The Fatima Center is a grassroots association* of Catholic priests and lay people. Their primary mission is to make known the full Message of Our Lady of Fatima and, as requested by God, promote devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Fatima Center Apostolate was formed in North America in 1978 in response to Our Lady. The founder and International Director is Father Nicholas Gruner, who for more than 30 years has dedicated his life to promoting interest in and devotion to the Message of Our Lady of Fatima.

The Fatima Crusader Shortly after the formation of Our Lady’s Apostolate, Father Gruner began publishing The Fatima Crusader magazine. This magazine is one of the primary means utilized to make known Our Lady’s full Fatima Message and its impact on the Catholic Church and the world.  Since its first issue over 30 years ago, the magazine has grown from a modest circulation of 20,000 to an estimated readership of more than 1,000,000. It is by far the largest and most influential publication on Fatima in the world.

Heaven’s Peace Plan: In response to Pope John Paul II’s statement that “the Message of Fatima is addressed to every human being,” the Fatima Center began broadcasting in the spring of 1987 Heaven’s Peace Plan, a worldwide radio program featuring Father Gruner and guests. A year later, the Apostolate began a further expansion of its radio ministry to include regular daily short- wave broadcasts of the program which grew to reach more than 190 nations overseas.

TV Series and TV Documentaries: The Fatima Center expanded its outreach further through various weekly television broadcasts, and prime- time one-hour documentaries. In 1987, Fatima — featuring Father Gruner and hosted by noted actor Ricardo Montalban — was completed. More recently,  the one-hour TV documentary on the Fatima Message, Heaven’s Key to Peace, was aired on national television in the United States and Canada and is now translated into various languages for broadcast overseas. In 2008, the full length documentary, The Third Secret, was completed.

Books and Publications: In 1988, Immaculate Heart Publications, the Fatima Center’s book publishing arm, published Father Gruner’s first book World Enslavement or Peace. This book is primarily about the Consecration of Russia request and fills in many details not possible to cover in this short booklet. (It is still available from the Fatima Center, see address on page 63.) Since 1989, the Apostolate has published more than a dozen other books on Fatima-related subjects, such as the first English-language version of The Whole Truth About Fatima by Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinité.

Since 2002, over 165,000 copies of  The Devil’s Final Battle in English, compiled and edited by Father Paul Kramer, have been distributed. It has also been translated and printed in  Italian, French and Portuguese. This book is available on the web at www.devilsfinalbattle. com.

We have circulated more than 30 million copies of sound Catholic books and magazines on the Fatima Message. Many more booklets, leaflets and pamphlets have also been circulated. In 2007 alone, over 7,000,000 pieces of Fatima literature were distributed in various languages worldwide.

Bishops and Priests World Peace Conferences: In 1985 the Fatima Center hosted the first of a number of Fatima Peace Conferences, inviting Catholic  bishops and priests from around the world. Conferences have been held twice in Fatima, Portugal; 3 times in Rome, Italy; and once in each of the following places: Mexico City; Hamilton, Canada; Tuy, Spain; São Paulo, Brazil; and Chennai, India. The focus of these conferences has been — and continues to be — the eternal salvation of many souls, the urgency of the Fatima Message and its link to true world peace.

Growing Support: Despite the efforts of some influential clergy within the Church to relegate Fatima to the status of a mere private revelation which can be safely ignored or to an event which has no prophetic significance for the present and the near future of mankind, the Apostolate has been successful in garnering the enthusiastic support of many Catholic clergy around the world. A public letter to the Holy Father on behalf of the Fatima Center was signed by 10 Archbishops, 17 bishops, 1,900 priests and religious, and 16,000 lay people. The Fatima Center writes to all the Catholic bishops of the world each year. Over 50% of them have responded and to date, many Catholic bishops have signed and sent in their written agreement to the Fatima Center indicating their willingness to fully comply with Our Lady of Fatima’s request for the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart as a condition for world peace.

Outreach: Over the years, the Apostolate expanded its outreach to Catholic clergy, regularly providing important Fatima news and information to nearly 160,000 bishops and priests around the world (nearly 40% of the world’s Catholic clergy).

30 Web Sites: Our Fatima Network (www.fatima.org), launched in May 1996, is one of the largest and most influential Catholic sites on the Internet, with over a million visitors each year. In 1998, versions in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese were added. In 2004, the site was redesigned and expanded into several new websites with hundreds more articles, an improved search engine and an On-line Rosary.

Further Expansion: In 1991 the Apostolate opened offices in India and the Philippines.  In 1998 an office was opened in Rome, Italy and a distribution center in Fatima, Portugal.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Orphanage: Opened in 1995 at the initiative of Father Gruner and Archbishop Saminini Arulappa, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Orphanage in Hyderabad, India continues to feed, clothe and educate over 100 children each year and provides a rich spiritual resource for neighboring communities. In 1999, Father Gruner joined Archbishop Arulappa in inaugurating a new fully-equipped orphanage facility to assist the Apostolate in better serving these needy children.

In 1999, to further administer to the needs of the orphans and the surrounding communities, the Fatima Center built and equipped a medical center adjacent to the orphanage. In 2000, the Apostolate built a convent beside the orphanage to ensure the well-being and safety of the community of nuns that staff the orphanage and medical center as well as teaching the orphans at St. Paul’s Catholic School nearby.

Volunteers: In recent years the Apostolate has added a growing core of volunteers from around the world who help promote Our Lady’s Fatima Message through pray- erful support, distribution of our apostolate literature and other means.

Message of Fatima: In response to Pope Benedict XVI's proclamation that the Message of Fatima is the most prophetic message of the 20th Century as well as to Pope John Paul II’s avowal that the “Message of Fatima is more urgent and relevant” today than ever, Father Gruner and other priests of the Apostolate continue to preach in various dioceses throughout the world.  Father Gruner travels with the miraculous Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, blessed by the Pope at Fatima, Portugal, bringing Her Message of peace and hope to all Catholics and others of good will everywhere.