The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration
In 1917, in the context of extreme anxiety of a rural Catholic population during a period of war, revolutionary upheaval, and anticlerical politics, the apparition of St Mary to three children near the Portuguese village of Fátima stirred up emotions that have created a cult that is still attracting...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1028 |
| _version_ | 1797466672851845120 |
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| author | Arpad Von Klimo |
| author_facet | Arpad Von Klimo |
| author_sort | Arpad Von Klimo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 1917, in the context of extreme anxiety of a rural Catholic population during a period of war, revolutionary upheaval, and anticlerical politics, the apparition of St Mary to three children near the Portuguese village of Fátima stirred up emotions that have created a cult that is still attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year and that has found followers all over the world. How did this happen? One has to look at the history of changing meanings related to the cult of Our Lady of Fátima, its integrative energy, and the global spread of the cult. The fact that, most recently, immigrants with Hindu and Muslim background are also among the pilgrims to Fátima speaks of the unpredictable cross-cultural and cross-religious possibilities of this cult, in which gender aspects of a female deity play an important role. This paper will analyze the various periods of the cult from its beginning in 1917 and the roles of secularism, the Salazar regime, Colonialism, the Cold War, and migration from and (later) to Portugal, in order to find insights into a fascinating global cult and how it has changed and adapted to a society that has developed a new attitude towards traditional Catholicism. While the history of the Cult of Fátima has been studied before, this article seeks to introduce a global and, at the same time, long-term historical perspective. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:42:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-70e1525ab970497fa36d0e5fd249710c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:42:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-70e1525ab970497fa36d0e5fd249710c2023-11-24T06:35:36ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-10-011311102810.3390/rel13111028The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and MigrationArpad Von Klimo0Department of history, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USAIn 1917, in the context of extreme anxiety of a rural Catholic population during a period of war, revolutionary upheaval, and anticlerical politics, the apparition of St Mary to three children near the Portuguese village of Fátima stirred up emotions that have created a cult that is still attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year and that has found followers all over the world. How did this happen? One has to look at the history of changing meanings related to the cult of Our Lady of Fátima, its integrative energy, and the global spread of the cult. The fact that, most recently, immigrants with Hindu and Muslim background are also among the pilgrims to Fátima speaks of the unpredictable cross-cultural and cross-religious possibilities of this cult, in which gender aspects of a female deity play an important role. This paper will analyze the various periods of the cult from its beginning in 1917 and the roles of secularism, the Salazar regime, Colonialism, the Cold War, and migration from and (later) to Portugal, in order to find insights into a fascinating global cult and how it has changed and adapted to a society that has developed a new attitude towards traditional Catholicism. While the history of the Cult of Fátima has been studied before, this article seeks to introduce a global and, at the same time, long-term historical perspective.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1028CatholicismMarian apparitionsPortugalglobal religionpilgrimage sitesmigration |
| spellingShingle | Arpad Von Klimo The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration Religions Catholicism Marian apparitions Portugal global religion pilgrimage sites migration |
| title | The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration |
| title_full | The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration |
| title_fullStr | The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration |
| title_short | The Cult of Our Lady of Fátima—Modern Catholic Devotion in an Age of Nationalism, Colonialism, and Migration |
| title_sort | cult of our lady of fatima modern catholic devotion in an age of nationalism colonialism and migration |
| topic | Catholicism Marian apparitions Portugal global religion pilgrimage sites migration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/11/1028 |
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