K of C Internet Pioneer

Alan Merwin
Our Lady of Fatima
Prayer/Petition Ministry

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Alan F. Merwin, is a 4th Degree Sir Knight from Yuma, AZ. 
This is how he and his wife Junette started their petition work (Our Lady of Fatima Apostolate) in Fatima, Portugal.

"In 1980 when we first visited Fatima our friends gave us petitions to
deliver to the Shrine and to buy and light candle for their intentions.  At
the time we thought that bringing petitions to Fatima was a wonderful idea.
Each time we visited Fatima we always gathered petitions from our friends
and family then delivered them to Our Lady.  We then took that opportunity
to always pray for the intentions of the sender.

In 1982 my work took us to Spain.  For the next four years we drove from our
Spanish home to Fatima.  Month after month we prayed the Rosary as we
traveled and took the petitions we had gathered with us from Spain and
United States.  My work with networks and the internet had begin early in
1980 and was slowly becoming part of my work and the way I gathered and
delivered information.

In 1994 we moved to Fatima and brought the idea of delivering petitions with
us.  We simply combined the idea of e-mail and "gathering" petitions.
Junette came up with the name "Our Lady of Fatima Apostolate".  She thought
it was meaningful and simple, she was right and it stuck.  Soon after adding
our webpage to the first local internet company here in Fatima, Vertual Net,
the petitions poured in.  They have been pouring in ever since.  Now
"Gatherers", from around the world, send us petitions.  They gather them
from their parishes, hospitals, prayer groups, retirement homes, off the
internet, friends and family.  Anyplace you can think of, that's connected to
the Internet, we have received a petitions from there.

The little petition work has brought many wonderful times for us and we have
met many great people.  Our little Fatima living room is like an
international airport with the coming and going of the people of God.  It
has also taught us that anyone can work for God or Our Lady if they want to.
There is always something you can do, some kindness or some love you can
pass on to someone somewhere.  As a Knight this work is perfect because I
can take the sense of brotherhood, the sense of giving, the sense of the
love of God to all that we contact.  It is the type of work that really
allows me to be the Knight of Columbus that I've always wanted to be!

When people ask my wife and I what we do in Fatima, we simply tell them "We
gather petitions from throughout the world and deliver them to Our Lady of
Fatima"!

Alan and his wife Junette moved to their apartment in Fatima, Portugal, on February 26, 1994, where they developed the Apostolate of receiving petitions from all over the world and taking them down to the Cova where Our Lady appeared. Since that first day they have received well over a million prayer/petitions from ALL corners of the world. Junette said, "Our Lady is very happy to hear from so many of Her troubled children."

She added, "If you wish to include us in your listings on your Knights of Columbus homesite, you are quite welcome and we would be very grateful.  Please tell the writers not to send us their e-mail lists when writing to us.  We also appreciate not having any "files attachments". Here it is quite costly to use the e-mail system and therefore we would like to use our computer, printer etc.  solely for Our Lady without having to get involved with printing/paper/tel. lines/ etc. that would detract from Her.  All petitions are welcome and all petitions may be in whatever language is that of the petitioner. Our Lady understands them all."

Alan and Junette scan through each petition before printing them to make sure there is nothing blasphemous that will go to Our Lady's mailbox under Her feet at the Cova where She appeared. The couple emphasizes that ALL petitions are confidential with the exceptions of those requesting advice. They refer those to a priest with whom they have great confidence. The Merwins hope that the Knights will continue to send petitions to Our Lady as they remember us in their prayers. 

You can send your prayer/petition to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima through Alan and Junette Merwin's ministry by visiting http://Fatima-petitions.com . Simply fill out the form and click send. 

THINK ABOUT IT:
'If God is your Co-pilot - Swap seats".
"God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage".
Visit our Home page:  http://Fatima-petitions.com  
Pray the Rosary Daily:
Wear the Brown Scapular always:

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