The First Five Saturdays Devotion: Our Lady’s request and how to fulfil it
One of the key ways Our Lady asks us to honour her Immaculate Heart is through the First Five Saturdays Devotion. This powerful practice was revealed during the apparitions at Fatima in 1917 and invites the faithful to make reparation for the sins committed against the Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
Why did Our Lady Ask for This Devotion?
In her apparition to Sister Lucia, Our Lady appeared with the Child Jesus and showed Lucia Her heart surrounded by thorns. These thorns represented the many offences, blasphemies, and ingratitude shown toward Her by humanity.
Our Lady said:
“My daughter, look at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me.”
Our Lady then made a powerful promise:
“I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all 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 fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary,
- With the intention of making reparation to me.”
Why Five Saturdays?
The Child Jesus later explained to Sister Lucia that the devotion makes reparation for five specific offences against Our Lady:
- Blasphemies against Her Immaculate Conception
- Blasphemies against Her Perpetual Virginity
- Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, refusing to recognise Her as the Mother of God and of all humanity
- The efforts of those who seek to turn others away from Her
- Those who mock or desecrate Her images in hatred
Each Saturday is offered in reparation for one of these offences, making the number five deeply meaningful.
How to Fulfil the First Five Saturdays Devotion
To receive the greatest promise of Our Lady, Her help at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation, we are asked to complete four simple actions, each done with the intention of making reparation to Her Immaculate Heart.
1. Go to Confession
We should make a good confession sometime within eight days before or after the First Saturday of a month.
✦ The key is to be in a state of grace when receiving Holy Communion and to offer your confession in reparation for offenses against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
If needed, confession can take place even later, provided you clearly intend to offer it in union with the devotion.
2. Receive Holy Communion
On the First Saturday of the month, receive Communion with a sincere desire to make reparation to Our Lady’s heart.
✦ If attending Mass and receiving Communion on Saturday isn’t possible, it may be received the next day (Sunday), with the correct intention.
3. Pray the Rosary (Five Decades)
Pray five decades of the Most Holy Rosary (the Joyful Mysteries are said on a Saturday), again with the intention of reparation.
✦ This is a key prayer of the devotion and draws you closer to Our Lady and Her Son Jesus through meditating on the life of Christ.
4. Keep Our Lady Company for 15 Minutes
Spend 15 minutes in silent meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary, separate to saying the Rosary itself. This is a personal, separate meditative time with Our Lady.
✦ You can focus on one mystery or several, allowing your heart to be united with Our Lady’s heart in reflection and love.
5. Pray the Fist Five Saturday Prayers:
There are certain prayers that should be said to accompany this devotion. These are:
Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we consecrate ourselves, in an act of total entrustment to the Lord.
By you we will be led to Christ. By Him and with Him we will be led to the Father. We will walk in the light of faith, and we will do everything so that the world may believe that Jesus Christ is the One sent by the Father.
With Him we wish to carry His Love and Salvation to the ends of the earth. Under the protection of your Immaculate Heart, we will be one people with Christ. We will be witnesses of His Resurrection. By Him we will be led to the Father, for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, Whom we adore, praise and bless forever. Amen.
Prayers of The Angel
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
Sacrifice Prayer
O My Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Litany of Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for our dear country.
Our Lady of Fatima, sanctify our clergy.
Our Lady of Fatima, make our Catholics more fervent.
Our Lady of Fatima, guide and inspire those who govern us.
Our Lady of Fatima, cure the sick who confide in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, console the sorrowful who trust in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who invoke your aid.
Our Lady of Fatima, deliver us from all dangers.
Our Lady of Fatima, help us to resist temptation.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who are dear to us.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring back to the right road our erring brothers.
Our Lady of Fatima, give us back our ancient fervor.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring all men to the feet of thy Divine Child.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain peace for the world.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Let Us Pray
O God of infinite goodness and mercy, fill our hearts with a great confidence in Thy dear Mother, whom we invoke under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Fatima, and grant us by Her powerful intercession all the graces, spiritual and temporal, which we need. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Act of Reparation for the First Five Saturdays
O Most Holy Virgin, and Our Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns placed therein at every moment by the blasphemies and ingratitude of ungrateful humanity. We are moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promising a true devotion to Your Immaculate Heart.
We therefore kneel before You to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances that people cause You, and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which they return your love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. Hasten the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus Christ and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended. Turn you eyes of mercy toward us, that we may love God with all our heart on earth and enjoy Him forever in Heaven.
Why should we practice the Five First Saturdays Devotion?
The devotion of the Five First Saturdays comes directly from Our Lady of Fatima’s request when She appeared with the Child Jesus.
It’s more than a spiritual practice, it’s a loving response to Our Lady’s plea for reparation, conversion, and peace. Here’s why this devotion matters:
1. To Make Reparation for Offenses Against the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Our Lady’s heart is deeply wounded by the blasphemies, ingratitude, and indifference shown toward Her and Her role in salvation history. The Five First Saturdays devotion is a powerful way to offer consolation and reparation.
Jesus told Sister Lucia:
“Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is 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.”
– Child Jesus to Sister Lucia
Our Lady then said:
“Behold, my daughter, my Heart encircled with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Give me consolation, you, at least; and make known on my behalf that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all who on the First Saturday of five consecutive months confess their sins, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the purpose of making reparation to my Immaculate Heart.”
– Our Lady to Sister Lucia
2. Because Our Lady is Our Intercessor and Mother
As the Mother of Jesus, therefore The Mother of God and our spiritual mother, Our Lady intercedes for us before the throne of God. This devotion is a way of cooperating with Her mission, that is to bring souls to Jesus Christ, Her Son.
3. To Pray for the Salvation of Souls
When we make reparation, we don’t just do it for ourselves, we join Our Lady’s mission to save souls. Our prayers and sacrifices can help convert sinners and bring healing to a broken world.
4. Because of the Promise of Our Lady’s Assistance at Death
Our Lady promised that She would be present at the hour of death for those who complete this devotion with sincerity and love. This means not only comfort but also graces necessary for salvation, a profound gift for those striving to remain faithful.
5. To Grow in Spiritual Strength and Holiness
This devotion involves frequent confession, Holy Communion, prayer, and meditation. These acts purify the soul, strengthen virtue, and deepen our relationship with God.
6. To Help Heal the World
At Fatima, Our Lady warned of spiritual and worldly dangers, including war and the loss of faith. She said that devotion to Her Immaculate Heart could bring peace and prevent future calamities.
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” – Our Lady of Fatima
7. To Respond to Our Lady’s Request with Love
Our Lady’s request is simple, and filled with maternal love. By responding, we show gratitude, obedience, and affection toward our Heavenly Mother.
Why is the number of Saturdays significant?
The number five is not random. It corresponds to five grave offences committed against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
In a revelation to Sister Lucia, Jesus explained that this devotion is meant to make reparation for these particular sins, which deeply wound His Mother’s heart:
1. Blasphemies Against the Immaculate Conception
Denying or mocking the truth that Our Lady was conceived without original sin offends God, who prepared Her to be a pure vessel for the birth of His Son. The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Church, a truth revealed and upheld by divine authority.
2. Blasphemies Against Her Virginity
This refers to those who deny that Our Lady remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus, a sacred mystery of our faith and a sign of Her complete consecration to God.
3. Blasphemies Against Her Divine Maternity
Some deny that Our Lady is truly the Mother of God (Theotokos). Others accept this but reject Her role as the mother of all humanity. Honouring Our Lady as both is essential to a proper understanding of Her place in salvation history.
4. Blasphemies of Those Who Seek to Alienate Children from Her
This offense includes actions or teachings that lead others, especially children, away from devotion to Our Lady, causing them to mistrust, ignore, or reject Her maternal love and guidance.
5. Offenses of Those Who Outrage Her in Sacred Images
This includes the desecration or mockery of Our Lady’s images, statues, and sacred representations, acts which dishonour not only Our Lady, but also the One she represents: Jesus Christ.
Important Notes:
- These four acts should be done with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
- The devotion must be repeated five consecutive First Saturdays, not just one or two.
- Our Lady emphasised this devotion especially for those who cannot attend Mass on the First Saturday due to serious reasons; in that case, the other parts (Confession, Communion, Rosary, Meditation) remain key.
Final Thoughts
Jesus said to Sister Lucia:
“Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is 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.”
This is why each First Saturday offers us the opportunity to remove one of those thorns, to console her wounded heart and to draw closer to Jesus through Her.
By faithfully offering these acts of love and reparation, we console Our Lady’s heart and grow closer to Jesus, who promised great mercy and peace to those who honour His Mother in this way.
More on this devotion here on EWTN.
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