Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

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Apparitions of

Our Lady of Fatima

Fatima.org


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May 13, 1917

The First Apparition I am of Heaven

Sunday, May 13th was a perfect spring day in the little town of Fatima,Portugal. The three shepherd children Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco went

to Mass that day as they did every Sunday. Heaven forbid, Senhora Marto,the mother of Jacinta and Francisco, said, that we should ever miss hearingMass on Sundays.

After Mass, the children took their sheep to graze on Lucias parentsproperty called the Cova da Iria . There, they ate lunch, prayed the Rosary ,and then began to play. The game on that day was making castles out ofrocks. Francisco was the mason and architect, Lucia and Jacinta gatheredthe stones.

Suddenly, the children saw what seemed to be lightning. Frightened,they dropped their stones, looked first at each other, and then at the sky,which was clear and bright without the least spot of a cloud. Still, fearingthat a thunderstorm was approaching, Lucia told Francisco and Jacinta tohurry home with the flock of sheep.

Then came a second flash of light and this time, the children saw awoman standing above a small holm-oak tree, only a few feet away. She waswearing a white gown embroidered with gold. She radiated brilliant clustersof light, and Her face was supernaturally beautiful. The shepherd children

could see the Lady, but only Lucia and Jacinta could hear Her speak.

Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm.

Where is Your Grace from? Lucy asked.

I am of Heaven, the Lady answered. I have come to ask you tocome here for six months in succession, on the 13th day, at this same hour.Later on, I will tell you who I am and what I want.

In childlike simplicity, Lucia asked, And I, am I, too, going to go toHeaven?

Yes, you shall, the Lady assured her.

And Jacinta?

Yes.

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And Francisco?

He too shall go, but he must say many Rosaries, the Lady responded.

She then asked the children, Are you willing to offer yourselves toGod and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparationfor the conversion of sinners?

Lucy answered for all three, Yes, we want to.

Then you are going to suffer a great deal, the Lady promised, butthe grace of God will be your comfort.

Lucy was to later write that the Lady then opened Her hands for the

first time, communicating to us a light so intense that as it streamed fromHer hands, its rays penetrated our hearts and the innermost depths of oursouls, making us see ourselves in God. Through this light they understoodthat God is sad because He is so offended by the sins of all men, women,and children on earth.

Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, moved by an inner impulse, fell on theirknees and prayed together:

O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee. My God, my God, I love Thee in the

Most Blessed Sacrament.

The Lady reminded the children to pray the Rosary every day for peacein the world and the end of the great World War (World War I). At the end oftheir conversation, She began to rise serenely, going up towards the east asa light emanating from Her parted the heavens into which She disappeared.

June 13, 1917

The Second Apparition Devotion to the Immaculate Heart

By this time, the news of the apparition had spread all throughout thecountryside. Everyone had his own idea on the matter some believed whilemost did not. Sadly, the neighbors of the dos Santos and Marto familiesridiculed not only the children, but the parents as well.

Lucias family tried to avoid the problem of the apparition. When Luciadid bring it up, they changed the subject to divert her mind to other things.



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And at the Marto home, Jacinta and Franciscos mother, Senhora Marto,refused to believe that her children had seen Our Lady.Thankfully for some, the great feast of St. Anthony fell on June 13th, thesame day that the Lady was to appear at the Cova. The celebrations would

hopefully distract the town from the brewing controversy, avoiding theproblem of the apparition for the time being. But the three children weredetermined to keep their promise to the beautiful Lady.

On June 13, the children returned to the Cova da Iria as they hadpromised. Surprisingly, even with the joyful celebrations in town in honor ofSt. Anthony, about 50 people were waiting when the children arrived.

After the group prayed the Rosary, the same lightning-like flashappeared as it did on May 13th. Again, the Lady appeared standing on a

cloud resting on the holm-oak.

Lucia asked the Lady, What does Your Grace want of me?

I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray theRosary each day, and to learn how to read. Later, I will tell you what I want.

Lucia asked the Lady to take them to Heaven, and She replied:

Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here

some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make Me known andloved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart .To whoever embraces this devotion I promise salvation; these souls shall bedear to God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn His throne.

Am I to stay here alone? Lucia asked painfully.

No, My daughter. Do you suffer a great deal? Dont lose heart. I willnever forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the waythat will lead you to God.

Lucia tells us in her memoir: As Our Lady spoke these last words, Sheopened Her hands and for the second time, She communicated to us therays of that immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were,immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of thelight which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was poured out on theearth. In front of the palm of Our Ladys right hand was a heart encircled bythorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart



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of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity and seeking reparation.

A witness at the apparition said that The branches of the tree werebent down all around it, as though the weight of Our Lady were reallyresting on it.

Another one of the witnesses on that June day, Maria da Capelinha,reported that when Our Lady left the tree, it was like the hissing of a distantrocket. As for us, we saw nothing but a slight cloud, just a few inches awayfrom the foliage, rising slowly towards the East.

While still another witness noted that We were in the month of Juneand the tree had all its boughs covered with little sprouts. Now at the end ofthe apparition, when Lucy announced that Our Lady was leaving in thedirection of the east, all the branches of the tree picked up and leaned in the

same direction, as if Our Lady, as She left, had let Her dress rest upon theboughs.

The onlookers then began to break off the branches and leaves fromthe holm-oak, surely convinced that Our Lady had blessed them with Herpresence.

Even though the procession in honor of Saint Anthony was in progresswhen the group from the Cova reached the village of Fatima, those whowere celebrating the feast day noticed them immediately.

The group told everyone how happy they were for having gone to theCova instead of remaining in the village for the feast, and many people feltsorry for themselves, not having done the same.

No one could deny any more that in fact, something was happening atthe Cova da Iria.

July 13, 1917

The Third Apparition The Promise of Peace

By mid-summer, word of the apparitions had spread even wider. OnJuly 13th, 5,000 people made the journey to the Cova da Iria. Once again,the Lady announced Her coming with a flash of light and again, the childrensaw the Lady on the cloud above the holm-oak tree.

Again Lucia asked, What does your Grace want of me?



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I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, and to continuepraying the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order toobtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only She canhelp you.

Many people, including Lucias mother and father, did not believe thechildren. Lucia asked the Lady to tell them who She was, and to work amiracle so that everyone would believe that She was appearing to them.

Continue to come here every month, the Lady told the children. InOctober I will tell you who I am, and what I want and I will perform amiracle for all to see and believe.

Again, the Lady emphasized the necessity to pray the Rosary in orderto obtain graces throughout the year. And She continued:

Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenyou make some sacrifice: O my Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for theconversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against theImmaculate Heart of Mary.

The Vision of Hell

Then, just as before, the Lady opened Her hands. This time the lightdid not fall on the children, but on the ground between them and Our Lady.

In this light the children could see below the face of the earth. They saw thefires of hell.

Here Lucy describes this vision in her own words:

The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as itwere a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls inhuman form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened yet likeburnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised intothe air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with

great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks inhuge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans ofpain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (Itmust have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people saythey heard me.) The demons could be distinguished by their terrifyingand repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black andtransparent like burning coals."



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The Lady said to the children sadly, You have seen hell where thesouls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in theworld devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done,many souls will be saved and there will be peace.

The Consecration of Russia

Following the vision of hell, the Lady continued:

"The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, aworse one will break out during the reign of Pius XI.

When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that thisis the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world forits crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions against the Church

and the Holy Father.

To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia toMy Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the FirstSaturdays.

If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will bepeace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing warsand persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Fatherwill have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.

In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father willconsecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peacewill be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will alwaysbe preserved etc. ... Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tellhim.

The Lady told the children to keep secret for now the vision of hell andthe predicted punishments of war, famine, and persecutions. Later on, Shewould say when it could be revealed.

Lastly, the Lady asked that, when the Rosary is prayed, after eachdecade pray:

When you say the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus,forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especiallythose who are most in need.



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Then She rose and disappeared into the eastern sky.

Little did the children know the suffering they would have to endure tokeep the secrets entrusted to them by Our Lady that day.

August 13, 1917The Three Shepherds are Kidnapped!

As word of the apparitions spread around the countryside, more andmore people were coming to believe that something supernatural washappening in Fatima. While at the same time, those whose hatred for Godand the Catholic faith were determined to put an end to these miraculoushappenings once and for all

The village of Fatima belongs to the County of Ourm. At the time of

the apparitions, the mayor of Ourm was Artur Oliveira Santos, a man oftremendous political power. All administrative, political, and sometimes evenjudicial power was centered in his hands.

Though he was a man of little education, a tinsmith by trade, he hadbeen in politics since his youth. A baptized Catholic, he had abandoned theChurch at the age of twenty to join the Masonic Lodge of Leiria. Later, hefounded a lodge at Ourm of which he was the head. What added to hispower was the fact that he published a local newspaper by which heendeavored to undermine the faith of the people in the Church and the

priests.

When he heard about the apparitions of Fatima, he realized the effectsthey might have among the people. He realized, too, that if he allowed thefaithful in his area to reinvigorate their faith, he would be laughed to scornby his friends and Masonic brethren. In his mind, there was only one answerto the excitement at the Cova it must be stopped.

On August 13, 1917, as 15,000 people awaited the arrival of the Ladyat the Cova da Iria, the mayor of Ourm did the unthinkable: he kidnapped

the children.

He lured them into his carriage by telling them he would drive them tothe Cova, but instead, he stole them away to the jail in Ourm, determinedto discover the secret that the mysterious Lady was telling them.

First, he offered them candy and some money, but they refused. Thento incite fear in the children, he told them they would be fried alive in boiling



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oil!

A guard appeared, who in a fearsome voice called out to Jacinta: Theoil is boiling now: tell the secret, if you dont want to be burned!

I cant, Jacinta said courageously.

Take her away and throw her into the tank! yelled the inquisitor. Theguard grabbed her arm, swung her around and locked her in another room.

Then another guard came and led Francisco into the Magistratesoffice. Grabbing hold of the boy, he shouted, Spit out the secret. The otherone is already burned up; now its your turn. Go ahead, out with it.

I cant, he replied, looking calmly into the eyes of this new Nero. I

cant tell it to anyone.

You say you cant. Thats your business. Take him away. Hell sharehis sisters lot.

Francisco was taken into the next room where he found Jacinta safeand happy.

Lucia was convinced that they had been killed and thinking that shewas next to be thrown into the burning cauldron of oil, she trusted in her

heavenly Mother not to desert her, but to give her the courage to be loyaland courageous, even as Francisco and Jacinta had been.

Thus, no matter how horrific the threats were, the children hadrefused to give away the secret or say that they were lying.

Meanwhile, in the Cova da Iria, the 15,000 people who had gatheredwere getting impatient at the absence of the children. It was then that theywitnessed the same clap of thunder and flash of light just as before. A small,white cloud hovered for a few moments over the holm-oak, then rose

towards the sky and disappeared. The Lady had kept Her appointment aspromised.

Maria da Capelinha who had been at the earlier apparitions gave anaccount of that day:

As we looked around us, we noticed the strange thing which wehad seen before and were to see in the following months; our



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faces were reflecting all the colors of the rainbow, pink, red,blue... The trees seemed to be made not of leaves but offlowers; they seemed to be laden with flowers, each leaf seemedto be a flower. The ground came out in colors and so did ourclothes. The lanterns fixed to the arch looked like gold.

Two days after the Ladys appearance at the Cova, the children werereleased unharmed. Our Lady had shown Herself to be more powerful thanthe devious plans of the Mayor of Ourm. For it was because of themiraculous signs that day that thousands upon thousands of people wentfrom distrust of the events at the Cova to belief.

August 19, 1917

The Fourth Apparition

Since the three shepherd children missed their appointment with theLady on the 13th, they received a special visit from Her on Sunday, August19th. The fourth apparition did not take place at the Cova da Iria, but in aclearing called Valinhos near the childrens homes in the little village ofAljustrel.

After lunch, Lucia, together with Francisco and his elder brother John,left for Valinhos. This time, Jacinta was not with them.

Lucia later wrote about the unexpected apparition:

I felt that something supernatural was approaching and envelopingus. Suspecting that the Lady was going to appear to us, and feeling sorrythat Jacinta would not be there to see Her, we asked her brother John to goand get her. An instant after Jacinta arrived, the Lady appeared. Onceagain, She appeared over a holm-oak tree.

Lucia asked, What does your Grace want from me?

I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to

continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month, I will work amiracle so that all may believe. If you had not been taken away to the City,the miracle would have been even greater. Saint Joseph will come with theChild Jesus, to give peace to the world. Our Lord will come to bless thepeople. Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Sorrows will also come.

Looking very sad, She also said:



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Pray, pray very much and make sacrifices for sinners, for many soulsgo to hell because they have no one to make sacrifices and pray for them.The Lady then took leave of Her little friends and began to rise towards theeast.

After Our Lady left, the children broke off a small branch from the treewhere the robe of Our Lady had touched it. When they returned home,Jacinta gave the branch to Lucias mother. Sniffing the branch, she wassurprised that it was giving off a pleasing odor, one that no one in the housecould identify.

It was a little gift from Our Lady, but a gift that helped take awaysome of the skepticism and doubt that Lucias own family had.

September 13, 1917

The Fifth Apparition Extraordinary Signs in the Heavens

By September, accounts of the visions had raised such widespreadinterest that some 30,000 people came to witness the apparitions forthemselves. The large number of people made it difficult for the children topass through them all to get to the apparition site.

As they waited for the Lady to appear, the crowd joined together andrecited the Rosary. Suddenly, there were sounds of jubilation and voicespraising the Blessed Virgin. Arms were raised pointing to something in the

sky.

Look, dont you see? Clearly and distinctly, a luminous globe movedfrom the east to the west, gliding slowly and majestically through space. Theglobe then began to approach the holm-oak tree. Then the suns brightnessdiminished, the atmosphere became golden yellow, like the other times.Some people even reported being able to distinguish the stars in the sky.

Visible only to the children, the Lady appeared.

Lucia asked the Lady, What does your Grace want of me?

Continue to say the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. InOctober, Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady ofCarmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus in order to bless theworld.

Signs of Her Presence



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During the time of the apparition, the Blessed Virgin wished to give thecrowd gathered around the holm-oak where She was appearing, severalsigns of Her presence:

-The pilgrims enjoyed a marvelous spectacle: They saw falling fromHeaven a shower of white petals or round, shining snowflakes. Somedescribed them as stars and others as a rain of white roses, whichslowly descended and disappeared as they approached the ground.

- A pleasant-looking cloud formed around the rustic arch erected overthe little holm-oak tree. The cloud rose up from the ground, it grewthicker and went up into the air until it was five or six meters high,then it disappeared. A few moments later, similar curls of smoke wereformed and disappeared in the same manner, and then a third time.

They were very clear, heavenly signs, giving proof of Our Ladys presence.Small miracles that would prepare the crowds for what was to come.

October 13, 1917

The Sixth Apparition The Miracle of the Sun

The expectation of a miracle attracted a crowd of over 70,000 to theapparition site on October 13th. A cold rain had been falling throughout thenight and into the day. Everyone there was soaking wet and the ground was

very muddy. Some people were standing in mud up to their ankles.

Moved by an inner impulse, Lucia asked the people to shut theirumbrellas and pray the Rosary. At a given moment, this confused andcompact mass of people shut their umbrellas, uncovering themselves in agesture of humility and respect, while the rain continued to soak them andflooded everything.

At noon, Our Lady appeared over the holm-oak, placing Her feet overthe silk ribbons and flowers piously laid there the night before. Lucy fell into

an ecstasy, her face becoming more and more beautiful and taking on a rosytint.

Lucia asked once again, What does your Grace want of me?

I want a chapel to be built here in My honor. I am the Lady of theRosary. Continue to say the Rosary every day. The war will soon end and thesoldiers will return to their homes.



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The Lady now revealed to be Our Lady of the Rosary continued,looking very sad:

People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They

must not offend Our Lord any more for He is already too much offended.

As Our Lady ascended up into the sky, Lucy shouted: Shes going!Shes going! Look at the sun! Then the miracle Our Lady had promisedbegan.

The sky cleared and the people could look at the sun without it hurtingtheir eyes at all. Then the sun began to spin in place. It gave off differentcolors, first red, then green, then blue. As the sun spun around in its place,the colors would fall on the people.

After about four minutes, the sun stopped spinning. Then, shortly afterthat, it started again, this time spinning more rapidly and with morebeautiful colors. After four more minutes, it stopped again. Then, it began athird time to spin with still more beautiful colors. Then, it started to zigzag inthe sky. It went up and down like a yo-yo. Then it started to fall, plungingtowards the earth.

The sun became very large in the sky and very hot. It looked as if itwas going to fall on top of the people and kill them all, as if it was the end of

the world. So, the people fell on their knees in the mud and cried to God formercy, begging Our Lady for Her help, Her intercession, and Her prayers.

Suddenly, the sun stopped falling and went back up into the sky to itsregular place. Then the people got up from their knees and they all began tonotice that their clothes were dry and clean. And the ground was not muddyeither, but dry. Not only that, but many sick persons were cured that day the blind were able to see and the lame could walk. Many sinners wereconverted too. They stopped sinning and went to Confession, and then livedaccording to Gods Commandments.

While the sun danced, Lucy, Francisco, and Jacinta saw in the sky St.Joseph with the Child Jesus blessing the world by tracing the sign of theCross with their hands. This apparition disappeared, then they saw Our Ladyof Sorrows with Our Lord. Our Lord again blessed the world. This vision alsothen vanished and finally they saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel, all just as Shehad promised them.



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God Himself had surely placed His Divine Seal of authenticity on theMessage of Our Lady of Fatima. Virtually everyone who witnessed theseevents regarded them as miraculous, including those who describedthemselves as "non-believers" and atheists.

The Fatima Message Continues

As promised by Our Lady, God soon took Francisco and Jacinta toHeaven. Francisco died on April 4, 1919 and Jacinta on February 20, 1920.

Lucia was left here on earth to tell everyone about Fatima. She was tomake our Lady known and loved, and to spread devotion to Her ImmaculateHeart.

But the story of Fatima does not end here. In fact, it was only just the

beginning

As promised by Our Lady at Fatima, God soon took Francisco andJacinta to Heaven. Francisco died on April 4, 1919 and Jacinta died onFebruary 20, 1920. Lucy was left here on earth to tell everyone aboutFatima. She was to make Our Lady known and loved, and to spread devotionto Her Immaculate Heart.

In 1920, the Bishop of Leiria, Portugal, Joseph Correia da Silva, wasintent on conducting a thorough investigation into the events of Fatima so

that he might safeguard and foster true devotion to God and His Mother.

He conducted his first interview with Lucy on June 13, 1921. By thistime, the life of the dos Martos family had been severely disrupted by theconstant stream of visitors and curiosity seekers, and so the bishop decidedit best to send Lucy to a convent school. He chose for Lucy the College of theDorothean Sisters at Vilar, near Porto, where he had been chaplain.

On June 16, 1921, Lucy left for Vilar where she would spend the nextfour years. She went with instructions from Bishop da Silva that she was to

remain absolutely incognito, neither telling anybody who she was, nor sayinganything related to the apparitions of Fatima. It was here that she was giventhe name of Maria das Dores (Maria of Sorrows).

Around 1923 to 1924, Lucy had a strong desire to enter Carmel. Shehad been attracted to the recent canonization of Saint Thrse of the ChildJesus who had been a Carmelite nun. But also, Our Lady appeared at theCova da Iria on October 17, 1917 wearing the habit of Carmel as well as



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holding the holy Scapular in Her hand.

She approached her Superior, Mother Magalhaes, who discouraged herfrom the idea. Instead, it was decided that Lucys vocation resided with theDorotheans. So in 1925, when she was 18 years old, Lucy began her

postulancy in the Spanish city of Pontevedra to become a Dorothean nun.

The Apparitions at Pontevedra, Spain

The Five First Saturdays

Lucy, writing in the third person, gives the account of the visit of OurLady and the Child Jesus:

On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to her, and by

Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most HolyVirgin rested Her hand on her shoulder, and as She did so, She showed her aHeart encircled by thorns, which She was holding in Her other hand. At thesame time, the Child said:

Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, coveredwith thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment, and thereis no one to make an act of Reparation to remove them.

Then the Most Holy Virgin said:

Look My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which

ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies andingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that Ipromise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary forsalvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive monthsshall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary,and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteenmysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making Reparation to Me.

The Virgin at Fatima first mentioned the devotion of the Communion ofReparation on the Five First Saturdays on July 13, 1917. Now Our Lady inPontevedra was confirming it, forming an essential part of the Message of

Fatima.

Sister Lucy Meets a Child

As a young novitiate, Sister Lucy was given the lowliest of tasks toperform. And so it was in November or December of 1925 when she wasemptying a garbage can outside the garden.



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She recounts:

I had met a child, whom I asked if he knew the Hail Mary. Heanswered, 'Yes', and I asked him to say it to me to hear him say it. But ashe would not say it alone, I recited it three times with him according to the

ancient practice of the three Hail Marys in honor of Our Lady.

At the end of the three Hail Mary's, I asked him to say it alone. As heremained silent and did not appear capable of saying it alone, I asked him ifhe knew the church of Saint Mary. He answered, 'Yes'. I then told him to gothere every day and to pray thus: O my Mother in Heaven, give me YourChild Jesus.' I taught him that prayer and I went away."

The Child Returns

Then on February 15 of 1926, while returning as usual (to empty agarbage can outside the garden), I found there a child who seemed to bethe same one as before, and I asked him: 'Did you ask Our Heavenly Motherfor the Child Jesus?'

The child turned to me and said:

And you, have you revealed to the world what the Heavenly Motherasked you?' And having said that, He transformed Himself into a resplendentChild.

Recognizing then that it was Jesus, I said to Him: 'My Jesus! Youknow what my confessor said to me in the letter I read to You. He said thatthis vision had to be repeated, there had to be facts permitting us to believeit, and that the Mother Superior alone could not spread this devotion.'

Jesus replied:

It is true that the Mother Superior alone can do nothing, but with Mygrace, she can do anything ...

Sister Lucy responded that her confessor said that this devotionalready existed in the world because many souls received Him every firstSaturday of the month, in honor of Our Lady and the fifteen mysteries of theRosary.

Jesus answered:



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"It is true, My daughter, that many souls begin, but few persevere tothe very end, and those who persevere do it to receive the graces promised.The souls who make the Five First Saturdays with fervor and to makereparation to the Heart of your heavenly Mother please Me more than thosewho make fifteen, but are lukewarm and indifferent."

Not only had Our Lady confirmed the Communion of Reparation on theFirst Saturdays, but Our Lord Himself confirmed how pleasing the devotionwas to Him and the honor and comfort it gives to the heavenly Mother ofGod.

The Apparitions at Tuy, Spain

Consecration of Russia

On July 16, 1926, Sister Lucy left Pontevedra for the novitiate in Tuy,

Spain to receive the habit of the Dorothean Sisters.

It was here that the Blessed Virgin fulfilled the third promise She madeon July 13, 1917 at Fatima to come back later to ask for the consecration ofRussia.

Sister Lucy writes:

"I had requested and obtained permission from my superiors andconfessor to make the Holy Hour from 11:00 p.m. until midnight from

Thursday to Friday. Being alone one night, I knelt down before theCommunion rail in the middle of the chapel to say the prayers of the Angel,lying prostrate. Feeling tired, I got up and knelt and continued to say themwith my arms in the form of a cross. The only light came from the sanctuarylamp.

"Suddenly a supernatural light illuminated the whole chapel and on thealtar appeared a cross of light which reached to the ceiling. In a brighterpart could be seen, on the upper part of the cross, the face of a man and Hisbody to the waist; on His breast was an equally luminous dove. And nailed

to the cross, the body of another man. A little below the waist, suspended inmidair, was to be seen a Chalice and a large Host onto which fell some dropsof Blood from the face of the Crucified and from a wound in His breast.These drops ran down over the Host and fell into the Chalice.

"Under the right arm of the cross was Our Lady with Her ImmaculateHeart in Her hand ... (It was Our Lady of Fatima with Her Immaculate Heartin Her left hand, without a sword or roses, but with a crown of thorns and



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flames.)

"Under the left arm (of the cross), some big letters as it were ofcrystal clear water running down over the altar, formed these words: 'Graceand Mercy'. I understood that it was the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity

that was shown to me, and I received lights about this mystery which I amnot permitted to reveal.

"Then Our Lady said to me:

"The moment has come when God asks the Holy Father to make, inunion with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to MyImmaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. So numerous are thesouls which the justice of God condemns for the sins committed against Me,that I come to ask you for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and

pray.

"Later on, by means of an interior communication, Our Lord said tome, complaining:

"They did not want to heed My request! ... Like the King of Francethey will repent and do it, but it will be late. Russia will have already spreadits errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecution against theChurch: the Holy Father will have much to suffer.

Sister Lucy later expressed to her confessor, Father Gonalves,howthis consecration must be fulfilled:

"The good Lord promises to end the persecution in Russia if the HolyFather will himself make a solemn act of reparation and consecration ofRussia to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as well as ordering all thebishops of the Catholic world to do the same. The Holy Father must thenpromise that upon the ending of this persecution he will approve andrecommend the practice of the reparatory devotion already described."

It is this specific consecration of Russia that Heaven is waiting for,even to the present day.

Five Offenses Against the Immaculate Heart

On May 29, 1930, in the Chapel at Tuy, Sister Lucy felt herself moreintimately possessed by the Divine Presence. On behalf of her confessor, she



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asked Our Lord, Why five Saturdays and not 9, or 7, in honor of theSorrows of Our Lady?

Jesus replied:

"My daughter, the reason is simple. There are five kinds of offensesand blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

1.Blasphemies against Her Immaculate Conception.2.Blasphemies against Her Perpetual Virginity.3.Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, while refusing at the same time

to recognize Her as the Mother of men.4.The blasphemies of those who seek publicly to sow in the hearts of

children indifference or scorn, or even hatred towards this ImmaculateMother.

5.The offenses of those who outrage Her directly in Her holy Images.

"There, My daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Maryinspired Me to request this small act of reparation, and in consideration of it,to move My mercy to forgive souls who have had the misfortune to offendHer. As for you, seek unceasingly, through your prayers and sacrifices, tomove My mercy with regard to these poor souls."

Here then is one of the most important ideas in the Message of Fatima.God has decided to show His plan of love, which is to grant His graces to

men through the mediation of the Immaculate Virgin. It seems that theirrefusal to submit with docility to that Divine Will is a sin which particularlywounds His Heart.

As far as Our Savior is concerned, there is hardly any crime lessforgivable than to scorn His Most Holy Mother and to outrage HerImmaculate Heart, which is the sanctuary of the Holy Ghost.

Apparitions at Rianjo, Spain

A Dire Warning to the Clergy

In August of 1931, because she was not well and in need of rest,Sister Lucy was sent incognito by her superiors to the small maritime city ofRianjo. Even the people in the house where she was staying did not, at thetime, know who she was. It was there in the chapel in Rianjo, which wasdedicated to Our Lady, that Our Lord spoke to Sister Lucy as she waspraying for the conversion of Spain, Portugal, Europe, Russia and the world.



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Jesus spoke to her and said:

"You please me very much by praying for the conversion of thosecountries. Ask this grace also of My Mother."

Then He dictated two prayers to her and asked that they be prayedoften:

"Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal,Europe and the whole world.

"By Thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain for me theconversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world."

He went on to say:

"Make it known to My ministers, given that they follow the example ofthe King of France in delaying the execution of My command, like him, theywill follow him into misfortune."

Jesus was referring to the King of France who had been commandedby Jesus through Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque on June 17, 1689 toconsecrate France to His Sacred Heart.

For one hundred years the kings had refused to do this and on June17, 1789, one hundred years to the day, the King of France was stripped ofhis power by the Third Estate and four years later publicly executed underthe blade of the guillotine.

These are terrifying words. Our Lord would not predict such a direchastisement for the Pope and the bishops if it were not a serious matter, orif they were not obliged to obey.

Yet Our Lord also made it known to Sister Lucy that It will never be

too late to have recourse to Jesus and Mary.

And while some claim that the consecration of Russia to theImmaculate Heart has been done, one only has to look around the worldtoday and ask, Is there truly peace in our world?

Surely, the example of the King of France looms heavy on theministers of the Catholic Church. And it is to these ministers that we



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continue to plead the case to consecrate Russia for the salvation of souls andfor the period of peace throughout the world promised by Our Lady.

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Documents

Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima