About

The National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is a Catholic Shrine and retreat center operated by the World Apostolate of Fatima USA and dedicated to the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Pilgrims and retreatants alike come to take advantage of our peaceful setting for prayer and meditation.

About the Shrine

Nestled within 150 acres of scenic farmland, the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, was built in 1978 as a response to Our Lord’s question to Sister Lucia:

“What is being done to spread devotion to the Immaculate Heart of My Mother?”

The Shrine’s purpose is to be a point-of-contact where people can encounter Our Lady of Fatima’s message of prayer, repentance, and conversion. It also serves as a conduit through which the message of Fatima can spread throughout the Americas and the rest of the world.

At the heart of the Shrine is Our Lord’s Eucharistic Presence in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Towering 130 feet above the Shrine is a bronze statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with the roof representing her mantle flowing over and protecting us, her children.

The Holy House

“This is the holiest place on earth.”

~Pope St. John XXIII speaking of the Holy House of Loreto

If Our Lord’s Eucharistic Presence is the heart of the Shrine, then the Holy House Chapel, dedicated in 1973, is the heart of the Our Lady of Fatima Retreat Center.

The Holy House Chapel is a scale replica of the Holy House of Loreto—the home of the Holy Family now residing in Loreto, Italy. The builders of the Holy House Chapel took stones from the House of Loreto, pulverized them, and added them to the mortar, making the Chapel more than just a scale representation of the House.

The altar contains a section of the very same altar from the chapel in Tuy, Spain; where, in 1929, Sr. Lucia received a vision of the Trinity and Our Lady of Fatima, extending her Immaculate Heart, and the words Grace and Mercy flowing like water onto the altar from the Crucified Savior’s left arm.

A wood statue of St. Joseph as he appeared at Fatima during the Miracle of the Sun is also there to greet pilgrims.

The Capelinha

The Capelinha—Portuguese for “little chapel”—is one of only two exact replicas of the chapel built at Fatima on the site of Our Lady’s apparitions. It houses the Pilgrim Virgin Statue, which is itself an exact replica of the miraculous Pilgrim Virgin Statue carried in procession at Fatima. It was generously donated by the Catholic Portuguese community.

The Rosary Garden and other Outdoor Shrines

Situated in the outdoor beauty of God’s own creation, the Rosary Garden brings the twenty mysteries of the Rosary to life in life-size statues.

In addition to the Rosary Garden, there are various other outdoor shrines and places for prayer and quiet reflection scattered throughout the property, including:

Blue Army Cemetery and the graves of Msgr. Colgan, John Haffert and Mother Mary Stanislaus
Mary, Mother of the Life Within grotto
Stations of the Cross
St. Francis of Assisi garden
St. Pio of Pietrelcina shrine
Angel Gabriel statue representing the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary (just outside the Holy House Chapel, a short walk from the entrance to the Rosary Garden)
Guardian Angel of the United States Peace Pond along the Marian Way
Our Lady of Fatima and the Three Shepherd Children statue
Ss. Joachim and Anne statues
St. Therese of Lisieux shrine
Byzantine Icons on the Marian Way
Holy Family Candle House