Pilgrim statue displayed at St. Stephen's Church

WARWICK - The world-famous International Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was on display at Warwick’s Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, last Friday and Saturday. The statue was sculpted in 1947 by Jose Thedim and is based on the description of Sister Lucia, one of the three young seers who reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary from May to October 1917, in Fatima, Portugal. The Pilgrim Statue has visited more than 100 countries including Russia and China. Sister Lucia died on Feb. 13 of this year at her Carmelite convent in Coimbra, Portugal. She was only 10 years old when she and her two young cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported that the Virgin appeared to them on a field outside the town of Fatima. The young seers conveyed what many believe were Mary’s predictions of World War II, the rise of Communism and other events. St. Stephen’s parishioners had an opportunity to view the statue and participate in scheduled services. Many also volunteered to spend an hour or more in prayer at an all night exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.