Steadfast in Faith

Congregation Messengers of Fatima continue the work of promoting Our Lady of Fatima, serving others in need

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022 – Participants walked in a procession along Highway WW carrying a statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the Fatima Days celebration by Congregation Messengers of Fatima in St. Clair, Mo. ©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.

Two brothers renew vows at annual Fatima Days celebration in June

Establishing a religious community comes with its bumps along the road, but its evident that Our Lady of Fatima is lifting up the Congregation Messengers of Fatima and carrying them through it all.

More than five years after its founding, the Vietnamese religious community located in St. Clair, in rural Franklin County, continues to promote the messages of Our Lady of Fatima, along with serving the poor and marginalized in the community.

“Some people when they come here, they feel something from God and the Blessed Mother,” said the community’s founder, Father Joseph Diep who arrived in the United States following the fall of Saigon in 1975 and was a student at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary from 1976-81. “The reason they come to participate in an event like this is to pray and honor the Blessed Mother. They feel something peaceful here.”

Religious Brothers An