I posted the message below* on another thread but decided that I would start this one specifically so that people can 'sign up' or confirm that they have complied with Our Lady's expressed wish or encouraged others to do so. PLEASE DO IT, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH EFFORT and those who do it: 1. Please Our Lady (who doesn't want to do that?) 2. Receive assurance about their own eternal fate (who doesn't want that?) 3. Assist Our Lady in obtaining the intentions of Her Immaculate Heart regarding the Church, Russia and the world (ditto) *We are not the Pope or Bishops so can't offer the Consecration of Russia but we can offer the devotion of the First Five Saturdays and if we want the consecration but haven't undertaken the devotion of the First Five Saturdays, perhaps it isn't the Pope's fault but our own. If many millions of Catholics offered up this devotion, we would do great good for the world and the Church and probably usher in the Consecration too. If you haven't done it, please do it and encourage other Catholics to do it too. I left it very late in life even though I was aware of it and intended to do it for years. It was so little for so much and so spiritually satisfying, I can't understand why I didn't complete it years ago. Now I offer up every Saturday Mass specifically for the intentions of Our Lady's Immaculate Heart.
I've was going to start the 5 first Saturdays this past month but to my surprise there is not one church in our entire diocese that has Saturday mass. So this is going to be harder than I thought. I'm going to have to drive 2 hours to find a church! God Bless!
I am unaware of the of the five first Saturdays. I started the 9 first Fridays in July and love it so far. That is a tough situation Bernadette.
I've wanted to do this and my parish offers a morning mass for it. But being in retail I work most saturdays. It entails not just going to mass but going to confession too, right?
I have 4 Saturdays done so far.....finishing in October, month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, and the consecration of His Holiness of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
PotatoSack, the confession can take place 8 days before or after the Saturday.I think if there is no way you can make Mass and communion on the Saturday it can be made on the Sunday.Can someone confirm this?
SteveD I started this devotion this month. First time in my life. Please God I will finish it. PotatoSack I'm in the same boat as you, but for me. its the 9 First Fridays - I am hoping to sort something out for Fridays after I have finished the 5 First Saturdays.
I asked a priest, when I was doing the devotion, if the Vigil Mass on Saturday would count towards the Five First Saturdays and he said that it would so long as I went to Mass on Sunday too. (Might be worth checking just in case but I am sure that in your circumstances Our Lady would 'stretch a point anyway).
Our Lady was holding a heart encircled with sharp thorns and then She said to Sister Lucia: "Behold my heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude.You at least try to console me. Announce in my name that I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall:1confess and receive Holy Communion;2recite five decades of the Rosary;3and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."Five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the five ways in which people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary: 1.attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception 2.attacks against her Perpetual Virginity 3.attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind 4.for those who try to publicly implant in children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother 5.for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.
Going to confession the week before is OK if that is the latest opportunity that is available to us. So you could go on Sat. evening the week before the first Saturday and that would count.
According to my little booklet entitled The Five First Saturdays: What Do I Need To Do? there are 5 parts to this devotion: 1. Confess our sins (within 8 days or in the case of difficulty even later, as long as we are in the state of grace receiving Holy Communion on the First Saturday). 2. Receive Holy Communion 3. Recite 5 decades of the Rosary, saying the Fatima prayer after each decade. 4. Keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes thinking with her about the Mysteries of the Rosary 5. Fulfil all the parts of this devotion with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I've completed the devotion once and am currently on the second time. I'm not sure I complied totally in full with the above the first time around so I want to make sure I do it all properly this time! I'm also attempting the 9 First Fridays which is apparently very difficult to do (my mother has been trying unsuccessfully to complete this devotion for about 25 years!).
I completed this on the first saturday of this last August. But like Adoremus I am not fully sure I complied fully in my case on a few counts. So in that case I would like to start again, next first saturday. Good thread to get going.
My information (above) is that the Saturday evening Vigil Mass would count as long as you go to Mass on the Sunday too.
Wow thanks for this!!! I started mine in July as mentioned and just went and double checked all my calendar entries as reminders basedon your response here and noticed I had the first Friday for November on the second Friday for some reason?? I wonder what has made it so hard for your mother? If I can accomplish this (God willing) I think it is cool that I will end this devotion on the day before my birthday in March.
She says that something ALWAYS comes up on one of the Fridays that prevents her getting to Mass, usually towards the end when she's almost completed it. Very frustrating for her! I guess Old Nick always manages to throw a spanner in the works. That's cool to finish for your birthday, I hope you make it all the way through.
Same happens to me Adoremus, I once completed 8 and couldnt complete the 9th.And I still think how sad that was because I was young then.Fortunately I have managed to complete a couple of times in middleage, but never easy.The promise of eternal life for appoximately 5 hours effort .A free ticket almost. "In the excess of the mercy of my Heart,I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour."[2]
Reminder: Saturday the 27th of September is the last Saturday before the First Saturday (and First Friday) of October. So, if getting to confession before Mass on the First Saturday (or Friday) itself will not be possible then this is your last chance to observe one of the conditions of the devotion and count October into the 'five' (or Friday as one of the 'nine'). Our Lady was holding a heart encircled with sharp thorns and then She said to Sister Lucia: "Behold my heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me. Announce in my name that I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1confess and receive Holy Communion; 2recite five decades of the Rosary; 3and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." Five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the five ways in which people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary: 1.attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception 2.attacks against her Perpetual Virginity 3.attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind 4.for those who try to publicly implant in children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother 5.for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.
Reminder: Saturday the 27th of September is the last Saturday before the First Saturday (and First Friday) of October. So, if getting to confession before Mass on the First Saturday (or Friday) itself will not be possible then this is your last chance to observe one of the conditions of the devotion and count October into the 'five' (or Friday as one of the 'nine'). Our Lady was holding a heart encircled with sharp thorns and then She said to Sister Lucia: "Behold my heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me. Announce in my name that I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1confess and receive Holy Communion; 2recite five decades of the Rosary; 3and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." Five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the five ways in which people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary: 1.attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception 2.attacks against her Perpetual Virginity 3.attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind 4.for those who try to publicly implant in children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother 5.for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.
Hate to nag but the first Saturday in October is approaching (as is the First Friday). Salvation is promised to those who carry out this devotion. If you haven't done it, please read what Our Lady said to Lucia about it. We have it in our power to comfort Her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Who doesn't want to do that?
