The steps for the Devotion for the First Five Saturdays are:
- on the first Saturday of five consecutive months,
- shall confess,
- receive Holy Communion,
- recite five decades of the Rosary and
- keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary,
- with the intention of making reparation to Me.
I have attached three acticles (with overlap - sorry) for your information.
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First Saturdays Devotion(sspx.ca)
To dedicate Saturday in honour of Mary is an ancient custom. And it takes a special form since the apparition of Our Lady in Fatima, 1917. It is there, she drew the attention of the whole world to the devotion of First Five Saturdays. What is the object of this devotion? How to do it? What are the benefits for those who are performing it and lastly what is the spirit Our Lady demands of us in performing these devotion? Fr. Patrick Abbet presents the solution in a simple Catechetical format (Taken with permission from Ite Missa est, May - June 2020, Pp. 14-19)
- What is the First Saturdays Devotion?
The First Saturdays Devotion consists of Communions of Reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, received on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months.
- What is the origin of this devotion?
The origin of this devotion is the third apparition of Our Lady to the children of Fatima, on 13th July 1917. In this apparition, Our Blessed Mother spoke of the necessity of sacrifices for sinners. She then showed the three children hell. After this terrible vision, she said:
You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if they do not stop offending God, an even worse war will begin during the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign God gives you that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.
To prevent this, I shall come to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that on the First Saturday of every month Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world. If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, then Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, bringing new wars and persecution of the Church; the good will be martyred and the Holy Father will have much to suffer; certain nations will be annihilated. But in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and the world will enjoy a period of peace ...
- Did Our Lady come back for the consecration of Russia and the Communions of Reparation?
Yes, Our Lady kept her promise and returned on 10th December 1925 at Pontevedra to request the practice of the Communions of Reparation. And she came back on 13th June 1929 at Tuy to ask for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
- What happened at Pontevedra?
On 10th December 1925, Our Blessed Mother appeared to Lucy at Pontevedra, Spain. Sr. Lucy, while a Dorothean postulant, was in her cell when Our Lady appeared to her, placing one hand on Sr. Lucy’s shoulder and with the other hand showing her a heart surrounded by thorns. Next to the Blessed Virgin was the Child Jesus borne by a luminous cloud and He said to her:
Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.
Then the Most Blessed Virgin said:
Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.
- Is this devotion a new devotion?
This is not a new devotion. Saturdays have been associated with devotion to the Blessed Virgin for many centuries. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII granted a plenary indulgence to those who devoted fifteen Saturdays in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1905, Pope St. Pius X granted a plenary indulgence to all who would perform the twelve First Saturdays in honour of the Immaculate Conception. Lastly on 13th June 1912 – five years before the great manifestation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Fatima – the same Pope granted an indulgence to the faithful who, on the First Saturday of each month, perform some special exercise of devotion in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, in order to make atonement for the blasphemies whereby the name and prerogatives of the same Blessed Virgin are reviled. This last devotion is very similar to our Five First Saturdays devotion.
- What makes this devotion so special?
Without doubt, it is the promise attached to the devotion which makes it so special. This is not an indulgence anymore which is promised, but the Grace of all graces, the promise of Salvation: ‘I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation’. This promise shows the quasi-infinite power granted by the Holy Trinity to Our Lady.
- Has a similar promise ever been granted?
Yes, Our Lord made a similar promise to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century:
I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
- How can God be making such an offer?
Certainly, the ease of the offer is proportional to the difficulties of today’s circumstances. God knows how difficult it is to save our soul in today’s world, with its apostasy, general corruption and dangerous technology. The poor faithful do not even receive salutary guidance from their pastors. In such circumstances, Our Merciful God offers us eternal salvation, through the hands of His Blessed Mother. Let us especially make sure that our children, who have to live in a world which is becoming worse and worse, may not be deprived of this promise.
- What are the requirements of this devotion?
The five requirements of this devotion are the spirit of reparation, communion, confession, Rosary and a fifteen-minute meditation.
- What is the spirit of reparation?
The spirit of reparation is a desire to make reparation to and console Our Lady for the offenses committed against her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. One should make this intention before carrying out Our Lady’s requests. A renewal of the actual intention at the time is best.
Our Lord explained to Sister Lucy-Mary on 29th May 1930 that the five Saturdays correspond to the five types of offenses and blasphemies committed against Our Lady:
Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;
Blasphemies against her virginity;
Blasphemies against her divine maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize her as the Mother of men;
Blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;
Offenses of those who outrage er directly in her holy images.
- What is the Communion of Reparation?
The Communion of Reparation is the essential act of this devotion. It means simply to receive communion with the intention of consoling the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If a just reason prevents the reception of communion on a First Saturday, with the priest’s permission, it may be received the following Sunday.
- Does confession need to take place on the same day?
No, Holy Confession, with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart, can be made eight days before or after the First Saturday, as long as Holy Communion is received in the state of grace.
- What does the recitation of the Rosary entail?
The normal five decades Rosary must be recited : while meditating upon the mysteries of Our Lord and Our Lady. As we say in the prayer after the Rosary, the meditation on the mysteries is what makes the recitation of the Rosary fruitful:
grant we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise.
- What about the fifteen-minute meditation?
The meditation may embrace one or more mysteries, but Our Lady asked that we meditate on each of the five mysteries at least once during the Five First Saturdays. In a letter written in 1927, Sr. Lucy explained to her mother how to make this meditation:
the fifteen minutes might, I think, give you some trouble, but it is quite easy. Who would have difficulty thinking about the mysteries of the Rosary? To think about the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary and the humility of our dear Mother, who seeing Herself so exalted, calls Herself the Handmaid of the Lord; at the Passion of Jesus, Who suffered so much for our love; and of our Most Holy Mother near to Jesus on Calvary? Who could not spend fifteen minutes in these holy thoughts, before the most tender of mothers?
- What are the other benefits of this devotion?
Besides the great grace of salvation, it is interesting and important to note that this devotion, together with the consecration of Russia by the pope, will lead to the conversion of sinners, peace in the world and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Even if we have done the Five Saturdays ourselves, let us continue to practise this beautiful devotion to console Our Blessed Mother, and hasten the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart. Let us also propagate this devotion widely, and thereby become missionaries of Jesus and Mary.
The Fatima First Saturdays(sspx.org)
During her July 1917 apparition at Fatima, Our Lady said to Lucy, “I shall come to ask... that on the First Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world.”
The Request of the Two Hearts
On December 10, 1925, our Blessed Mother again appeared to Lucy at Pontevedra, Spain. Sr. Lucy, while a Dorothean postulant, was in her cell when Our Lady appeared to her, placing one hand on Sr. Lucy’s shoulder and in the other hand showing her a heart surrounded by thorns. Next to the Blessed Virgin was the Child Jesus borne by a luminous cloud and He said to her:
Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.
Then the Most Blessed Virgin said:
Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.
Five Parts of the Request
1. Spirit of reparation
The spirit of reparation is a loving desire to make reparation to and
console the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Mother. It considers
the offenses which the Immaculate Heart of Mary now receives from those
who reject her maternal intervention and despise her prerogatives.
One should make this intention before carrying out Our Lady’s requests. A renewal of the actual intention at the time is best.
2. Confession in the spirit of reparation
If one cannot go to confession on the first Saturday of the month, one
can go within eight days. Even one’s monthly confession would be
sufficient, which would need the intention of making reparation to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
3. Reparatory Communion
This is the essential act of this devotion. If a just reason prevents
the Communion on a First Saturday, with the priest’s permission it may
be received the following Sunday.
4. Recitation of the rosary
The rosary is a vocal prayer said while meditating upon the mysteries of
Our Lord’s and Our Lady’s lives. To comply with the request of our
Blessed Mother, it must be offered in reparation for the offenses
committed against her Immaculate Heart and said properly while
meditating.
5. 15-minute meditation
Also offered in reparation, the meditation may embrace one or more
mysteries; it may include all, taken together or separately. This
meditation should be the richest of any meditation because Our Lady
promised to be present when she said “...those who keep me company....”
Five Types of Offenses
One could wonder: why five Saturdays? Our Lord answered that question when He appeared to Sr. Lucy, May 29, 1930:
My daughter, the reason is simple. There are five types of offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
1. Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;
2. Blasphemies against her virginity;
3. Blasphemies against her divine maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize her as the Mother of men;
4. Blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;
5. Offenses of those who outrage her directly in her holy images.
Here, my daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspired Me to ask for this little act of reparation…
Three Fruits of This Devotion
1. To those who faithfully follow our Lady’s requests, she has made this wonderful promise to “assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation.” This means that our Blessed Mother will be present at the hour of death with the actual grace of final perseverance.
2. This devotion obtains the conversion of sinners. “So numerous are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.” (Our Lady to Sr. Lucy at Tuy, June 13, 1929)
As Lucy put it:
In consideration of this little devotion, They [Jesus and Mary] wish to give the grace of pardon to souls who have had the misfortune of offending the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Letter of May 1930)
3. In His Providence, God decided that the peace in the world will depend on this devotion.
Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven.” (Sr. Lucy, March 19, 1939)
After completing the five first Saturdays, one may continue the devotion simply to console the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. A tender love of Our Blessed Mother will lead one to do all he can to make reparation for the sins which pierce her Immaculate Heart.
Let us remember, too, that although Our Lady made this promise to those who would observe five consecutive first Saturdays, in her July apparition she asked simply that Communions of reparation be made on every first Saturday to atone for the sins of the world.
The
Five First Saturdays (sspx.asia)
“To
whomever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation.”
- Our
Lady of Fatima, June 13, 1917
1. The History and the Text of the Promise.
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n December 10,1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Sister Lucy (then a postulant of the Institute of the Dorothean Sisters at Pontevedra, Spain) and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested Her hand on her shoulder and as She did so, She showed Her Heart encircled by thorns, which She was holding in her other hand.
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t the same time, the Child said: Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment and there is none to make an act of reparation to remove them. Then the Most Holy Virgin said: Look, my daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist, at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who:
(1) on the first Saturday of five consecutive months,
(2) shall confess,
(3) receive Holy Communion,
(4) recite five decades of the Rosary and
(5) keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary,
(6) with the intention of making reparation to Me.
2. Some precisions on the conditions of the Promise.
(I) WHY FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS?
Our Lord Himself gave the answer to Sister Lucy:
My daughter, the reason is simple. There are five types of offences and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary :
1 - Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;
2 - Blasphemies against Her Virginity;
3 - Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognise Her as the Mother of men; 4 - The blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;
5 - The offences of those who outrage Her directly in Her holy images. Here, my daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspired Me to ask for this little act of reparation . . (May 29,1930)
(2) THE CONFESSION.
Sister Lucy asked Our Blessed Lord: My Jesus! Many souls find it difficult to confess on Saturday. Will Thou allow a confession within eight days to be valid He replied:
Yes. It can even be made later on, provided that the souls are in the state of grace when they receive Me on the First Saturday and that they had the intention of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Mary. - My Jesus! And those who forget to form this intention? -
They can form it at the next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to confession. (February 15, 1927)
In brief, therefore (a) the confession should be made as close as possible to the First Saturday; (b) we must be sorry for our sins, not only because we have offended God but also with the intention of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Mary.
(3)
THE HOLY COMMUNION.
Father Goncalves, Lucy's confessor, asked her in a letter of May
29,1930 if one cannot fulfil all the conditions on a Saturday,
can it be done on Sunday? People in the country, for example,
will not be able very often because they live quite far away.
Our Lord gave the answer to Sister Lucy during the night of May
29 - 30:
The practice of this devotion will be equally acceptable on the Sunday following the First Saturday when My Priests, for a just cause, allow it to souls.
Let us note that it is to His Priests and not to the individual conscience, that Jesus gives the responsibility of granting this additional concession.
(4) THE ROSARY.
Since it is a question of repairing for offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, what other vocal prayer could be more pleasing to Her than that which She requested the people to recite every day?
(5) THE 15 MINUTE MEDITATION.
This is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It requires, in Lucy s own words, to keep Our Lady company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. It is not required to meditate on all fifteen mysteries. To meditate on one or two is sufficient.
(6) THE INTENTION OF MAKING REPARATION.
You, at least, try to console Me. Without this general intention, without this will of love which desires to make reparation to Our Lady, to console Her, all these external practices are worth nothing for the Promise. This is clear.
3. The Promises attached to this Devotion.
(I) THE SALVATION OF OUR OWN SOUL.
To all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months ... fulfil all the conditions requested, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their soul. This little devotion practised with a good heart, is then enough to procure infallibly for us - ex opere operato so to speak - as with the sacraments - the grace of final perseverance, of eternal salvation! And this promise is without any exclusion, limitation, restriction. To all who ..... I promise. Heaven for eternity for five Holy Communions!
(2) THE SALVATION OF SINNERS.
So numerous are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against Me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray. (Our Lady to Sister Lucy at Tuy, June 13,1929.) In consideration of this little devotion, They (Jesus and Mary) wish to give the grace of pardon to souls who have had the misfortune of offending the Immaculate Heart of Mary, wrote Sister Lucy in a letter of May, 1930.
(3) PEACE IN THE WORLD.
Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven. Sister Lucy, March 19,1939.
All these information about the First Saturdays
is taken from the book
The Whole Truth about Fatlma
by
Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinite
Vol. 11, pp. 245 - 277.
Available from:
St. Thomas Aquinas Bookstore
#2 Cannon Road, New Manila, Quezon City 1112
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