Origin of the Fatima Prayer in the Holy Rosary

Today when Catholics pray the Holy Rosary, they append the following prayer at the end of each decade:

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.”

This extra prayer was requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary in her apparition at Fatima and Catholics have obediently included it in their recitation of her Rosary.

It’s a prayer for forgiveness and mercy for sinners. It adds a penitential feature to the Holy Rosary. It is a reminder to us that Our Blessed Mother loves us and is always seeking ways for us to grow closer to her Son Jesus Christ.

One historical curiosity is that Sister Lucia claims that the original prayer did not include the word “thy mercy” at the end of the prayer. I’d be interested if anyone knows who that part was added and what was the justification. Does the original Portugese version suggest that reading?

At Fisher More College, we are trying to figure out which is the best rending of the original in Latin. Any Latin/Portugese/Fatima experts out there?

HT: Albert Doskey