The Convent of Coimbra, Portugal, Needs Your Help
A request for help was sent to Richard Salbato from Mother Celina, Superior of the Convent in Coimbra, Portugal. For those of you who do not know Mr. Salbato, let me just mention a few things. Rick was the courier for Lucia and was trusted by both Sr. Lucia and the Mother Superior to deliver her private writings to her spiritual director. Rick was called to the convent many times when the nuns needed help or advice. Richard Salbato is also the man who set up the meeting between Sr. Lucia and Mel Gibson, who gave Sr. Lucia a copy of the Passion of the
Christ.
On March 28th, the Covent of Coimbra, Portugal will be celebrating the one hundred years anniversary of Sister Lúcia's birthday. Lucia lived in this Convent from 1948 and died there in 2005. It was her home for almost 58 years. From her cell in this convent Lucia wrote several books on Our Lady and her memories of the apparitions and the other children including the apparitions of the angels. Already miracle cures have taken place through her intercession and her beatification and canonization has been on fast track along with that of her friend, Pope John Paul II.
Sister Lucy of Fatima died in this convent on February 13, 2005 after 97 years of life. Mother Celina was at her bedside. Just before her death, Lucia looked up to heaven and spoke her last words,
"For the Holy Father! ... Our Lady, Our Lady, Holy Angels, Heart of Jesus, Heart of Jesus! We are going, we are going.”
"Where?" asked Mother Celina
"To Heaven..."
"With whom?" asked Mother Celina
“With Our Lord ... Our Lady ... and the little Shepherds."
And she breathed her last. According to those present, Our Lord, Our Lady, Angels, Jacinta and Francisco came to take her to Heaven.
The Convent in Coimbra will have a Mass and Celebration in honor of her birthday on March 28th and hopes that her friends come and honor Lucia and Our Lady of Fatima on that day. But there is an even more important event that I would like to talk about. Hopefully on May 13, 2007 the Convent of Coimbra will open up a Museum adjoining the convent. It will have a reproduction of her cell, her personal belongings and many other objects that belonged to her.
It is sad for me to say this but since the death of Lucia the convent that took care of her for almost 60 years is being forgotten by those who love Our Lady of Fatima. This is a very poor convent and they may not be able to finish this Museum by May 13th as they hope. I know that the amount of money needed to finish this Museum is not that much but they simply do not have the money and it is not coming forth at this time. Normally, Carmelite Convents do not accept unsolicited donations from outsiders but this is an exceptional case because it is to honor Our Lady of Fatima and not directly for the Convent.
Re-educate yourself on the apparitions of Fatima (see below) and then give up something for Our Lady of Fatima. Give up a pilgrimage to some shrine, give up a pleasure trip for some fun, give up a dinner out with your friends, give up a day on the golf course or even a new pare of shoes, and then send that money to help these poor nuns who are trying to spread devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and show their love for the loving nun they lost two years ago. Please, please, my friends and friends of Our Lady of Fatima, use the money saved by giving up some fun, and send it to the Convent of Coimbra so they can build a shrine for us to visit in the future.
Richard Salbato
Visit the Sister's and keep up with the construction of the Museum
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