America Needs Fatima


America Needs Fatima is a campaign of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, a Catholic 501 non-profit organization. It advocates faith and morals based on the teachings of the Virgin Mary, particularly based on the visions of an apparition of her reported by three children in Fátima, Portugal in 1917.

Structure

America Needs Fatima was founded in February 1985. C. Preston Noell III was its first executive director. Leadership passed in 1996 to Robert E. Ritchie, who remains executive director. America Needs Fatima claims an active membership of 193,000. The headquarters are in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

Activities

America Needs Fatima is a conservative advocacy group that opposes abortion rights, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, euthanasia, and socialism. It applies its interpretation of the message of Our Lady of Fatima to what it sees as the "moral crisis" in society.

Fatima home visits

Since 1994, the primary activity of America Needs Fatima has been the "Mary in Every Home" program. It consists of a Fatima custodian taking a four-foot tall statue of Our Lady of Fátima to a person's home, with a crowning and enthronement ceremony, a short audio-visual about the story of Fátima, Portugal, and the praying of the rosary. ANF claims to have visited approximately 10,000 homes in all 50 states with this program.

Anti-blasphemy protests

America Needs Fatima has protested films, plays, and art exhibits it considers blasphemous or otherwise offensive to Catholicism. Protests consist of sending protest cards, making phone calls, and sending mass e-mails as well as promixmate street demonstrations.
Films, plays, and art exhibits that America Needs Fatima has protested include:
America Needs Fatima protesters showed up at the Uptown Players production of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told in December 2013. Actor Stan Graner commented, “I appreciate the protesters exercising their right to protest, and they seemed to be doing it in a sincere and peaceful manner. But I can’t help but think that by helping to draw attention to the controversial production they are also in fact supplying free advertising for the show. As a long-time supporter of Uptown Players, I welcome the publicity, and I hope it helps sell more tickets.”
ANF also organized protests in 2017 against Out Front Theater's production of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told in Atlanta, GA.

Fatima flier distribution

America Needs Fatima claims to have distributed several million fliers about Our Lady of Fatima through mailings and street distribution campaigns.

Public Square Rosary Crusade

Since 2007, America Needs Fatima has organized an annual "Public Square Rosary Crusade," consisting of ANF "Rally Captains" organizing prayer vigils in public places, such as a sidewalk or street corner, in their local town or city. The first campaign was held on October 13, 2007, the 90th anniversary of the "Miracle of the Sun."
According to its website, approximately 2,000 rallies were held in 2007, 3,500 in 2008, 4,337 in 2009, 5,963 in 2010, and 7,515 in 2011. In 2012, 9,077 were held across the United States and in 36 countries.

Return to Order

Along with its parent organization, America Needs Fatima is sponsoring a new book called Return to Order: From A Frenzied Economy to An Organic Christian Society – Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go.