Fatima, Portugal: Our Lady of Fatima Shrine
About the apparitions at Fatima:
Fatima has as much (or perhaps even more) importance for us today as it did back when it was reported in the early 20th century.
The blessed Virgin Mary appearing to three shepherd children is a story that encompasses many parts. Throughout history, Our Blessed Mother seems to choose the poor and un-educated, rather than the rich and learned, to deliver her message.
The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima were preceded by the apparitions of an angel:
Great events in history are often foreshadowed. Just as an angel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce that she would give birth to Christ, something similar happened at Fatima. The apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima were preceded by three visions of the Angel of Portugal to three children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta (ever notice how things seem to come in threes?). Through their conversations with this Angel, Providence prepared the children for the moment when Our Lady would speak to them.
The First Apparition of an angel: In the spring of 1916, three children; Lucia dos Santos (age 9) and her younger cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto (ages 6 & 8, respectively). took their parents’ sheep to a pasture in a place called Loca do Anjo, owned by Lucia’s grandfather. It was near their homes in the hamlet of Aljustrel…..not far from the mountain village of Fatima, Portugal.
As they were herding their sheep, they stopped to allow them to graze. At the same time, the children decided to say the Rosary, and then they played a game with pebbles. Suddenly, a strong wind blew forcefully, and a white light emerged from the area of the olive trees. As the light moved forward, the children could see the apparition`s visage. It said, “Do not be afraid. I am the angel of peace. Pray with me.”
The prayer was as follows: `My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.` After the children repeated the prayer three times with the angel, he said, “Pray in this way. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are ready to listen to you.” He then disappeared, leaving the children mystified.
The second apparition of an angel: the three children were together again when, in the summer of 1916, in the garden behind Lucia’s house. The angel appeared once more, angry at the children for their lack of piety and persistence. “What are you doing? You must pray! Pray! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs for you. You must offer your prayers and sacrifices to God, the Most High”, the angel said. The children asked which sacrifices they should give to God, and the angel replied, “In every way you can offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for sinners. In this way you will bring peace to our country, for I am its guardian angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, bear and accept with patience the sufferings God will send you.”
Note: Francisco could not hear the angel`s pronouncements; he could only see him. This was the case in all the apparitions, even those in 1917. Jacinta and Lucia were the ones who could inform him of the apparitions` wishes.
The third apparition of an angel: the exact date is unkown, but occurred either in late September or early October 1916. At the Loca do Anjo again, the children began to pray, as Lucia reminded the siblings about the angel`s previous message. As they prayed, the Angel appeared again, holding a chalice. The angel knelt, towering below the small children, and he asked them to repeat this prayer three times: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”
He then raised the chalice and passed it to Lucia, then Jacinta, then Francisco. He asked of the three: “Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ terribly outraged by the ingratitude of men. Offer reparation for their sakes and console God“. Afterwards, the angel recited the aforementioned prayer three times with the children, and disappeared.
The first apparition of the Virgin Mary occurred on May 13, 1917.
Lucia Santos by this time was ten years old, the oldest of the three. Francisco Marto was nearly nine and Jacinta Marto was seven. They led their sheep to Fatima and watched them graze in the Cova da Iria, a field that was owned by Lucia`s father. After eating lunch and playing in the field, the three noticed lightning coming out of a completely clear sky. As they were deciding to take their sheep home, lightning once again struck, this time near a big holmoak. Lucia, writing in her memoir, wrote: ‘A lady [was] dressed in white, shining brighter than the sun, giving out rays of clear and intense light, just like a crystal goblet full of pure water when the fiery sun passes through it. We stopped astounded by the Apparition. We were so near that we were in the light that encircled her, or which she radiated, perhaps a meter and a half away [4-5 feet].`
The apparition said to the children, `Please don`t be afraid of me. I`m not going to harm you.`
Lucia said, `Where are you from?`
`I come from heaven,` the apparition said. They recognized the apparition as the Virgin Mary.
`What do you want of us?` Lucia asked.
`I want you to return here on the thirteenth of each month for the next six months, and at the very same hour. Later I shall tell you who I am, and what it is that I most desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time.`
Lucia asked if she would go to heaven if she followed the instructions. The Virgin Mary said she would. When Lucia asked about Jacinta and Francisco, the Virgin Mary told Lucia that both of them would go, but Francisco would need to say several Rosaries first. Lucia then asked about two friends who had died; one went to heaven, the other to purgatory. The Virgin Mary spoke again: `Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you? In atonement for all the sins that offend Him? And for the conversion of sinners?`
The children agreed. `Then you will have a great deal to suffer, but the grace of God will be with you and will strengthen you`, the Virgin Mary said to them. A light emanated from the apparition`s hands, and the children felt it was the light of God. They dropped to their knees in feverish prayer and repeated, `Oh Holy Trinity, we adore You. My God, my God, I love You in the Blessed Sacrament.` The Virgin Mary then told the children, `Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.` World War I was being fought in Europe, although they were far removed from such horrors in Portugal. The Virgin Mary then rose, ascending to the east, and disappeared.
When Lucia told her parents, her father believed her, but her mother did not. Her mother believed she was lying, and much worse, blaspheming. She sent Lucia to the parish priest, Father Ferreira; Lucia remained steadfast even as Lucia`s mother and Father Ferreira didn`t know what to do with her. In the coming days, word spread throughout Fatima and Aljustrel of their sighting. Many people did not believe the children.
On June 13, 1917, the children slipped away for their second meeting with the Virgin Mary at the Cova da Iria. The feast of St. Anthony fell on that date, and the townspeople were celebrating at the church. To their surprise, a few people who had heard their story had already beaten the children to the spot near the holmoak. The Virgin Mary appeared once again, and told the children, `I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. And after each one of the mysteries, my children, I want you to pray in this way: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. I want you to learn to read and write, and later I will tell you what else I want of you.` The Virgin Mary also revealed to Lucia that Jacinta and Francisco would be taken to heaven soon, but Lucia was to remain on Earth longer. The Virgin Mary told Lucia not to be sad, as She would always be with her. The crowd saw a flash of lightning, and some said they saw a hazy cloud near the tree, but none of them actually saw the Virgin Mary as the children did. Some were convinced that the story was true. Others, such as Father Ferreira, were not convinced.
On July 13, Lucia went with Francisco and Jacinta to the Cova da Iria, despite Lucia and Jacinta`s fears that Father might be right in thinking that the apparitions were really blasphemy and an attempt at control by the Devil. The Virgin Mary appeared again and told them three secrets. The first two were only revealed in Lucia`s memoir in 1941: The children were granted a vision into the portal of Hell, and then the Virgin Mary told of the rise of evil in Russia (which would later become the Soviet Union), and what was needed to prevent detriment to the world. The third secret was written down by Lucia and mailed to Pope Pius XII, unread by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima. It would foretell the assassination attempt on a later Pope. (Specifically, the shooting of Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981, on the 64th anniversary of the first Marian apparition.)
Then the Virgin Mary said to the children, who had asked Her what they should do: `I want you to come back here on the thirteenth of next month. Continue to say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world and the end of the war, because only she can obtain it.` The children then asked the Virgin Mary to show herself to the townspeople and other naysayers, so they will be vindicated. `You must come here every month, and in October I will tell you who I am and what I want. I will then perform a miracle so that all may believe.` Lucia then asked for resolution regarding the fates of two acquaintances. After the Virgin Mary answered, She closed with the following statement: `Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.`
The government believed that the children were working with the Catholic Church to perpetuate a fraud. At the time, the g
The Second Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The following year, on May 13th, 1917 while the children were once again pasturing the flock, this time in Cova da Iria, about a mile from their homes, when a lovely lady appeared to them. After telling the children not to be frightened, she said “I have come from heaven” and told them she wanted them to come to that same place on the same hour on the 13th day of each month until October.
Subsequent Apparitions:
Our Lady continued to appear to the children each month between May and October with messages of great importance for the world and the events to follow, which were to have major consequences and lead many people to Jesus Christ. As August 13 approached, the story of the apparitions had reached the anti-religious secular press, and while this ensured that the whole country knew about Fatima, it also meant that many biased and negative reports were circulating.
The children were kidnapped on the morning of the 13th by the mayor of Vila Nova de Ourem, Arturo Santos. They were interrogated about the secret and were told to say the apparitions were a lie. Despite his threats of death, they refused to comply or divulge the secret, saying they would rather die then tell a lie. He finally released them on August 15.
Late in the afternoon of August 19, the Virgin Mary appeared to the children in a place called Valinhos, near Fatima. She told them to continue to say the Rosary every day, and again promised a miracle in October, stating the miracle would have been greater had they not been kidnapped. Looking very sad, she said, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”
With that, she rose into the air and moved towards the east before disappearing.
By now, the children had thoroughly absorbed Mary’s plea for prayer and penance and did everything they could to answer it. They prayed for hours while lying prostrate on the ground and went long days without drinking water in the heat of summer. They gave their lunches to poor children as a sacrifice for sinners. They even knotted some pieces of old rope around their waists as a form of mortification.
The Blessed Mother asked that the children pray the rosary daily, and said that through the rosary wars could be prevented. At that time many men from Portugal were involved in the fighting of World War I.
Fatima involved three secrets:
1. The First Secret: On July 13, 1917 the visionaries were given horrific visions of hell which lasted only a minute. Our Lady showed the visionaries a great sea of fire that they said “seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear”.
According to the visionaries, the Blessed Mother looked at them sadly and said: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace“.
Our Lady went on to say: “To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of The Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated”.
In that same year, 1917, the communists took over Russia and unleashed a 70 year reign of terror.
Our Lady had gone on to say: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world”.
2. The Second Secret: “The war is going to end (meaning World War I), but if people do not stop offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pope Pius XI“.
“When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father”.
Then on the nights of January 25 & 26, 1938, the sky across Europe was illuminated with a red light, perhaps the strongest Aurora Borealis ever known to mankind. On February 4, 1938..one week later….Hitler promoted himself to military chief in Germany and on March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation, effectively ushering in the start of World War II, even though it was not officially declared until September 1939.
3. The Third Secret was the subject of much mystery and even a few conspiracy theories. The third secret was not initially revealed by Lucia. She said that Mary had not yet permitted her to reveal it to the world. In October the Bishop ordered her to put it in writing, which she did, and sealed it in an envelope not to be opened until 1960, when “it will appear clearer”.[The text of the third secret was officially released by Pope John Paul II in 2000. It was interpreted by The Church to be symbolic in nature and referred to the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981……the anniversary date of the first reported Fatima vision. The Pope had just bent down to hug a little girl wearing a Lady of Fatima emblem when the assailant fired, and the bullets struck him in the abdomen rather than the head as planned. John Paul II credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life.
The miracle of the sun in Fatima:
On October 13, 1917 about 70,000 people had gathered on the hillside at the Cova da Iria. Beginning the night before and throughout most of the morning a cold rain fell thoroughly drenching the crowd. The ground was muddy and had soaked everything. At the time when Our Lady was due to arrive, Lucy asked those assembled to close their umbrellas, which they did. Our Lady appeared and told Lucy: “I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. May you continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end and the soldiers will soon return to their homes“.
In 1918 on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, the armistice was signed ending the “Great War”.
As Our Lady ascended, the sky suddenly cleared and the sun danced. The people were able to look directly at the sun without it bothering their eyes at all. The event was reported in the newspaper at the time as you can see from the photo below.
A physician who was present, Dr. Almeida Garrett, testified: “Suddenly I heard the uproar of thousands of voices, and I saw the whole multitude spread out in that vast space at my feet…I turned around too, toward the point commanding their gaze, and I could see the sun, like a very clear disc, with its sharp edge, which gleamed without hurting the sight or damaging the retina”.
The great miracle of the sun lasted about 10 minutes, but the results of this miracle continue today, as Fatima draws millions of pilgrims from around the world every year, and had even more in 2017….the 100th anniversary of the apparitions.
Interestingly enough, the three visionaries did not see the miracle of the sun. They saw a completely different event…an apparition of our lady.
Sister Lucia explained in her memoirs: “After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel.” Interestingly, Sister Lucia went on to join the Carmelite Order.
This vision was only seen by the children, while the crowd was witnessing the sun “dance.”
It is believed that the “dancing sun” was meant to inspire belief in the unbelieving crowd, while Our Lady had a different message for the visionaries.
For example, Sr. Lucia saw Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to prepare the way for her entrance into a Carmelite monastery when she was older.
The newspaper article shown to the left was actually an anti-Catholic paper, and yet they published the events.
The fate of the children:
Francisco and Jacinta both died young, as prophesied by Our Lady: she had told them they would be taken to Heaven early. Francisco died at age 10 and Jacinta at age 9. Francisco and Jacinta were canonized Saints by Pope Francis on May 13th, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the first apparition, and their feast day is February 20th.
Lucia went on to become a Discalced Carmelite nun (taking the name Sister Maria Lucia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart). She lived at the convent in Monastery of Santa Clara in Coimbra, Portugal ( about 53 miles north of Fatima). If you can, try to include this in your trip….there is a small museum detailing the life of Sister Lucia. She had been blind and deaf ,and ailing for some years, when she died on February 13, 2017.
Sister Lucia was accorded the title Servant of God, as the first major step toward her canonization. She could not be canonized during her lifetime, and since she outlived the other visionaries by many years, it will probably still be some time until she is canonized….but it seems quite certain that she will become a saint.
About the Shrine at Fatima:
Your visit to the Shrine in Fatima.
In addition to Masses held throughout the day there are Stations of the Cross, daily processions, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and much more at what is considered by many to be the most important Marian shrine of the 20th Century.
♦ The Chapel of Apparitions (Portuguese: Capelinha das Aparições): We like to start our visits here…it is the exact spot of the apparitions, marked by a marble pillar and enclosed case, with the image of the Virgin Mary. It is covered by the small structure you can see on the left side of the photo above. Pilgrim groups often celebrate Mass here.
♦ The Big Holmoak: the tree under which the children and the early pilgrims sat and prayed the Rosary as they awaited Our Lady’s appearance. It is right behind the Chapel of the Apparitions.
♦ The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary: the focal part of the Fatima shrine, this Basilica was constructed in the Baroque Revival Style, features Stained glass windows that depict the events of the apparitions. There are 14 side altars within the church, each one dedicated to one of the fourteen mysteries of the Rosary and represented in bronze, Bas-reliefs. The 15th mystery is represented in the vault of the presbytery and is a high-relief by Maximiano Alves.
Up until 2005, the Basilica housed the tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta; upon her death in 2005, Sister Lucia’s body was also entombed here.
♦ The Perpetual Adoration Chapel: located at the end of the collonade of the Basilica of the Rosary.
♦ The Basilica of the Holy Trinity: constructed in 2007, it is across from the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and contains five chapels, 16 confessionals and a cafeteria. It will help to accommodate the millions of people who visit here each year.
♦ House of Our Lady of Dolours (Our Lady of Sorrows): Located next to The Chapel of Apparitions, it is destined to receive the sick during the great pilgrimages, and also is also used for retreats and accommodation for pilgrims.
♦ The childhood homes of the visionaries: in nearby Aljustrel, they remain much as they were in 1917. The bedrooms of the young visionaries remain much as they were at the times of their deaths. Relatives of the visionaries are still seen around in the village, as the photos below show.
♦ The Stations of the Cross It begins in the South Roundabout and follows the path taken by the three shepherd children when they came from Aljustrel to Cova da Iria to graze their herds. It ends at the 15th station, dedicated to the Resurrection of Jesus, close to the chapel Saint Stephen, topped by the Hungarian Calvary. The Way of Cross is a true mus
♦ A portion of the Berlin Wall: at the entrance of the Sanctuary, on the south side of the Rectory, a testament to the fall of Communism and the triumph of Our Lady.
In the Fatima area you will find “The Way of the Little Shepherds”.
Devout pilgrims can often be seen on their knees approaching the shrine, as seen in the photos below.
Check out the book “Fatima Mysteries” from Ignatius Press
Traveling to Fatima:
There are many Catholic tour groups to Fatima each year. If you are traveling independently, Fatima is located about 70 miles north of Lisbon, and you can go by car or train.. If you plan to go by train, trains leave from Oriente station in Lisbon and take about one hour to Caxarias, the nearest station From there, shuttle buses connect to Fatima.
There are many hotels ranging from basic accommodations to luxury. The Feast Day (May 13) naturally tends to be crowded so you need to plan well in advance.
GPS coordinates: 39° 37′ 50.1168” N, 8° 40′ 22.8684” W
Tel: (+351) 249 – 539 600 Fax: (+351) 249 – 539 605
e-mail: sepe@fatima.pt
Click here for the official website of the Fatima Shrine in Portugal.
When visiting Fatima you might also want to consider a visit to the Eucharistic Miracle in Santarem, about 30 miles from Fatima. It is included in many tours, but can be an easy day trip from Fatima.
Live in the U.S. or Canada but can’t make it to Portugal? If you live in the U.S.A., consider visiting the National Fatima Shrine in New York State.
