First Saturday

First Friday is a popular devotion in the Catholic faith, a time to offer reparations for sins. The devotion is said to have originated with the apparitions of Christ in France in the 17th century.

Perhaps lesser known but equally as inspirational is First Saturday, or more commonly known as Five First Saturdays. Originating in 1917, the Five First Saturdays devotion is one of the principal points of the Fatima message. As to why five Saturdays, that number corresponds with the five kinds of offenses committed against Mary. 

Those offenses include blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception; against her virginity; against the Divine Maternity and at the same time refusing to receive her as the mother of mankind; publicly seeking to implant indifference, disrespect and even hate in the hearts of children; and reviling her directly in her sacred images. 

It is reported that in her third apparition in Fatima on July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin revealed she would seek the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart and for reparation of the First Five Saturdays. In 1925 she asked for the devotion of the First Five Saturdays and four years later for the consecration of Russia.

It was reported that Jesus explained the five offenses to Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the Fatima visionaries, in 1930. 

Tradition also holds that on Dec. 10, 1925, Our Lady explained to Sister Lucia that her heart was encircled by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. The Blessed Mother went on to explain that to make reparation to her, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, a person must go to confession, receive Communion, pray five decades of the rosary and keep her company for at least a quarter of an hour meditating on the mysteries of the rosary. 

Perhaps a bit forgotten by some, the Five First Saturdays devotion remains equally as relevant today as nearly a century ago. Wars continue, as evidenced by Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine; the evils of abortion, drug abuse, pornography, divorces and dysfunctional marriages continue, leaving unfulfilled Our Lady’s promise that the Holy Father would consecrate Russia to her and a period of peace will be granted to the world. (See story below.)

Father Donald Calloway MIC highly recommends praying the Five First Saturdays much more than once. He said it is also a “great spiritual practice” and a “monthly (spiritual) tune up.”

Perhaps most important, the First Five Saturdays devotion is considered an excellent means to maintain one in the state of grace while immersed in daily spiritual battles.