The shrine of Fatima increases charitable initiatives even if donations are reduced by half

In 2020, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal lost dozens of pilgrims and, with them, huge income, due to coronavirus travel restrictions that kept foreigners away.

Spokesman Carmo Rodeia told CNA on November 18 that the low number of pilgrims had "a profound impact on donations" to the shrine, down by 47%.

The shrine continued its liturgical celebrations during the pandemic, but was forced to close to pilgrims from mid-March to the end of May. Masses and rosaries at the shrine were streamed live.

In October, one of the two busiest months of the year, the Marian shrine was able to welcome 6.000 people with masks and forced removal in its central square. But it was still a much smaller presence than usual and included very few foreigners, Rodeia said.

As of October 2019, the site had 733 pilgrim groups, 559 of whom came from outside Portugal, Rodeia said. In October 2020 it had 20 groups, all from Portugal.

In May, for the first time in its history, the shrine was forced to celebrate its May 13th anniversary of the 1917 Marian apparitions without the public.

This month, measures against the spread of the coronavirus will tighten in Portugal, with a weekend curfew from 13pm to 00am, which Rodeia said meant the shrine would only be able to offer morning mass on Sunday, at starting November 5.

“This is the worst: we have no pilgrims,” he said, explaining that in 2019 the shrine had 6,2 million visitors. The sanctuary exists for pilgrims, he added, and "they are the most important reason to be open".

Despite the loss of revenue, the pilgrimage site has not separated from any of its 300 or so employees, Rodeia said, noting that the shrine had to be creative with job duties and use "responsible administration" to get everyone to work. .

Additionally, the Fatima shrine has increased its aid to the local community, with a 60% increase in its social assistance in 2020.

The shrine provides help to the city of Fatima and churches in need around the world, especially those dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, the spokesperson said.

He explained that the loss of pilgrims has affected the entire community, as locals rely on visitors for their work and livelihood. Many hotels and restaurants in the city, about 12.000, have closed, costing people their jobs.

People in need "come to the shrine and the shrine supports them," Rodeia said.

The next World Youth Day is scheduled for August 2023 in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. With Fatima just under 80 miles away, there will likely be a large number of young Catholics making a detour to the site of the Marian apparitions, giving the shrine and its community something to look forward to as it overcomes the current crisis.