Our Lady of Fatima

In 1917, in the village of Fatima, Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three peasant children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. This first apparition occurred on May 13th. The Catholic Church observes this day, yearly, as the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady appeared on the 13th day of each month from May through October. During the six apparitions, Our Lady delivered messages to the world, of prayer, penance, and peace, urging humanity to turn towards God and seek repentance.

Besides this call to human race, the Blessed Virgin revealed the following three secrets to the children.

The first secret was an image of hell. This vision deeply shocked each child. Though the vision lasted only a moment, it affected them profoundly. Years later, Lucia described the image in this way: “Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers …floating about in the conflagration…amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us.” After seeing this vision of Hell, the three children prayed intensely, in an ongoing basis, and did penance for the conversion of sinners.

The second secret revealed that the First World War was going to end, however, if people do not cease offending God, a much more devastating war would break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI. “When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and for the Communion of reparation on First Saturdays.”

The third secret was an explicit, visual compilation, depicting the suffering Church over a period of unspecified time. Lucia’s description states,

“…a bishop dressed in white, we had the impression that it was the Holy Father, other bishops, priests, men and women religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big cross. Before reaching there, the Holy Father passed through a big city, half in ruins, and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other bishops, priests, men and women religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions”.

This secret was not revealed until the year 2000, at the order of Pope John Paul II.

When it became known that Our Lady would appear to the children for the last time, on October 13, and that she promised a sign that would convince the world of her apparition, thousands of faithful people journeyed through heavy rain and mud to witness the predicted miracle.

After they gathered in the place of the expected apparition, the sky suddenly cleared up and the clouds dispersed. The wet and muddy ground became completely dry and many people discovered that their previously drenched clothing was also completely dry. Then the sun began to spin, twirling about, and at one point it appeared to veer toward the earth before jumping back to its place in the sky.

This has become to be known as “The Miracle of the Sun”, and was witnessed by nearly 70,000 people. Pope Pius XII approved the Miracle in 1940.