CHARLOTTE — One hundred and three years after Our Lady first appeared to three shepherd children in Portugal, members of the Luminaries of Holy Mary are dedicated to learning, living and spreading the message of Fatima.
Mary Sample, an envoy with the lay prayer group and a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, said the Fatima message is especially relevant today.
“Every dogma of our faith is mentioned directly or indirectly in the message of Fatima,” she said. “Also, it calls each of us to play a role in salvation history through prayers, reparation, consecration and unity.”
“As Luminaries, we try to imitate Our Lady as best we can, according to our state of life, every moment of every day, according to God’s will. We know that Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart is our refuge and the way to lead us to God,” Sample said.
Luminaries pray the rosary daily and meet monthly to pray, study Sacred Scripture and read and discuss books about the Fatima message. They also attend two or three spiritual days per year and honor the First Saturday Devotion, which was asked for by Our Lord and Our Lady in connection with the apparitions in Fatima.
The Luminaries of Holy Mary, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, grew out of a relationship that Sample and her brother, Frank Spicer, developed with a Portuguese religious women’s congregation, Aliança de Santa Maria (Alliance of Holy Mary), during visits and pilgrimages to Fatima.
Aliança de Santa Maria is dedicated to promulgating the message of Fatima, and the Luminaries help to carry out their mission in the United States.
The congregation in the United States currently has seven chapters, including Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury and St. Vincent de Paul Church. Father John Eckert, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, serves as the group’s spiritual director.
Duane Krzysik, a parishioner at Sacred Heart who helps to facilitate the meetings with his wife Mary, said he has received many graces since visiting Fatima and joining the Luminaries.
“The sisters of the Alliance of Holy Mary have a joy that is contagious, and I wanted that type of joy!” he said, noting that the congregation sends the Luminaries a monthly summary and reflection on the Gospels.
“All in all, my prayer life is deeper, more meditative, and I pray with confidence,” Krzysik said. “I know that Jesus, Mary and Joseph will answer my prayer for family and friends.”
— Dina Wilson, Correspondent. Pictured above: Luminaries of Holy Mary members attended a conference at Belmont Abbey College in 2019. (Photos provided by Mary Sample)
Members of the Luminaries of Holy Mary meet at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.For more information
Members of the Luminaries of Holy Mary meet at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.To learn more about joining the Luminaries of Holy Mary or starting a chapter at your parish, contact Mary Sample at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For information about Aliança de Santa Maria, visit its website aliancadesantamaria.com and select the “English” option in the top right corner of the homepage.