Marian Festival 2023

Bendigo Marian Festival Mass and Devotions

Sunday 15 October 2023

Dear Friends of the Apostolate of Our Lady of Fatima,

The 2023 Marian Festival will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Cathedral on October 15th. We would greatly appreciate if you could promote the festival in your local area.

We are very grateful to Bishop Leslie Tomlinson who will again lead us in celebrating this event. Last year, the festival was a great success despite the threat of floods in the Bendigo area which resulted in several busses being cancelled. We are hoping that this year will be our largest festival since lockdown.

Pope Francis recently called the Church to turn again to Our Lady of Fatima, when on August 5th as part of World Youth Day celebrations in Portugal, he led 200,000 pilgrims in praying the Rosary at the Shrine of Fatima. He spoke particularly of the need to pray to the Blessed Virgin for peace in the world.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues and threatens to spread, and we face other challenges to peace and harmony in the world, it is timely that we answer again the call of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima to entrust ourselves, the Church, and all nations to her Immaculate Heart which she promised would triumph and bring peace.

For more information on the Marian Festival, please contact Wilma McCormack by email: info@bendigofatima.com.

We hope you will be able to join us,

Fr Stephen Bolling
Chaplain to the Bendigo Apostolate of Our Lady of Fatima