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October 16, 2025By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press
Local Catholics gathered Monday to pray and crown a statue of Our Lady of Fatima for one of her home visits – on the anniversary of “the Miracle of the Sun.”
Noting that this was the date of the Blessed Mother’s last apparition at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, when 70,000 people saw the sun descend toward the earth, Father Rodrigo Solera, of the Heralds of the Gospel, told The Catholic Free Press “There’s no coincidence; it’s just Divine Providence.”
He had been available for confessions as about 20 people prayed and sang in Spanish, surrounded by sacred images, at the Fitchburg home of Pedro and Carmen Urbina, and their 9-year-old, Fatima Guadalupe, who attend St. John, Guardian of Our Lady in Clinton and other parishes. Fatima was aided in crowning the statue.
“We’re doing a Marian mission ... based out of St. Michael’s Parish in Hudson,” explained Brother Vincent Bassi, another member of the Heralds of the Gospel, an international private association of Christ’s Faithful of Pontifical Right. (Marian missions are one of several ministries of the association.) A third member, Brother Roberto Ferronatto, joined them at the Urbinas’ home. Three others also served on this mission in Massachusetts, which Mr. Urbina said was held Oct. 5-14.
The Heralds do the missions “to bring the people back to the faith,” Brother Vincent said. “It almost looks like there is no solution. But Our Lady – in Fatima she gave us the solution for all the problems in the world. The solution is to pray the rosary every day.” Participants add what they want to the gathering, he said.
“This is the third year we’ve been ... doing the same thing” here, going to St. Michael the Archangel Parish and visiting homes in the area to pray the rosary and crown the Blessed Mother as Queen of the home and “Queen of everybody’s hearts,” Brother Vincent said.
The priests celebrated Mass on weekday mornings and evenings at St. Michael’s, and this year also went to St. John’s in Clinton and St. Bernadette Parish in Northborough, he said.
They visited the Brazilian community at St. Bernadette’s, Mr. Urbina said. They also brought their statue to St. John’s on Oct. 9 for the Brazilians’ Mass honoring Our Lady of Aparecida and Oct. 12 for Spanish Mass, to which was added the consecration to Jesus through Mary, inspired by St. Louis de Montfort, that they encourage people to make.
Mr. Urbina said the Heralds came to his home last year – on May 13, the anniversary of Mary’s first apparition at Fatima. He said that this year he helped Cibele Remigio of Hudson organize the Heralds’ visits to 18 other homes in the Worcester diocese – in Fitchburg, Clinton, Lancaster and Leominster – drawing more than 120 people. In addition, 60 people joined them in prayer at the hall of Knights of Columbus Council 99 in Fitchburg, where they prayed the rosary in English and had food, he said.
More than 180 people attended about 30 Heralds home visits in Hudson, which he didn’t help organize, Mr. Urbina said.
“He was so excited,” Claudia Liotta, of St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg, said of Mr. Urbina organizing visits.
“If you believe Mother Mary is Queen of the Universe, how could you not be excited?” Mr. Urbina asked. “It’s not the image; it’s inviting Mary herself to your house. … This is her home.” When you consecrate yourself to her, everything you are, do and own is hers. “I expect her to do miracles for every home” visited.
Brother Vincent said Pope John Paul II told their association, when it received pontifical approval in 2001, to go out to the whole world to proclaim the Gospel through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Their statue of Our Lady of Fatima shows her Immaculate Heart.)
“Ever since then we’ve been doing these Marian missions,” in the language of those they visit throughout the world, Brother Vincent said.
“We just go one time to a person’s home” during a mission, “because everybody’s asking to receive the Blessed Mother,” he said. “A lot of these people here today (at the Urbinas’ home) – they had the statue in their home. They’re coming here to say ‘goodbye.’”
When a mission concludes, the Heralds return to their home bases. Brother Vincent said that currently he and Brother Roberto, a Brazilian, live in Canada, and Father Solera is in Brazil.
Mr. Urbina asked what happens to all the excitement and energy after the Heralds leave.
When people consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother, they have to change for the better, he said.
He said his family and others involved with this month’s mission want to increase the Heralds’ influence locally.
“They exude religious life,” he said. He said they have great reverence for the Eucharist and Church doctrine, and attract young singles and families to join them. (The association has priests, religious and lay members.)
He said local people would like the Heralds to have a base in the Worcester Diocese, as they do in about 70 countries, including the United States.
He said he wants to try to organize Heralds prayer groups, and have Heralds come give “A Day with Mary” conferences/retreats and celebrate First Friday and Saturday devotions.