Traveling Fatima statue brings graces to homes of Sandyston, Montague parishioners

Before Christmas, the Blessed Mother spent a week in the home of Alex and Amanda Sousa in Sandyston, taking up residence in their living room. The couple and their five children, ages 4 months to 12 years, felt Mary’s presence by praying around something tangible: a pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima that stood on a table.

Blessings flowed as they prayed at night around the 3-foot-high ceramic statue.

“The statue was the focal point when we were praying the Family Rosary. It helped us visualize Our Lady and think about how she felt at different moments in her life,” said Amanda Sousa of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Sandyston. “It was nice to come together as a family and pray before the Blessed Mother. It gave us some peace away from the craziness of the day.”

For a week at a time, the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima has been traveling around to the homes of parishioners, especially families, of St. Thomas and St. James the Greater Parish in Montague. It comes in a plastic container also with six sets of rosary beads; materials with prayers, Scripture readings; information about Our Lady of Fatima; and a journal if participants wish to write a reflection.

The Sousas’ son Joshua, 10, called the statue’s visit “pretty cool.”

“It was amazing to pray in front of the statue of Mary. We felt her presence,” Joshua Sousa said.

The two Sussex county parishes restarted the traveling devotion with an announcement at the Family Mass on All Saints Day in St. Thomas Church. Father Richard Carton, a former pastor, bought the pilgrim statue. From its inception in 2007, the parish’s Legion of Mary started home visits of the statue, which were halted during COVID, said Mary Flexer, coordinator of religious education, who currently schedules the visits.

Families who sign up for the statue receive it at Mass. Father Wayne Varga, pastor of St. Thomas and St. James, blesses them and the statue, before they bring it home. Several families have signed up for another visit.

“Through her visits, the Blessed Mother brings graces to these marriages and families,” Flexer said.

Danielle and Cesar Pifano had the statue the week of Thanksgiving in time for a visit from Danielle’s grandmother, 94, who was delighted. They and their five children, ages 2 to 13, prayed before the statue, located on a kitchen counter surrounded by plants.

“There are so many influences in the outside world on our children. Having the Blessed Mother here had a big impact. It reminded them that they can turn to the Lord when they are having a hard time,” Danielle Pifano said.

Father Varga expressed hope that the visitations of the statue will bring “more love, peace and joy into the lives of these families and help them get closer.”

“The statue is a concrete way to recognize the Blessed Mother’s presence and intercession in the world. It also shows parents who are taking their faith seriously. It’s good for children to see that beautiful witness,” Father Varga said.