History
and Development of the
Worldwide Children’s
Eucharistic Holy
Hour
The
Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour was founded
and developed
by the World Apostolate of Fatima, Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Archdiocesan
division, presented to Archbishop Harry Flynn then co-sponsored
with the
Archdiocesan Office of Family, Laity and Marriage, to
celebrate and
acknowledge the Year of the Rosary, proclaimed by Pope
John Paul II in 2003.
The
apostolate knew it would to be an inspiring and effective
way to show
children the power of their prayers, and to teach them
what Our Lady of the
Rosary requested in Fatima, Portugal in 1917: Pray the
rosary, do penance,
and make Eucharistic reparation, while developing a more
genuine devotion
to Jesus in the Eucharist, the apostolate wanted to draw
a parallel to the
Angel of Peace at Fatima, who introduced the little shepherds
to
Jesus in the Eucharist.
Inspired by the success of the program, the WAF once again
co-sponsored
the event in 2004 with the Office of Family, Laity and
Marriage, and
immediately started developing and promoting the program
nationally.
The Year of the Eucharist in 2005, presented an unprecedented
opportunity
to spread the program to all Catholic schools in the United
States.
In 2005, “Year of the Eucharist” the diocesan
division of the
World Apostolate of Fatima, developed a National “Prayer
of Petition”
contest to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for Catholic
school children
to participate. Irish Singer, Dana, took the winning petitions
and
put them to song. From that, our theme song was born:
“We are the Children of the World, Answering the
Call,”
answering a call to Our Lady of Fatima to help bring the
world back to God.
This was also the first year that the international body
of the
World Apostolate of Fatima promoted participation in the
Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour, and by 2006, it
was broadcast globally
on EWTN, from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., which has become
the
Eucharistic epicenter of this now annual event.
The Pontifical Mission Society of the Holy Childhood Association
has
accepted the invitation of the World Apostolate of Fatima,
to participate
in the Seventh annual, “Worldwide Children’s
Holy Hour.”
The founder’s objective is that one day children
throughout the world will
annually gather before the Most Blessed Sacrament, as
they follow the way
of the little shepherds of Fatima, to ‘console Jesus’
who is truly present in
the tabernacle, and pray for their own family and all
the families of the world.
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