America Needs Fatima

America Needs Fatima

Motto	Because it's the Solution For Our Times!
Founded	1985
Founder	C. Preston Noell, III
Type	501(c)(3) Charity
Location	Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
Key people	Robert E. Ritchie, Executive Director
Website	www.americaneedsfatima.org

America Needs Fatima is a campaign of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), a Catholic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its stated goal is to "win the heart and soul of America for Mary by spreading Our Lady's Fátima message and promoting devotion to her Immaculate Heart."

Structure

America Needs Fatima was founded in February 1985. C. Preston Noell III. was its first Executive Director until 1996, when leadership of the organization passed to Robert E. Ritchie, who remains Executive Director today. America Needs Fatima claims an active membership of 125,000. The headquarters are in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

Mission

"America Needs Fatima (ANF) is The American TFP's special campaign to spread the Fatima message in the United States. The goal of America Needs Fatima is to win the heart and soul of America for Mary by spreading Our Lady's Fatima message and promoting devotion to Her Immaculate Heart."

"America Needs Fatima sees the essence of Our Lady's message is to open our eyes to the gravity of today's moral corruption, to explain it in light of God's plans, and to outline how to prevent the chastisement. Our Lady is thus teaching us about our epoch and our future."

Activities

America Needs Fatima is involved in advocacy and education on a range of issues, including abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and socialism. It applies the message of Our Lady of Fatima to what it sees as the "moral crisis" in society.

Fatima home visits

Since 1994, the primary activity of America Needs Fatima has been the "Mary in Every Home" program. It consists of a Fatima custodian taking a four-foot tall statue of Our Lady of Fatima to a person's home, with a crowning and enthronement ceremony, a short audio-visual about the story of Fatima, and the praying of the rosary. ANF claims to have visited approximately 10,000 homes in all 50 states with this program.

"Anti-blasphemy" protests

America Needs Fatima has protested films, plays, and art exhibits it considers "blasphemous" or offensive to Catholicism. Protests consist of sending protest cards, phone calls, or e-mail protests as well as street demonstrations outside the theater or museum.

Films, plays, and art exhibits that America Needs Fatima has protested include:

• The Da Vinci Code
• The Crime of Father Amaro
• The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
• Dogma
• "The Last Temptation of Christ"
• Hail Mary
• "Corpus Christi"
• "Jesus Has Two Mommies"
• "Jerry Springer: The Opera"
• "Piss Christ", by Andres Serrano
• "A Fire in My Belly," by David Wojnarowicz, at the Booklyn Museum of Art
• "Our Lady" by Alma Lopez

America Needs Fatima protesters showed up at the Uptown Players production of "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" in December 2013. Actor Stan Graner commented, “I appreciate the protesters exercising their right to protest, and they seemed to be doing it in a sincere and peaceful manner. But I can’t help but think that by helping to draw attention to the controversial production they are also in fact supplying free advertising for the show. As a long-time supporter of Uptown Players, I welcome the publicity, and I hope it helps sell more tickets.”

Fatima flier distribution

America Needs Fatima claims to have distributed several million fliers about Our Lady of Fatima through mailings and street distribution campaigns.

Public Square Rosary Crusade

Since 2007, America Needs Fatima has organized an annual "Public Square Rosary Crusade," consisting of ANF "Rally Captains" organizing prayer vigils in public places, such as a sidewalk or street corner, in their local town or city. The first campaign was held on October 13, 2007, the 90th anniversary of the "Miracle of the Sun."

According to its website, approximately 2,000 rallies were held in 2007, 3,500 in 2008, 4,337 in 2009, 5,963 in 2010, and 7,515 in 2011. In 2012, 9,077 were held across the United States and in 36 countries.

Books and devotional items

America Needs Fatima regularly publishes devotional books and pamphlets. Some of its more important works include:

• Fatima: Prophecies of Tragedy or Hope?, by Antonio Borelli
• Fatima: A Message More Urgent than Ever, by Luiz Sergio Solimeo
• Jacinta's Story, by Andrea F. Phillips
• Meet the Witnesses, by John Haffert
• The Book of Confidence, by Fr. Thomas de Saint-Laurent
• The Secret of the Rosary, by St. Louis de Montfort
• The Way of the Cross, by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
• Sermons of Hope, by St. Alphonsus de Liguiori

Return to Order

Along with its parent organization, America Needs Fatima is sponsoring a new book called Return to Order: From A Frenzied Economy to An Organic Christian Society – Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go.

See also

• Our Lady of Fátima
• American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property

External links

• America Needs Fatima Home Page
• America Needs Fatima Official Blog
• Trott, Josephine. "Does America Really Need Fatima? Fordham Event Dialogue Faces Discrimination", The Observer, Fordham University, September 21, 2011