When First Saturday is Also Holy Saturday

Can the First Saturdays devotion be fulfilled on Holy Saturday?

Since the First Saturday in April this year is Holy Saturday and there is no morning Mass, how can I fulfill all essential practices of the First Saturdays devotion?

There are four essential practices of the First Saturdays devotion. Each is to be done in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

  1. Confession
  2. Receive Holy Communion (Communion of Reparation)
  3. 5 Decades of the Rosary
  4. Keep Our Lady company with a separate and additional Meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes.
  • One can go to Confession with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on another day as long as one receives Holy Communion in the state of grace. There should be one Confession for each First Saturday sometime in the month (cf. Jesus to Sr. Lucia, Feb. 15, 1926).
  • Because of the special circumstance of Holy Saturday this year, it is acceptable to receive the Communion of Reparation either at the Saturday night Vigil Mass for Easter or on Easter Sunday. (Please note this is an extraordinary circumstance. Ordinarily, we recommend that if one goes to the Saturday Vigil to fulfill the First Saturdays devotion that one should go to Mass again on Sunday. However, because of the length of the Saturday Vigil on Holy Saturday, many may not be able to go to Mass on both days).
  • The other 2 practices can be done on Holy Saturday.
  • Remember: Each of the 4 practices is to be done with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This is supported by the following quote from Sr. Lucia:

“And if one could not accomplish all those obligations on a Saturday, would Sunday not do? The practice of the devotion will be equally accepted on the Sunday following the first Saturday, when, for just motives, many priests will allow it” (Memorias e Cartas da Irma Lucia, Antonio Maria Martins, S.J., p. 411).

Another question is: On Holy Saturday, how can I fulfill the Rosary and the Meditation?

We encourage people to still gather together in the parish on Holy Saturday (with parish permission) to do these two practices, in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, using The Communal First Saturdays Devotional book (link provided below). If one cannot join with others, one may fulfill these 2 practices privately on this day.

If there is a Communal First Saturdays® with its inseparable devotional book in your parish:

We recommend that the leader of the Communal First Saturdays® ask the pastor/parish priest for permission to publicly gather in the church or other location in the parish on Holy Saturday. This is what we recommend you say or send to your pastor/parish priest to receive this permission:

Dear Fr.____,

On Holy Saturday, we want to say prayers and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. We would also like to meditate on the Passion for 15 minutes with someone reading the Scriptures out loud.

May we have a designated place in the Church or somewhere else to do this at ___(list time).

Sincerely in Christ,

[add your name and contact details]

Once the leader receives pastor/parish priest permission for the 2 items above, the leader can then:

  1. Advertise that for those who would like to fulfill the First Saturdays devotion, in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in April, you will have the Rosary and Scripture Meditation.
  2. Can let people know that they can receive the Communion of Reparation at the Saturday night Vigil Mass for Easter or on Easter Sunday.
  3. Can let people know they can go to Confession on another day as long as they receive Holy Communion in the state of grace and have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (cf. Jesus to Lucia, Feb 15, 1926).

On the First Saturday, you can still use The Communal First Saturdays Devotional book and proceed as you normally do. The only exception is you would not be participating in Mass and receiving Holy Communion. In other words, you would start on p. 10 as usual and continue to p.23. You would then continue with p. 27 to do the Meditation (omit the parts that refer to the Holy Eucharist being within us since there would be no morning Mass on Holy Saturday). After the Meditation, you can proceed with the Litany and prayers for the Holy Father for any Indulgences.

For those who cannot join a public gathering on Holy Saturday, you could send them the card with the following link: First Saturdays and Fatima Card. You could also encourage them to use The Communal First Saturdays Devotional book for the intentions and prayers beginning on page 10, the Rosary, and the separate meditation.

Here is some additional information:

Support for the First Saturdays to be done on Holy Saturday

The following quote shows that devotion to Our Lady on Saturdays, including First Saturdays, has its theological foundation in Holy Saturday. “… to-day the memorial rightly emphasizes certain values “to which contemporary spirituality is more sensitive: it is a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that great Saturday [Holy Saturday] on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection; it is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ; it is a sign that the “Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church” (bold and brackets are ours).[1]

“Indeed, as we can understand from this quotation, Our Lady alone preserved Faith within her Immaculate Heart on that Holy Saturday, believing that her Son would rise from the dead. We can exclaim once more, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk. 1:45). Yet, although Mary believed on that Holy Saturday, she also suffered in her Immaculate Heart the death of her Son as a consequence of our sins. We recall the words of Simeon inspired by the Holy Spirit, “(and) a sword will pierce through your own soul (also), that the thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk. 2:35). Remembering Our Lady’s sorrows on [Holy Saturday] would be one special way to reveal our hearts to Jesus. He will not forget those sorrows of His Mother and the consolation we offer her.” (bold and brackets our ours) [2]

Support for the Request of the Rosary and Scripture Meditation

“Given the close relationship between Christ and Our Lady, the rosary can always be of assistance in giving prayer a Christological orientation, since it contains meditation of the Incarnation and the Redemption” (emphasis ours). [3]

“On Holy Saturday, the Church is, as it were, at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his passion and death and on his descent into hell, awaiting his resurrection with prayer and fasting…there should be some celebration of the word of God or some act of devotion suited to the mystery celebrated this day.” [4]

“On certain occasions, the recitation of the Rosary could be made more solemn in tone “by introducing those Scriptural passages corresponding with the various mysteries…” [5]

“…the liturgical character of a given day takes precedence over the usual assignment of a mystery of the Rosary to a given day; the Rosary is such that, on particular days, it can appropriately substitute meditation on a mystery so as to harmonize this pious practice with the liturgical season.” [6]

References:

[1] Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines, December 2001, §188, 2nd paragraph. (https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html)

[2] The Communal First Saturdays: Power in Prayer Together, 2017 (420 pages, with imprimatur). This book contains the theology of the First Saturdays devotion and the Church-approved Communal First Saturdays® (https://communalfirstsaturdays.org/shop/the-communal-first-saturdays/)

[3] Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines, § 165.

[4] Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Paschale Solemnitatis Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts, January 16, 1988, § 73. (https://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Calendar/Seasons/Documents/Paschale-Solemnitatis.pdf)

[5] Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines, §199, 2nd paragraph.

[6] Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines, §200, 2nd paragraph.

 

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