Castillo also provided details of how Mary continues to make him a better husband and father, as she helps him embrace the daily crosses of family life and to consistently strive to make God’s will his own.

Castillo, who also spoke at Bishop Dwenger and Bishop Luers the day prior, led those present in a meditative exercise to become more prayerfully united to Jesus through Mary and encouraged everyone to persevere in daily recitation of the Rosary.

Afterwards, those in attendance shared their gratitude for the event.

Anthony Colliver, who teaches history at Bishop Luers, told Today’s Catholic: “Castillo said we must die to ourselves in this fight for our salvation and the salvation of others. We were lucky to welcome such a devoted and articulate speaker for the Fatima message, which is as true today as it was 108 years ago. The Rosary crushes not only some but all vice. It is important to recognize that hell is a real place, and we are in a spiritual war every day. The Rosary is our weapon in that fight.”

Leo Tippman, a senior at Bishop Dwenger, affirmed Castillo’s emphasis on the Rosary, saying that he also has found a deeper sense of purpose and strength since beginning to pray the Rosary on a daily basis.

Dave Andersen, a parishioner of St. Aloysius Catholic Church, who with his wife, Brittney, has five children and owns the new Little Flower Catholic Shop in Fort Wayne, expressed appreciation for Castillo’s focus on incorporating prayer into one’s daily routine, even when it’s difficult.

“Our lives are always so busy with so many activities, especially for families,” Anderson said. “But he emphasized that even when the Rosary is inconvenient or we don’t feel like praying, we should still try to do so because of the tremendous graces that come from it.”

More information about the World Apostolate of Fatima can be found at fatimafwsb.org.