ASK FATHER: Official Latin of Fatima Rosary Prayer

Fr Zed is asked a question I've seen posed many times on fora and in conversation. He's correct, of course, that there is no 'official' Latin Version, but his suggestion is excellent. And good on His Excellency Bishop Morlino for the permission to celebrate the Mass of Our Lady on the anniversary of Her last appearance at Fatima!

From Fr Z's Blog

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

Is there an official Latin version of the Oratio Fatimae? I have seen different ones online and a fair amount of ambivalence about which to use. Keeping with St Thomas More, it seems to me that a prayer is made of words and that the words matter.

Thank you for your outstanding blog.

Yes, words matter.

No, there isn’t an official version.

However, there are many versions to choose from!

The original is in Portuguese:

O meu Jesus, perdoai-nos e livrai nos do fogo do inferno; levai as alminhas todas para o Ceu, principalmente aquelas que mais precisarem.

Notice that it doesn’t mention “mercy”. However, we are all used to adding that. So, we could say:

O Iesu mi, dimitte nobis peccata nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, omnes perduc in caelum animas, praesertim (tua) maxime indigentes (misericordia).

There are a lot of versions out there, if memory serves.

This is timely, since Saturday 13 October is the anniversary of the final apparition at Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun.  Where I am, the Extraordinary Ordinary granted, at my request, to the priests in the Diocese of Madison, permission to say a Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as 2nd class, rather than observe the Feast of Edward the Confessor.  As wonderful as Edward is, he is less venerated in Wisconsin than in England.  Hence, we have the option of the Votive Mass.  This is the TLM, mind you, according to the rubrics of the 1962MR 342 & 370-372.