Iconic Statue Will Continue 'Pilgrimage Of Peace' In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An iconic religious artifact will continue on a pilgrimage of peace in North Jersey this week.

According to the Archdiocese of Newark, seven parishes in four Essex County communities – Newark, Nutley, Montclair and Belleville – will host the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which has traveled the world on a mission to spread peace and hope since 1947.

Starting on Friday, the statue will also appear at other North Jersey parishes in the archdiocese, which encompasses Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties (see the schedule below).

Why is the statue so special? According to the archdiocese:

“Our Lady of Fatima is a Marian apparition who appeared to three shepherd children in Cova da Iria, Portugal, on six occasions between May and October of 1917. During her initial appearances, Mary showed three prophetic visions to the children and urged them to pray the rosary daily for world peace and sinners’ salvation. During her final apparition on Oct. 13, thousands of people observed what is now known as the Miracle of the Sun — the sight of the sun zig-zagging through the sky. Three decades later, the original Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was created by sculptor Jose Ferreira Thedim using a detailed description provided by one of the children who saw her, Sister Lucia dos Santos. This statue was eventually duplicated multiple times and has traveled across the world to bring Our Lady to those who cannot visit the Shrine of Fatima.”

The latest archdiocesan tour of the statue is intended for parishioners to thank Our Lady for her protection during the COVID-19 pandemic and request her intercession amidst current global conflicts. It is also meant to generate excitement for the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day festival, which will take place in Lisbon, Portugal from Aug. 1 to 6, the archdiocese stated.

To commemorate Our Lady of Fatima’s first apparition on May 13, 1917, a procession will commence from Newark’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Saturday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m. and travel to Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. There, the statue will be presented for veneration, followed by a Mass dedicated to Our Lady at 5 p.m. and a special reflection at 7 p.m. This reflection will be delivered by Ricardo Casimiro, co-leader of the statue’s pilgrimage and campus minister at Montclair State University.

Casimiro has made 40 visits to Portugal’s Shrine of Fatima as part of his studies of Our Lady.

“I’m very excited the statue is coming to the Archdiocese — it’s been my dream to bring her here for a long time,” said Casimiro, who received the Shrine of Fatima’s Centennial Medal in 2017 due to his commitment to Our Lady.

“Her presence here reminds us that we’re never alone,” Casimiro said. “Our Lady is always with us in our suffering and our moments of joy. So, visiting the statue is a chance to renew our faith and find hope for the future.”

This year the Archdiocese of Newark — with the supervision of Casimiro and the Rev. Kevin Kilgore, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Old Tappan — is sending 43 youths on a pilgrimage to participate in the festival, during which they will visit the Shrine of Fatima. To prepare them for this journey and encourage all young people to foster a relationship with Our Lady, Casimiro will lead a catechetical program at Montclair State’s Newman Catholic Center on Sunday, May 7, starting at 5 p.m. Afterward, a Mass dedicated to Our Lady will be celebrated by Father Jim Chern, director of campus ministry for the Archdiocese and Montclair State.

Students from all four archdiocesan universities have been invited to attend.

“The statue is a beautiful article of faith,” said Kilgore, co-leader of the statue pilgrimage who will celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Fatima before bringing the statue to the archdiocese.

“It’s traveled all over the world,” Kilgore pointed out. “Millions of people have prayed before her over the years.”

The full tour schedule of the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima can be seen below. People interested in visiting should contact each parish for hours of operation and event agendas.

April 28-May 1

St. Pius X Parish in Old Tappan

May 3-4

Holy Trinity Epiphany Church in Newark

May 5-7

Holy Family Parish in Nutley

May 7

Newman Catholic Center at Montclair State University in Montclair

May 8-9

St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny

May 11-12

Our Lady of Fatima Church in Newark

May 13

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark

May 14-18

Our Lady of Fatima Church in Elizabeth

May 19-21

St. James the Apostle Church in Springfield

May 22-23

St. Anthony Church in Belleville

May 24-25

Holy Cross Church in Harrison

May 26-28

St. Catherine of Siena Church in Hillside

May 30-31

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Newark

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.