First Saturday Devotion: DRAWING CLOSER TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

Devotion to Mary and the Rosary has a long history in the Church. On Dec. 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Lucia at Fatima detailing how devotion to her Immaculate Heart was to be practiced. In turn, the First Saturday Devotion has grown as Catholics seek to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart. While this devotion has been practiced by many of the faithful in our community for many years, thanks to the dedication of Fr. Khoi Tran, the Rosary Angels group of Christ the King has worked hard with Fr. Moreno to make the practice of this devotion as simple and easy to participate in as possible.

“Fr. Moreno came to us and asked us to put together all of the requirements necessary to complete this devotion into one format that would make it practical for those in our community to participate easily,” says Rosary Angels member Marilyn Putthoff. “The Rosary Angels took the information he gave us and put together a service that allows people to fulfill the requirements of the First Saturday Devotion in a way that is faithful and not overwhelmingly time-consuming,”

There are four requirements to fulfill the First Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate Heart — to go to Confession, to receive Communion in a state of grace, to pray the Rosary, and spend 15 minutes in prayer while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. All of these things must take place on the first Saturday, except one may go to Confession eight days before or eight days after.

To make this devotion simple to practice, on the first Saturday of each month, Fr. Moreno begins offering Confessions at Christ the King at 8 a.m. They begin praying the Rosary at about 8:40 a.m. and Mass is said immediately following the Rosary. After Mass, the monstrance is placed on the altar and adoration takes place for 15 minutes, during which a meditation is read for one of the mysteries of the Rosary. The Litany to Our Lady is prayed followed by the closing prayer. This service is usually wrapped up by 10 a.m.

For Mary Wilson, another member of the Rosary Angels, the practice of this devotion is a necessity.

“The world is in a precarious situation right now,” she says. “When we watch the news and look at the political situation we are in, we see so much turmoil and discord in our country and the whole world. This devotion to make reparation for the sin in the world is a very practical and simple thing that we can do. It is much needed.”

While the devotion only requires participation for five consecutive first Saturdays, those who take part in this devotion find it to be such a beautiful and fruitful experience that they continue to come as frequently as possible.

“The time goes by so quickly since we are actively doing prayers and meditations,” Marilyn says. “Many people think this is a lot of work, but it isn’t. It is an important opportunity to prioritize prayer and devotion to God and his Blessed Mother. Time with the Lord is never wasted. We encourage people to just make the time to come once and see how your hearts may be opened.”

“We really need to think about our devotion to Our Lady,” Mary adds. “Our lives are so busy, but this is an opportunity to give of your time and place a priority on your faith. We can think about this as something to say to our Lord and His mother, ‘I can do this for you.’”

First Saturday Devotion takes place at Christ the King. Confessions begin at 8 a.m., the Rosary, Mass, and Adoration take place from 8:40-10 a.m. All in the community are encouraged to join in this beautiful devotion.

While the devotion only requires participation for five consecutive first Saturdays, those who take part in this devotion find it to be such a beautiful and fruitful experience that they continue to come as frequently as possible.