Baldwin Hills parish to host famous Our Lady of Fátima statue Oct. 19-22

The famous statue of Our Lady of Fátima that has traveled the world for more than 75 years will be coming to Los Angeles for four days as part of an international tour for peace.

St. Bernadette Church in Baldwin Hills will welcome the statue with a ceremony at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, then will feature three more days filled with Masses, adoration, rosaries and more.

The statue was created in 1947 after the Virgin Mary who appeared to three children — Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto — in Fátima, Portugal in 1917. 

“The purpose of the visions (at Fátima) was not to predict a ‘fixed future,’ it was meant to mobilize forces of change in the right direction, which is critically important for us to do today,” said Deacon James Carper, St. Bernadette’s parish life director. “This visit provides the community of St. Bernadette an opportunity to rest for a bit and to heal, which was the focus of Our Lady of Fátima. We need to recover our faith, our hope for the future and gain a new willingness to change and thrive.”

St. Bernadette is the only parish that will host the statue in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, before it moves on to the Diocese of San Bernardino.

The parish also hosted the relics of its namesake, St. Bernadette Soubirous, during a four-month tour of the U.S. in 2022.

The full schedule of events:

Thursday, Oct. 19: 

7 p.m. — Welcome ceremony

Friday, Oct. 20: 

8 a.m. — Mass and adoration

10 a.m. — Rosary

Noon — Rosary, adoration, benediction

2 p.m. — Marian prayers

5 p.m. — Candlelight procession

6 p.m. – Mass

Saturday, Oct. 21: 

8 a.m. — Mass and adoration

10 a.m. — Rosary

Noon — Rosary, adoration, benediction

2 p.m. — Marian prayers

3 p.m. — Confession

4 p.m. — Mass

Sunday, Oct. 22: 

9 a.m. — First Communion class visitation

10 a.m. — Mass

1 p.m. — Farewell

For more information, visit St. Bernadette’s website at stbernadettela.org