7 Things You May Not Know About Fatima

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Pope Francis recently adorned the base of a statue of our Blessed Mother with a golden rose. On that day, the radiant statue was gazed upon by around a half million pilgrims, including the Pope. It’s part of Our Lady of Fatima shrine at Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. It was there, exactly one hundred years earlier, that Our Lady of Fatima began appearing to three shepherd children – Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. Between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917, Blessed Mother appeared to the children six times.

“Hand in hand with the Virgin Mother, and under her watchful gaze, may we come to sing with joy the mercies of the Lord, and cry out: ‘My soul sings to you, Lord,’” exclaimed Pope Francis during that visit to Fatima. “The mercy you have shown to all your saints and all your faithful people, you have also shown to me. Out of the pride of my heart, I went astray, following my own ambitions and interests, without gaining any crown of glory! My one hope of glory, Lord, is this: that your Mother will take me in her arms, shelter me beneath her mantle, and set me close to your heart. Amen.”

The Pope’s visit shed light on what’s considered to be one of the greatest miracles of the 20th Century. The apparitions, which took place against the backdrop of World War I, are as relevant today as they were back then. But how much do we know about them? Here are just seven things that you may not know.

An Angel

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Before the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima began, an angel visited the children. In 1916, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta were playing after praying the Rosary. With their families’ sheep grazing nearby, the angel appeared in the sky. He would appear to them two more times that year. Lucia Santos, the only one who would go on to live a long life as a nun, wrote about their experience.

“As he came near we were able to see his features,” wrote Sister Mary Lucia. “We were astonished and absorbed and we said nothing to one another. And then he said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the angel of peace. Pray with me.’ He knelt, bending his forehead to the ground. With a supernatural impulse we did the same, repeating the words we heard him say: ‘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 repeating this prayer three times the angel rose and said to us: ‘Pray in this way. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are ready to listen to you.’”

The Three Shepherd Children

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When Blessed Mother first appeared to the shepherd children, Lucia Santos was 10-years-old, Francisco Marto was almost 9-years-old and his sister, Jacinta, was 7-years-old. They had all been praying and offering reparation for sinners as the angel had taught them. But their lives changed even more when they encountered Blessed Mother.

Despite the threat of torture and death by people who kidnapped them briefly – because they believed the children were lying – they remained honest, holy and devoted to Blessed Mother and the Holy Trinity. Even though Blessed Mother told the children that Francisco and Jacinta would go to Heaven soon, all three children dedicated themselves to praying and offering reparations for sinners. While Francisco – due to illness – passed away nearly two years after Blessed Mother’s first visit and Jacinta passed away almost a year after him, Lucia went on to become Sister Maria Lucia of the Immaculate Heart and passed away in 2005.

On the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta were canonized by Pope Francis and were officially declared saints. There’s no doubt that Lucia will also be declared a saint, but because she lived so long and wrote so much, it will take a little longer.

Startling Predictions

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While appearing to the three children, Blessed Mother made some startling, accurate predictions that were kept secret by Sister Lucia for many years. For instance, she predicted that World War I would end soon. She also predicted World War II and the spread of communism. Additionally, she showed the children a frightening vision of a pope being shot with arrows and bullets.

After Pope John Paul II (now St. John Paul) was shot on May 13, 1981, the pontiff miraculously survived. He felt certain that he was the pope in the vision. He also believed that Blessed Mother stopped the bullet with her hand and guided it, so that his life would be saved. Many years later, Sister Lucia confirmed that she too believed that he was the pope in the vision, and that Blessed Mother saved his life. The bullet that was removed from the Pope was placed in the crown of the Our Lady of Fatima statue in the shrine at Cova da Iria.

The Miracle of the Sun

On October 13, 1917, Blessed Mother appeared to the children. Although she would appear again to Lucia at different times in her life, it was the final apparition at the Cova da Iria in Fatima. Because she had promised Lucia that she would perform a miracle so great that nobody would be able to doubt the apparitions, around 70,000 people had gathered at the rain-soaked muddy area to witness it. Even though there were plenty of skeptics – including reporters from atheist newspapers – who went, so that they could mock the Christians who believed or so they could prove to themselves and others that the children had been lying, the miracle was astonishing.

The crowd watched in awe as the sun burst through the clouds. It looked like a silver sphere that spun or danced in the sky. Its rays illuminated areas in brilliant colors. Then, it seemed to hurl itself toward the crowd, completely drying all the mud and rain-soaked clothing, before zipping back up into the sky. Some people were cured of diseases. Many others converted. Even the most adamant atheists couldn’t refute the Miracle of the Sun.

The Importance of the Holy Rosary

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The importance of the Rosary in the Our Lady of Fatima apparitions can’t be understated. It’s probably not a coincidence that the children had been praying the Rosary – to the best of their ability – before the angel visited them the first time in Fatima to prepare them for the visits by Blessed Mother.

When Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the children for the first time on May 13, 1917, she wore all white trimmed with gold, and she held rosary beads in her hands. The rosary beads were shining brightly, and the crucifix at the beginning of the beads was shining the most. During that first apparition, Blessed Mother told them to say the Rosary every day in order to bring peace to the world and to end the war. In each of the five visits that followed, she repeated her request that they pray the Rosary every day. During the last Fatima apparition, in October, she identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Fatima Prayer

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The Rosary even experienced a significant change because of the Our Lady of Fatima apparitions. During the visits by the angel, the angel taught the children a couple of prayers, and, during the Fatima apparitions, Blessed Mother taught the children a few prayers. She asked them to recite one of the prayers she taught them at the end of each decade of the Rosary. In 1930, that prayer – which is now known as the Fatima prayer – was officially approved for use while praying the Rosary.

The English translation of the prayer that Blessed Mother taught Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta is as follows: 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.

Although reciting the Fatima prayer, as part of the Rosary, is optional, it is widely used. It’s now less common to hear the Rosary prayed without it.

The Importance of Reparations

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As brief as it is, that Fatima prayer says so much about one of the main messages of the Our Lady of Fatima apparitions. In addition to shining a light on the importance of praying the Rosary, the apparitions reflected the importance of offering sacrifices for the good of the world.

During one of the apparitions, Blessed Mother showed the children a frightening vision of hell. She asked them to pray and make reparations for the conversion of sinners. She told them how disgusted God was with the world and how saddened she and her Son were with how many people turned away from Jesus, Who is “the way, the truth and the life.” By offering up things such as daily chores and illnesses, and by praying for sinners and souls in Purgatory, we can make a difference. She taught them that it’s vital for us to console the heart of Jesus.