by Susan Taylor, president Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima HUNTSVILLE — Bishop Niederauer is the founding Bishop of the World Apostolate of Fatima in Utah. We take great pleasure in congratulating you on your appointment as the Archbishop of San Francisco and take this opportunity to send our prayers and best wishes for you now and in the future. We have all benefited from your leadership in our diocese, as you have been a great shepherd for us. We are a bit melancholy about having to let go of you, but we cannot be selfish. God obviously has greater plans for you. Last spring as I was organizing the second Our Lady of Fatima Conference, I came across a story that our late pontiff John Paul II. He was launching a world-wide 2005 program to pray in eucharistic adoration for religious vocations. Pope John Paul II blessed six monstrances at the Vatican for this international program, and the United States and Canada were to share one of these monstrances. I contacted the organization to see if the Our Lady of Fatima Conference could be included in the traveling monstrance schedule. There were many thousands of parishes and Catholic institutions throughout the United States and Canada wanting to partake in this program. There were only three specific days we could receive the traveling monstrance from the Vatican for our event. Needless to say, my request was not at the top of the list as a recipient. Bishop Niederauer came to our rescue. He personally obtained the traveling monstrance for our conference. Each evening at the conference hundreds of people gathered for a group holy hour to pray for religious vocations in Utah. Throughout the entire weekend, conference attendees also scheduled silent holy hours to pray before Our Lord in eucharistic adoration. Due to the efforts of Bishop Niederauer, Utah was able to be in solidarity with Catholics throughout the world and participated in the program launched by the late Pope John Paul II. At the conference, Bishop Niederauer celebrated a beautiful First Saturday Mass of Our Lady in the Cenacle and spoke so eloquently, as he always does, about Our Blessed Mother. In his homily he said we are called to be witnesses for Christ, and Mary is our model. He encouraged us to enter the school of Mary to learn about Christ, because Mary is centered in Christ. When we pray the rosary and meditate on the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, we are enrolled in the school of Mary. Bishop Niederauer has always been very supportive that our lay ministry continue to promote the requests of Our Blessed Mother. If you would like more information about the First Saturday Devotion, details are available at www.fatimaconference.org or by calling Susan Taylor at 801-745-3271. Bishop Niederauer enrolled many Catholics in the brown scapular at a special ceremony organized by the Blue Army at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. He then led participants in consecrating themselves to Jesus through the hands of Mary, on the feast of the Presentation. We are very grateful to Bishop Niederauer. Through his support, the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima has been able to spread the many messages of Fatima as Our Blessed Mother requested. San Francisco is very fortunate to receive Bishop Niederauer. There is a real sense of peace when you work with him through his actions and preaching.
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