Pope Leo XIV, formerly Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo, Peru, shared a heartfelt memory of his childhood encounter with the pilgrim image of the Virgin of Fatima. During a Mass in January 2019, he recalled how the image visited his home when he was a child, and his parents, Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred MartÃnez, welcomed it as part of their parish duties.
The future Pope remembered praying the rosary on his knees before the image with his siblings, crediting this experience as a significant influence on his missionary vocation. “She was partly responsible for the vocation of a simple missionary who is here sharing with you,” he said, expressing gratitude to God for Our Lady of Fatima.
This beautiful memory highlights the Pope’s devotion to the Virgin of Fatima, which is celebrated by the Church on 13 May, commemorating the first apparition of the Mother of God to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.