MACAU (UCAN): The Directorate of Postal and Telecommunications Services in Macau published postal stamps of Our Lady of Fatima to honour the long-held devotion to Mary on May 13. It features a set of two stamps and a block featuring the traditional, decades-old Procession of Our Lady of Fatima.
This coincided with the Church’s celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Fatima commemorating the Apparition of Mary to three young shepherds in Fatima, Portugal, on 13 May 1917, when Mary asked the world to recite the rosary daily for peace in the world and for sinners to repent for their wrongdoings.
Church officials hailed the decision as a recognition of the Church’s important role in enriching society and culture in Macau.
The feast of Our Lady of Fatima, followed by a nine-day novena, was introduced by Portuguese Bishop Jose D. Costa Nunes in 1929 when the territory was under Portuguese rule.
Since then, every year, many people from various parts of China and abroad flock to Macau to participate in the event that features a colourful procession.
The procession also features two girls and a boy attired in traditional Portuguese costumes, representing the shepherds who witnessed the apparitions. With recitations of the rosary and singing of hymns, the procession makes its way from St. Dominic’s Church to the Penha Chapel, presenting a very impressive scene, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau notes.
In 2019, the government of Macau recognised the procession by including it on its Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
The procession was suspended last year due to the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic but was held on a limited scale this year. The island has recorded only 49 cases—all recovered and no deaths—from Covid-19.
