Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House marks
55th anniversary on May 13

By Mary Ann Wyand

Our Lady of Fatima’s feast day on May 13 was especially memorable for 90 retreatants who participated in a day of reflection on Mary’s life that was led by Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, at the archdiocesan retreat center in Indianapolis.

Also that day, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he was allowing the immediate opening of Pope John Paul II’s cause for sainthood, a papal decision that sets aside the five-year waiting period required by Church law.

Pope John Paul II dedicated his papacy to Mary, Msgr. Schaedel said in his homily at Mass before two morning presentations at Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House.

“Mary was a key figure in salvation history,” the vicar general said, even though she was only human because by the power of the Holy Spirit she was the first tabernacle of Jesus and the first disciple.

“The Lord gave her the strength and the courage to say ‘yes’ to God’s will in her life. And we celebrate today this feast of Our Lady of Fatima … on the 55th anniversary of the dedication of Fatima’s retreat ministry here in the archdiocese by Archbishop Paul C. Schulte.”

Welcoming the retreatants, Msgr. Schaedel said, “ … What a wonderful thing the Eucharist is—to be fed at the table of the Lord in word and sacrament. That’s what Our Lady draws us to—Jesus, her divine Son.

“Over the years, Mary has been on the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines more than once,” he said. “Even the secular world is fascinated with Mary. … Even the world recognizes Our Lady’s indispensable role in Christianity. The story of the Savior, Jesus Christ, cannot be told without including the humble virgin of Nazareth.

“She is the first among the disciples,” Msgr. Schaedel said. “The mother of Jesus believed before Peter or James or John. Mary was the original believer, the first one to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. … Mary believed in Jesus as the Savior even before he was born. She accepted this unborn child as God’s son at the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel pronounced the words, ‘The Lord is with you’ then announced God’s plan.”

The Gospels explain that, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart,” he said. “She stayed faithful to the end when they laid Jesus in the tomb. She rejoiced with the others when they saw the Lord raised from the dead. She did perfectly what we are called to do—be disciples, be believers, remain faithful, lead others to live in God’s love.”

Concluding his retreat presentations, Msgr. Schaedel reminded the gathering that “the body and blood of Christ become present to us in the liturgy of the Eucharist, on the altar at Mass. After Mass, the Blessed Sacrament, the body of Christ, is placed in the tabernacle for adoration and prayer. Mary made that body of Christ, that physical body of Christ, present. God chose her as the first ­tabernacle.”

Rick Wagner, director of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, said after the day of reflection that Pope Benedict’s announcement was “wonderful news, and the fact that it happened on the feast day, I think, kind of solidifies how Pope John Paul II felt about Our Lady—and especially Our Lady of Fatima—and the special relationship that he had with Mary. The fact that the announcement came on May 13 was certainly a joyful one for all of us.”

Wagner said one of the retreat center’s program goals is “to have more of these days of reflection, to be able to offer opportunities for people who can’t take a full weekend to still get the spiritual renewal they’re looking for.”

Cheryl McSweeney, program manager for the archdiocesan retreat center, said the day of reflection dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima was an “incredibly moving” faith experience.

“To see how many people had truly been touched by Our Lady of Fatima—seeing them all come together, understanding what brought them here and being able to celebrate that together—and having Msgr. Schaedel here was just unbelievable,” McSweeney said. “I think he did a phenomenal job. So many people commented about how much they learned throughout the day. The mixture of his humor and his incredible knowledge of the story of Our Lady of Fatima was so incredibly rewarding for the people who attended the program.”

McSweeney said the announcement that Pope Benedict had opened the process of sainthood for Pope John Paul II and waived the five-year waiting period on Mary’s feast day was truly amazing.

“I think it was a very blessed day,” she said. “You think, ‘What a coincidence,’ but you really know it’s not. I think it just added to the absolute beauty of the day of reflection and just how fortunate we were that it all came together so well. It was very nice.”

St. Lawrence parishioner Rosemary Valvo of Indianapolis has participated in retreats and volunteered at Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House for 44 years.

“This place is like home to me,” Valvo said. “Without a place to go and get yourself in touch with God, you’re in a very sad place. The setting here is beautiful. You have the chapel. You have flowers outside. You have Stations of the Cross. You have a setting in God’s nature that is totally fulfilling, and they have a variety of retreats that meet the needs of all ages and all types of people.” †