PrayTheRosary Apostolate

Dear Friend's in Christ,

Today we bring to you the passing away of the postulator ofthe cause for the Canonization of the little seers of Fatima. Readbelow and pray for the repose of his soul.

Fr Luis Kondor, SVD, Vice-Postulator of the Cause

for the Canonization of the Blessed Francisco and Jacinta

Marto, died in Fatima on 28th October, 2009, at the

age of 81.

His funeral took place on 30th October in the Church

of the Most Holy Trinity in Fatima. The presiding celebrant

was Dom Antonio Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fatima.

More than 150 priests concelebrated with him, with a congregation

of approximately 2500 friends and members of

Fr Kondor’s family.

His body was laid to rest in the vault of the Congregation

of the Divine Word in the Cemetery in Fatima.

Fr. Luis Kondor was born in Csikvánd, Hungary, on

22.06. 1928. From 1934 to 1939 he attended the local

primary school. In 1940 he entered the boarding school

run by the Benedictines in Györ and then the one run by

the Cistercians in Székesfehérvár. He completed his

secondary schooling in 1946, by which time the Russians

had already invaded Hungary.

FATHER KONDOR: A LIFE FOR THE LITTLE SHEPHERDS

On 20.08.1946, he joined the Congregation of the Divine

Word. He made his first vows on 8.09.1948 and

began his philosophical studies while still in Hungary. In

January 1949, in obedience to his superior, he fled to

Austria, first to Mödling and then to Salzbourg, owing to

the invasion of Austria, too, by the Russians. Finally, in

1950, and again in obedience to his superiors, he sought

refuge in Germany.

He was ordained priest on 28.08.1953 in St Augustin

(Bonn), Germany, and, in 1954, he was sent to Fatima

where he arrived on 19th November 1954. For four years

he worked as vice-rector of the seminary, while also dedicating

himself to work for vocations in the northern half

of Portugal.

On 8.07.1956, he had the first of many meetings with

Sister Lucia; later, as Vice-Postulator, he was to have

standing permission to visit her.

In 1960, he accompanied D. João Pereira Venâncio

on a two-month journey to visit various European countries

and thereafter, at this same bishop’s request, he began

to work part-time for the diocese of Leiria.

At Christmas 1960, he was nominated Vice-Postulator

for the cause of the little Shepherds, a position that

he was to retain until his death.

On 19.03.1961, he was sworn in as Vice-Postulator.

In 1963 he

began to publish

this Bulletin in 7

languages, and

was to continue

to edit it uninterruptedly

for 47

years, with the

aim of making

more widely

known both the

lives of the two

little Shepherds

and the progress

of the canonization

process. In

order to make

the reputation for

holiness of the

little Shepherds

better known,

the bishop of the

diocese authorized

the publication of Sr. Lucia’s Memoirs, which Fr.

Kondor had translated into several languages, and which

he sent all over the world, including to countries subjected

to the atheistic communist regime.

In addition to these publications, he found a way of

secretly sending many images of Our Lady of Fatima to

the various countries under Soviet dominion.

For many years, thanks to his intervention, the

Church in Portugal received large sums in financial aid

from the Welt-kirche in Cologne and from the Europäischer

Hillfsfonds.

With the aid of Cardinal Meisner of Cologne, he

succeeded in bringing Pope John Paul II to Fatima to

beatify the little Shepherds on 13th May, 2000.

In March 2004, he was honoured by “Aid to the

Church in Need” in commemoration of the 50th anniversary

of his priesthood and his presence in Portugal and,

on 18th January 2006, he received the insignia of the

‘Ordem de Com

e n d a d o r ’

awarded to him

by the President

of the Republic

at a public ceremony

in the Grémio

Literário’ in

Lisbon.

In 2009, when

he was already in

failing health, he

arranged for Sr.

Lucia’s Memoirs

to be made available

in 19 languages

on the Little

Shepherds’

website, so that

more people, all

over the world,

would be able to

read this book.

On the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary

of his ordination to the priesthood, he spoke as

follows:

“Even as a child, I wanted to be a priest. My parents

sent me to a strict boarding school, in order to make a

man of me. I entered the Divine Word Congregation at

the age of 18, so that I could be a missionary. In order to

do this, I had to leave my native country, and was

ordained at the age of 25. Fifty years have elapsed since

then. If, today, I look back and recall these years of my

life, I can assure you that I am happy in my vocation, and

assure you that it is worthwhile to dedicate oneself and

entrust oneself to Jesus Christ, and to work for the

spread of the Kingdom of God”.

I will be fully come your way in the month March. Remain Blessed in the Immaculate Heart,

Yours in the Imaculate Heart,

Br. Emmanuel Obele Maria.

Thank you Brother Emmanuel for posting the notice of the passing of Fr Luis Kondor into eternal life. We surely will remember this good priest in our prayers, and his tireless work for the messages of Our Lady of Fatima.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen