Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Today is the 89th anniversary of the first appearance of Our Lady at Fatima and the 25th anniversary of the near fatal attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II.

The Vatican has laid a marble plaque on the cobblestone floor of St. Peter's Square at the exact spot where John Paul was shot as he traveled in his open-top 'pope-mobile' on May 13, 1981, by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca.

Thousands of pilgrims, many of them having walked for days, yesterday began arriving at the Fatima shrine for annual ceremonies at the site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children in 1917. More than 400,000 pilgrims gathered at the Roman Catholic shrine of Fatima in central Portugal today to mark the anniversary of what is said to be the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in 1917.

What is Fatima and what is its message?

On May 13,1917, Our Lady appeared to three children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, while they were tending their sheep in a field called the Cova da Iria. She told them she was from heaven and asked them to come to this same place for six months on the 13th day of each month.

During the next few months, her message was consistent. She instructed the children to pray the rosary daily and do penance for the conversion of sinners.

On July 13, Our Lady told them that in October there would be a miracle for all to see and believe. She told them "Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make a sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Our Lady opened her hands and the rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth and they saw a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers. The children were horrified and never forgot this sight. Lucia said that if Our Lady had not already told them she would take them to heaven they would have died of fright. Our Lady spoke to them kindly and so sadly:

"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. The war (World War I) is going to end, but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given to 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 of the Holy Father."

"To prevent this I will 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 the end, my Immaclate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world."

At the time of this apparition the Russian revolution had not yet occurred. The Bolsheviks would not take over until the following October. As we know Russia has spread its errors all over the world with their atheistic philosophy they have persecuted the Church. Although Communism has collapsed in Europe, this does not constitute conversion.

On August 13th the children were arrested by the local magistrate. They were taken to jail and threatened with being boiled in oil but they wouldn't reveal the secrets that Our Lady told them. They were finally released on the 15th and this is the day Lucia believes Our Lady appeared to them as they were tending the sheep at Valinhos. Our Lady repeated "Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them."

At the apparition in September, Our Lady repeated her plea for them to pray the rosary daily. She repeated her promise that there would be a miracle in October so that all would believe.

On October 13, there was a huge crowd gathered even though it was pouring rain. They were there to see the miracle. They had come from all over Portugal.

The press was covering this story and it appeared in the European papers. Our Lady spoke "I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes. Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended."

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself. At this time the sun began to spin in the sky and started to plunge towards the earth. The people began to scream they were terrified. The sun stopped and returned to its place in the sky.

Everyone had been soaked from the rain but after the miracle their clothes were completely dry as was the ground. This "miracle of the sun" was seen from many miles away.

"After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady clothed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph with the Child Jesus appeared 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 that it was Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner that St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Mt. Carmel". This account of the apparitions was taken from Lucia's memoirs.

We are living out the predictions that Our Lady made at Fatima. World War II occurred and caused a devastating destruction and loss of life that had never been seen before. Russia spread its errors to a great part of the world. Aetheism is widespread.

Pope John Paul II had a close connection and devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. On May 13, 1981, the anniversary of the 1st Apparition at Fatima, the Pope was shot in St. Peter's Square. One of the bullets went right through him and miraculously did not strike his vital organs.

The following year he visited Fatima to thank Our Lady for saving his life. He placed the bullet which had been removed from his body, and placed it in the crown of her statue.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II, requested that the statue in the Cova da Iria be brought to Rome. He asked all the bishops in the world to join him in entrusting the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The message of Fatima is a simple one. If we are to convert sinners and realize peace in our world, we must pray the rosary daily and do penance.

For more detailed information on Fatima, see the following sites:

The Fatima Network
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Living Miracles
Fatima: A Grace for Mankind