WHY OUR LADY

20TH CENTURY - 1917 - OUR LADY FATIMA

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FATIMA, PORTUGAL

OTHER TITLE: Our Lady of The Rosary

VISIONARY(S): Lucia (12; Francisco (10); Jacinta (8)

NUMBER OF APPARITIONS: 6

FIRST APPARITION: May 13, 1917

LAST APPARITION October 13, 1917

APPROVED: October 30, 1930

FEAST DAY: May 13th

  ”...”in the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph,

the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, which will be converted,

and some time of peace will be given to the world.”

SUMMARY

  Just like the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Miracle of the tilma, there is so much more to the message of Our Lady of Fatima than just the Miracle of the Sun. In fact the message of Fatima is a heavenly light and occasion of grace and salvation for the 20th Century, a Message and event unparalleled in Church History, the most momentous and important event of our time, which is still unfolding to this day. We pray that all will enjoy and benefit from learning: “the rest of the story”!

The apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917 were preceded by three appearances of St. Michael in 1916. Then, in 1917, while tending sheep in a field called the Cova de Iria, Lucia de Santos (10) and her two cousins, Francisco Marto (7) and Jacinta Marto (8), reported six apparitions of Our Lady, who identified herself as "Our Lady of the Rosary."  (Our Lady always asks that we say a daily Rosary, but she has never emphasized it more than at Fatima when she made it a priority request at each of her six apparitions.)

  During the apparitions, Francisco was able to see Our Lady but not hear her and had to depend upon Lucia and Jacinta to tell him what Our Lady said. Jacinta was able to both see Our Lady and to hear her, but at times had difficulty in hearing her. Lucia was the one that would communicate directly with Our Lady and who was the chosen one to communicate the message of Fatima over the course of her long life of 95 years.

  Our Lady taught the children special prayers, truths about the Faith, heaven, hell and the final judgment, the Rosary, frequent reception of the sacraments, the need for conversion, and consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.  

  Our Lady made several prophesies that since have come true; and others yet to come true. For example, she prophesied that World War I would soon end and it did. She prophesied that there would be a World War II that would be preceded by a great light, and both did occur. She prophesied that Francisco and Jacinta would soon die, and they did. She prophesied that Lucia would live a very long life, and she did (to age 95). She also prophesied the exact date and time and place of the promised sign (Miracle of the Sun) confirming that she truly was the Mother of God. The Miracle of the Sun is the only time in the history of the world that an event actually happened at the date and time and place that it was prophesied to happen.

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  The demands Our Lady placed on the three children would be difficult for an adult to handle. The truths disclosed to them were of a magnitude far beyond their tender years. In particular, Lucia would "suffer a great deal" as she endured the prophesied loss of her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, and as she continued on her prophesied and chosen journey of life to "make Me (Our Lady) known and loved", and to "establish the Devotion to My Immaculate Heart in the world", through which She promised "salvation to those who embrace it as their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by Myself to adorn His throne."

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  Throughout the hundred plus years which have passed since the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, diabolic errors - both idealogical and practical - have been taking root throughout the world, just as Our Lady warned, pitting mankind more and more against the reign of Jesus Christ. Hostilities in the Middle East threaten to erupt into a Third World War of unimaginable destructiveness, and even within the Church, chaos and scandal reign in the midst of a moral, doctrinal and disciplinary collapse such as has never been seen it its 2000-year+ history.

  Our Lady of Fatima warned that such crises (particularly wars and persecutions of the Church) would come upon us as a punishment for the sins of the world if men did not amend their lives.

  The world continues to build up against itself a tremendous debt, not just financially, but above all morally, provoking the justice of God, and there will be a terrible price to pay for it if we do not invoke Our Lady - in the precise way shown to us by Heaven - to intervene on our behalf with the inestimable merits of Her Immaculate Heart.

  Our Lady entrusted the children with what became known as the Fatima Secret. She thought it was important for us to have the Secret, important enough to risk the lives of the three young children visionaries. It was so important that she insisted that it be written down. She obviously wanted it to be known, so the Secret indeed is important. She wants us to have the Secret so we can save our souls!

  The Secret talks about the apostasy in the Church being led from the top, which snares one-third of the Catholic clergy to work for the devil. As a result, many souls are going to go to hell that would not otherwise go to hell. We know that from what Pope John Paul II said on May 13, 2000.

  There are three parts to the Secret, and the first two parts are known. The third part of the Secret, also known as the Third Secret, was supposed to have been released in 1960 but it was not. It was finally released in 2000. Many believe that the Third Secret itself has two parts, and only one part has been released. According to Pope Benedict XVI, who has read the entire Third Secret, the Third Secret concerns the last times, and he tells us it is contained in Sacred Scripture, that is, those events predicted at the end of time - events of terrible chastisements and punishments that have already started to take place, and are going to happen shortly, in our lifetime, and we must do something about it now. We must convert now, because if not we will be dragged along with the rest in the general Apostasy

surrounding us.

  The story of Our Lady of the Rosary, at Fatima, Portugal, is on-going and it appears that the story will continue until all of the words of Our Lady are adhered to including: (1) the Consecration of Russia exactly as Our Lady requested, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Holy Father, simultaneously with all of the Bishops in the world; and (2) the establishment throughout the world of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (First Saturday Devotion).

  According to Our Lady, then and only then will there be the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart, and peace in the world.

  Our Lady returned to earth at Medjugorje in 1981 and is still appearing there after almost forty years. Here is the only reference to Fatima from the messages given to the visionaries at Medjugorje: August 25, 1991 - “Dear Children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realized. Satan is strong and wants to sweep away my plans of peace and joy and make you think that my Son is not strong in His decisions. Therefore, I call all of you, dear children, to pray and fast still more firmly. I invite you to self-renunciation for nine days so that, with your help, everything that I desire to realize through the secrets I began in Fatima, may be

fullfilled. I call you, dear children, to now grasp the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I want to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, let us pray that everything that I have begun be fully realized. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

BEFORE THE APPARITIONS

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Friar Dominic of Guzman

  It was Saint Dominic that long ago prophesied, “One day, Brother Angel (a Friar that had been called to Rome from Mt. Carmel in Palestine because he was a great preacher), the Blessed Mother will give your Carmelite Order a devotion that will be known as the Brown Scapular, and to my Order of Preachers (Dominicans) a devotion that will be called the Rosary. And one day she will save the world through the Rosary and the Scapular.” On that spot where that meeting took place, a chapel was built which exists in Rome to this day.

Saint Simon Stock

  St. Simon was born in 1165 in the castle of Harford, in Kent, England, thanks to the prayers of pious parents who were both very virtuous and from the highest nobility. Some authors believe they were related to the royal family. His mother consecrated him to the Blessed Mother before he was born.

  The boy learned to read at a very tender age. Like his parents, he began to pray the Little Office of Our Lady, and soon also the Psalter. At the age of seven, the young genius started to study fine arts at Oxford College and was so successful that his professors were surprised. At that time he also received his First Communion and consecrated his virginity to the Blessed Mother. Persecuted by his envious older brother, and heeding an interior voice that gave St. Simon a desire to leave the world, at the age of twelve he left home and found refuge in a forest where he lived entirely alone for twenty years in prayer and penance.

  Our Lady then manifested to St. Simon her wish that he join some monks who were to come to England from Mount Carmel in Palestine, “especially because those religious had been consecrated to the Mother of God in a special way.” Simon thus left his solitude and, obeying another order from Heaven, studied theology and received Holy Orders. He devoted himself to preaching until 1213, when two Carmelite friars finally arrived. He was then able to receive the habit of the Carmelite order.

  It did not take long for the fame of St. Simon’s virtues to become well known. In 1226, St. Simon was appointed vicar-general of all Carmelite provinces in Europe. Unfortunately the devil unleashed a real storm against the Carmelites in Europe through men supposedly zealous for Church laws and wanting at all costs to suppress the entire order of the Carmelites. In 1237, St. Simon participated in the General Chapter of the Order in the Holy Land. In 1245, in a new chapter, he was elected the sixth prior-general of the Carmelites.

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  As persecution of the Carmelite order intensified over the years, St. Simon felt it necessary to resort to the Blessed Mother with all the sadness of his heart, asking her to help his beleaguered Order and to send a sign of her alliance with it.

  In the morning of July 16, 1251, he was begging in earnest the Mother of Carmel for her protection, reciting a beautiful prayer he had composed, Flos Carmeli. As he reported to his secretary and confessor, suddenly “the Virgin appeared to me with a great retinue, and having the habit of the Order in her hand, told me, ‘Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire....It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace. Whoever dies (piously) clothed in this Scapular will not suffer eternal fire.’”

The Sabbatine Privilege

  In addition to the special grace of eternal salvation connected with the Scapular, Our Lady gave another which became known as the Sabbatine Privilege. The following century, on March 3, 1322, she appeared to Pope John XXII, communicating to those who wear her scapular, “As a tender mother, I will descend into Purgatory on the Saturday after their death and will deliver them and bring them to the holy mountain, into the happy sojourn of life everlasting.”

Note: In 1917, Our Lady of the Rosary appeared at Fatima and in 1961, Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared at Garabandal. After the last appearance of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917, the seers saw three different scenes. In the first, the Mother of God appeared as Our Lady of the Rosary, standing by St. Joseph and holding the Child Jesus on her lap. Then, she appeared as Our Lady of Sorrows, by the painful Christ on His way to Calvary. And finally, she appeared in glory, crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, as Our Lady of Carmel, with the Scapular in her hand. Asked in 1950 why she thought Our Lady appeared with the Scapular in the last vision, Sister Lucia replied: “That’s because Our Lady wants everyone to wear the Scapular, and this is why the Rosary and the Scapular, the oldest, most privileged universal and valuable Marian sacramentals are more important today than in any past period in history.”

World War I

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  World War I began on July 28, 1914, and ended with the formal surrender of Germany on November 11, 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles.  Our Lady made her first appearance in Fatima, Portugal, in the middle of the war on May 13, 1917. 

  World War I began between two sides; the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy); and the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia). Each country was heavily armed and each one had reasons for distrusting each other's countries in Europe. 

  The violence and slaughter that occurred in World War I, called the "Great War", was horrible. Estimates of casualties are 65 million mobilized, 8.5 million killed, 21.2 million wounded, and total casualties of 37.5 million.  

  Of all the countries involved in this horrible war, Russia mobilized the greatest number of forces and suffered the most casualties. Estimates are 12 million mobilized, 1.7 million dead, 4.9 million wounded, and total casualties of 9.1 million.  

  Russia is emphasized here specifically because Russia is a big part of the Fatima story as will be described later.

Portugal

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  In 1917, Portugal, like the majority of the world, was embroiled in war. As World War I raged throughout Europe, Portugal found itself unable to maintain its initial neutrality and joined forces with the Allies, in order to protect colonies in Africa and to defend their trade with Britain. About 220,000 Portuguese civilians died during the war; thousands due to food shortages, thousands more from the Spanish flu.

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  Compounding the problem, government stability in the country had been rocky at best following the revolution and coup d’état that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and subsequent establishment of the First Portuguese Republic in 1910.

  A new liberal constitution separating Church and state was drafted under the influence of Freemasonry, which sought to omit the faith – which for many was the backbone of Portuguese culture and society – from public life. Anti-Catholicism in Portugal had initially begun in the 18th century during the term of statesman Marquês de Pombal, and flared up again after the drafting of the new constitution.

​  Catholic churches and schools were seized by the government, and the wearing of clerics in public, the ringing of church bells, and the celebrating of popular religious festivals were banned. Between 1911-1916, nearly 2,000 priests, monks and nuns were killed by anti-Christian groups.

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  This was the backdrop against which Mary, in 1917, appeared to three shepherd children – Lucia dos Santos, 10, and her cousins Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7) – in a field in Fatima, Portugal, bringing with her requests for the recitation of the rosary for sacrifices on behalf of sinners, a Secret regarding the fate of the world, and a Devotion and Consecration necessary for peace in the world.

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Previous Apparitions

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  Prior to this series of Apparitions at Fatima in the 20th century, there were three other important apparitions in which Our Lady, as She did at Fatima, gave some very important and prophetic messages; at Quito, Ecuador (Our Lady of Good Success) in the 16th century (1578-1634), at Paris, France (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal) in the 18th century (1836), and at La Salette, France (Our Lady of La Salette), also in the 18th century (1846).

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Appearances of the Angel  

  In 1915, the three visionaries noticed the sudden appearance of a cloud in a form like that of a man, hovering above the treetops of the valley. They were obviously surprised and filled with wonderment. This happened again two more times and although the impression remained with them for a long while, it diminished with time. If not for the events that were to occur the next year, these appearances might have been completely forgotten. 

​  In 1916, following a rainstorm, above the trees the three visionaries began to see a light, whiter than snow. It was the form of a young man, transparent, more brilliant than a crystal pierced by the rays of the sun. As he approached, they began to distinguish his features, and as he came nearer he said: "Fear not! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me!" And they then repeated the words they heard him pronounce: "My God, I believe, I adore, and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee, do not love Thee."  He repeated this prayer three times. Then he arose and said: "Pray this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications." The Angel continued to appear to the three visionaries teaching them to pray, and praying with them. The children were unaware however of what would be happening in only a few months, on May 13th of 1917!

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THE APPARITION(S)

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May 13, 1917 - First Apparition

  On this Sunday, during the midst of the First World War, God sent to earth the loveliest flower of the ages, His own beautiful Mother, Mary, whom we address as the Queen of May. "It was a Lady dressed all in white", Lucia records, "more brilliant than the sun, shedding rays of light, clear and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water, pierced by the burning rays of the sun". 

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  "Fear not!", the Lady said, "I will not harm you"... "I am from Heaven"... "I come to ask you to come here for six consecutive months, on the 13th day, at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I want. And I shall return here again a seventh time."

  Our Lady asked the children: "Do you want to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may choose to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversions of sinners?" Promptly Lucia responded for all three, "Yes, we want to." "Then you are going to suffer a great deal," the Lady promised, "but the grace of God will be your comfort."

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  As She pronounced these words, the Lady opened Her hands and shed upon the children an intensely bright light, that penetrated the innermost depths of their souls; and once again she spoke these words to them: "Say the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and the end of the war."

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  "She began then to elevate Herself serenely," Lucia said, "going in the direction of the East until She disappeared in the immensity of space, still surrounded by a most brilliant light that seemed to open a path for Her through the myriad galaxies of stars."

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June 13, 1917 - Second Apparition: 

  By this time the news of the apparition had spread all through the countryside. Everyone had his own idea on the matter; some believed, most did not. In fact, both the children and their parents were ridiculed by their neighbors and things were just very difficult for all of them. 

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  Once again there was a flash and shortly thereafter, Our Lady appeared. Lucia raised her eyes towards the skies, as if in prayer, and was heard to say, "You told me to come here today. What do you want me to do?" Our Lady's response was "I want you to come here on the 13th of the next month. Say the Rosary, inserting between the mysteries the following ejaculation - 'O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need.' I want you to learn to read and write and later I will tell you what else I want."

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  Lucia then asked Our Lady to take the three of them with her to Heaven. Our Lady responded: "I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. You, however, are to stay her a longer time. Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wants to establish the Devotion to My Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by Myself to adorn His throne." 

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  Full of sadness with the pending loss of her cousins, Lucia asked if she would be left alone. And Our Lady responded: "No, my daughter. I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."

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  As Our Lady was leaving this second apparition, a bystander reported that as Our Lady left the tree, it was like the hissing of a distant rocket. She continued: "As for us, we saw nothing but a slight cloud, just a few inches away from the foliage, rising slowly towards the East."

July 13, 1917 - Third Apparition

  This apparition was extraordinary. As Our Lady appeared, Lucia, looking up towards Her with eyes filled with loving devotion, asked, "What do you want of me?" Our Lady responded: "I want you to return here on the 13th of next month," the Lady said. Continue to say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war; for only She can help you."

  Lucia, wishing to clear up the doubts of the people, spoke again in her own childish manner, "Will you please tell us who You are and perform a miracle so that everyone will believe that You really appear to us?" Our Lady then responded: "Continue to come here every month. In October, I will say who I am and what I desire and I will perform a miracle all shall see, so that they believe."

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  A little later Lucia described how Our Lady showed them Hell: "As she opened Her hands, the light reflecting from them seemed to penetrate into the earth, as if into a sea of fire, and we saw immersed in that fire were devils and souls with human form, as if they were transparent black or bronze embers floating in the fire and swayed by the flames that issued from within themselves along with great clouds of smoke, falling upon every side just like the falling of sparks in great fires, without weight or equilibrium, amidst wailing and cries of pain and despair that horrife and shook us with terror. We could distinguish the devils by their horrible and repulsive figures of frightful and unknown animals, but transparent as the black coals in a fire."

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  Frightened, deathly pale, the little ones raised their eyes to Our Lady for help as Lucia cried out. "oh... Our Lady!" Our Lady explained: "You have seen Hell - where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them God wills to establish throughout the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If people will do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace. The war is going to end. But if they do not stop offending God, another and worse war will break out in the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by and unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God gives you, that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father."

  "To forestall 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 they heed My requests, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting 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 Immaculate Heart shall triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, which will be converted, and some time of peace will be given to the world."

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  "In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved etc. Do not tell this to anyone. To Francisco, yes, you may tell it."

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  Upon Our Lady's departure and as soon as the children recovered from their profound emotion, a ruthless, inquisitive crowd surrounded them, all saying at once, "Lucia, what did the Lady say to make you look so sad?" 

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  Lucia's response was: "It is a SECRET. For some, it is good; for others, it is evil. I cannot tell it."

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August 13, 1917

Our Lady was expected to appear on this day. The people saw signs of Our Lady showing up as she had promised, but the children were not there.   

  The Magistrate of the county to which Fatima belonged was a man of tremendous power. He was also a baptized Catholic but had abandoned the church to join the Masonic Lodge. He also published a local newspaper by which he endeavored to undermine the faith of the people in the Church and the priests. When he heard about the Apparitions, he realized the effects they might have among the people yet he was confident that his immense power would enable him to quickly crush this new religious fad in the beginning.

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  The Magistrate brought the children in for questioning. He tried to trick them time and again. He took them to his own house and locked them in a room. He threatened them. He took them to the jail and locked them with hardened criminals. He threatened them more and said he was going to throw them into a pot of boiling oil. All they had to do was tell him the secret and he would let them go. But, the children were unwilling to comply.  

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  When time came for the apparition to take place a terrible resentment went through the crowd when they found out that the children had been kidnapped. Before the crowd could cause too much trouble, there was a crack of thunder that frightened all and many began to cry, fearing they were going to be killed. And, right after the thunder came a flash and immediately all noticed a little cloud, very white, beautiful and bright, that came and stayed over the holm oak. It stayed for a few minutes, then rose towards the heavens where it disappeared. The people seemed to realize that Our Lady had come and, not finding the children, had returned to Heaven. To everyone's dismay, the apparition did not take place as promised and expected.

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  Finally, the Magistrate realized that no matter what he said or did, he could accomplish nothing with these children. So, out of fear of what the enraged people in town would do, he himself took the children in his carriage to Fatima, not realizing that the Church was celebrating on that day the Feast of the Assumption.

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  It is important to note that the interrogation of the children served one purpose that was providential. Since everything became a matter of official record, the Magistrate unwittingly made the existence of a secret revelation undeniable. 

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August 19, 1917 - Fourth Apparition

  This was Sunday, and the children went to the Cova da Iria and prayed the Rosary like they always would after Mass. Then Lucia and Francisco left for a place called Valinhis, not far away where they intended to spend the afternoon. Late that afternoon Lucia became aware of the signs that always immediately preceded the apparitions of Our Lady: the sudden cooling of the air, the paling of the sun, and the typical flash. Lucia cried for Francisco’s brother John to ”Go quickly and get Jacinta! Our Lady is coming!”

  Just as Jacinta was arriving, a second flash occurred and a few moments later, the brilliant Lady appeared above a holm oak slightly taller than the one at Cova da Iria. The Lady was rewarding the children for their fidelity during their trials with the Magistrate.

  Lucia asked: “What do You want of me?” Our Lady responded: “I want you to continue to come to the Cova da Iria on the 13th and to continue to say the Rosary every day.” Lucia then asked Our Lady if She would be willing to perform a miracle so that all who disbelieved in the reality of Her presence might see and believe. Our Lady responded: “Yes, in the last month, in October, I shall perform a miracle so that all may believe in My apparitions. If they had not taken you to the village, the miracle would have been greater. St. Joseph will come with the Baby Jesus to give peace to the world. Our Lord also will come to bless the people. Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Sorrows will also come.”

​  Lucia then spoke to Our Lady of the sick who had been recommended to her. Our Lady responded: "Yes, I shall cure some of them within the year." But She went on teaching them to pray rather for the health of souls than of bodies, "Pray! Pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them."

September 13, 1917 - Fifth Apparition

  The last words above, spoken at Valinhos, awakened in the children an even stronger desire for mortification, prayer and suffering. Their one longing was to close that terrifying furnace of Hell so that no more souls could go there. They prayed much, but they sacrificed themselves even more. They trained their minds to discover new ways of suffering for the conversion of sinners. All of this was only known by Our Lady but many years later, only under order from her superiors, did Lucia relate the extent of their youthful prayers and sacrifices, many of which were severe.

  While the children sought every means of pleasing Our Lady, certain men were determined to discredit the children and make a fiasco of the apparitions. For them, it was another opportunity to destroy the Church in Portugal. 

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  And then there was also the belief and misunderstanding, especially on the part of the priests, together with the constant, repititious questions of the people which caused the children keen suffering and a sense of utter loneliness. They felt that no one but Our Lady really understood them and that only they understood Her. 

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  Lucia was leading the Rosary as usual with the people responding when the children arose to scan the horizon. They had seen the flash. Our Lady would soon come. A few moments passed. A globe of light appeared before the crowd, and the all holy Queen of Angels was standing over the holm oak. 

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  "What do you want of me?" Lucia spoke very humbly, Our Lady responded: "Let the people continue to say the Rosary every day to obtain the end of the war", Our Lady renewed the promises She made during Her last appartion:  "In the last month, in October, I shall perform a miracle so that all may believe in My apparitions. If they had not taken you to the village, the miracle would have been greater. St. Joseph will come with the Baby Jesus to give peace to the world. Our Lord also will come to bless the people. Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Sorrows will also come."  Lucia then said "Many people believe that I am a swindler who should be hanged or burned. Please perform a miracle for all to believe." And Our Lady responded: Yes, in October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."

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  As Our Lady was leaving, many saw a luminous globe gliding slowly and majestically through space. After interrogation, with one voice they affirmed the reality of the phenomena being reported. Other signs were also reported on this day. There was a sudden cooling of the air; and the sun was dimmed, so much so that thousands of people could see the stars even though it was mid-day; also there was a rain of iridescent petals that vanished upon reaching the ground.  

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October 13, 1917 - Sixth Apparition

  The pressure was really on and intense on this day. Both fear and panic prevailed.  Rain was pouring from the heavens, a sad beginning for the glorious day promised by Our Lady and the children, yet the rain did not dampen the spirits of the many thousands of people who came from every section of Portugal. Some estimated the crowd at the Cova da Iria this day to be at least 70,000 persons. A professor of the University of Coimbra, after careful consideration, placed the number at over 100,000. Even the daily newspapers sent reporters to the scene. 

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  Suddenly Lucia glanced towards the east and said to Jacinta, "Jacinta, kneel downl Our Lady is coming. I've seen the flash." To the crowd, Lucia said: "Silence, Silence, Our Lady is coming". Lucia then inquired of the Queen of Heaven: "What does your grace want of me?" Our Lady responded: "I want a chapel to be built here in My honor. I am Our Lady of the Rosary. Continue to say the Rosary every day. The war will soon end and the soldiers will return to their homes." Our Lady then said: "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." Lucia then asked "Do you want anything more?" And Our Lady responded "Nothing more."

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  As Our Lady took leave of the children, She opened Her hands which emitted a flood of light. While She was rising, She pointed towards the sun, and the light gleaming from Her hands brightened the sun itself. Suddenly there was a huge, immense cry of wonder and astonishment from the multitude as the clouds were quickly dispersed and the sky was clear. The sun was now pale as the moon. To the left of the sun, St. Joseph appeared holding in his left arm the Child Jesus. St. Joseph emerged from the bright clouds only to his chest, sufficient to allow him to raise his right hand and make, together with the Child Jesus, the Sign of the Cross three times over the world. As St. Joseph did this, Our Lady stood in all Her brilliancy to the right of the sun, dressed in the blue and white robes of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

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  Our Lady also silently held out the Scapular. Lucia said the Blessed Mother wants everyone to wear it and “The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable.”

  What happened on this day has come to be known as the “Miracle of the Sun,” or “The day the sun danced.” Gathered to see the miracle that Our Lady had promised were believers and skeptics alike. The previously rainy sky cleared up, the clouds dispersed and the ground, which had been wet and muddy from the rain, was dried. A transparent veil came over the sun, making it easy to look at, and multi-colored lights were strewn across the landscape. 

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  The sun spun rapidly like a gigantic circle of fire. Then it stopped momentarily, only to begin spinning vertiginously (causing dizziness) again. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky. Their light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors. After performing this bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd.

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  All this lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its normal brightness. The cycle of the apparitions had ended. Many people noticed that their clothes, soaking wet from the rain, had suddenly dried. Many were cured of diseases on the spot, many more converted to the Catholic Faith. Even atheists and anti-clerical news reporters, present to scoff at the event, admit that the miracle occurred. Nothing like this miracle, announced in advance, has ever occured in the history of the world. 

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  The Miracle of the Sun was also seen by numerous witnesses up to twenty-five miles away from the place of the apparition.

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  This miracle was a direct, and very convincing contradiction to the atheistic regimes at the time. 

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  The Miracle of the Sun was understood by the people, as Our Lady had promised, to be the seal, the guarantee that in fact the three children were telling the truth.

​Rosary

  It should be noted that at each of Her apparitions, Our Lady asked the children to say the Rosary every day. Our Lady asks this of us at most of Her apparitions, and in particularly she does and is asking this of us at Medugorje.

· At the first apparition, She asked "Say the Rosary everyday to bring peace to the world and the end of the war 

· At the second apparition, She asked "Say the Rosary, inserting between the mysteries the following ejaculation - 'O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need.'"

· ​At the third apparition She asked "Continue to say the Rosary in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war."

· At the fourth apparition, She asked "Continue to say the Rosary every day."

· At the fifth apparition, She asked "Let the people continue to say the Rosary every day to obtain the end of the war."

· At the sixth apparition, She said "I am Our Lady of the Rosary. Continue to say the Rosary every day. The war will end soon and the soldiers will return to their homes.”

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AFTER THE APPARITION(S)

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  According to the accounts, each of the six apparitions lasted only a few moments, with the last one being the longest. At each apparition, Our Lady made prophesies, promises, requests, and even Secrets that were confusing at the time, but were later borne out by world events. The children always did exactly as requested by Our Lady. 

  Following the last approved appartion at Fatima in October, 1917, Our Lady and Jesus both continued to appear to Lucy (Sister Lucia) for many years in fulfillment of the promises and prophesies they had made in 1917. 

  So, let's now review what has actually taken place over the past 100+ years following those fateful Fatima apparitions and how accurate the prophesies of Our Lady have been.

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1918 - End of World War I. 

  During the third apparition on July 13th, Our Lady said:"the war (WW1) is going to end", and it did end in 1918. Prophesy fulfilled. 

  Our Lady also said "If people will do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace. But if they do not stop offending God, another and worse war will break out in the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God gives you, that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father." (See year 1938.)

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1919 - Death of Francisco

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  Towards the end of October, 1918, the whole Marto family came down with influenza. Francisco was in a very serious condition and could not move out of bed. At this time, Our Lady appeared to Francisco and Jacinta, telling them that she would come for Francisco very soon and Jacinta would follow him not long after. As she sat next to Francisco's bed, Lucia gently whispered to him, "Francisco, are you suffering a great deal?" Francisco replied, "Yes, I am. I suffer it all for the love of Our Lord and Our Lady. I want to suffer more and I can't. I feel very sick," he confided to Lucia, "but I'll be in Heaven soon."

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  Francisco had not yet received his First Holy Communion so he asked if he could do so. So, that evening the priest came to hear his confession and promised to return the next morning to give him Communion, which he did. Francisco received Jesus into his heart, closed his eyes in prayer, and recalled that other day when the angel came and together they adored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 

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  The next morning about ten, as the morning sun shone brightly into the room, his face brightened and an angelic smile parted his lips , as he breathed his last breath. Without any agony, with utmost peace, he made his exit from this world. So, on April 4, 1919, Francisco had finished the work God had given him to do and Our Lady came to claim him for Her own. Prophesy fulfilled!

Note: On May 13, 2017, the world rejoiced as Francisco Marto, one of the bravest and most loving children that has ever lived, was canonized a Saint at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fatima, Portugal, by Pope Francis.

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1920 - Death of Jacinta

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  Jacinta was also suffering from the influenza from which her suffering grew worse daily and an abscess formed on her chest. She knew she was going to die because Our Lady had told her so. And she also knew that she would be going to Heaven because Our Lady had also told her that. But Our Lady had also told her that she would undergo much suffering and that she did for another several months; terrible suffering from purulent pleurisy of the large left cavity, and fistulous osteitis of the 7th and 8th ribs of the same side. Later she underwent surgery to remove ribs, which was even more painful as she was unable to take anesthesia because she was too weak. 

  Though she suffered much, Jacinta never complained, accepting it with happiness, for she realized it would help many souls to escape the terrible fire of Hell. "Now you can convert many sinners," she spoke to Our Lord, "for I suffer a great deal, my Jesus." Our Lady continued to visit her often. Four days before her death, she said, "Our Lady has appeared again and said that she was coming for me soon. She took away all my pains.” The Doctor testified to the fact that she no longer had any pains.  Jacinta died peacefully on February 20th, 1920. 

Prophesy fulfilled!

  Both Francisco and Jacinta would both suffer a great deal - Prophesy fulfilled!

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  Days later the undertaker testified that never before nor after had he experienced a case like Jacinta's. "It seems to me that I can still today see the little angel. Laid in the casket she seemed to be still alive in her full beauty, with rosy cheeks and lips. I have seen many bodies in this business, young and old. Never before did a thing of this sort happen to me before nor since. The pleasant aroma that exhaled from her body cannot be explained. The worst unbeliever could not question it...Though the child had been dead three days, the aroma was like a bouquet of flowers." 

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  Considering the serious nature of Jacinta's sickness and the poisin that was in her system from the pleurisy (all of which would hasten the corruption of her body), it is not hard to understand the undertaker's amazement as Jacinta's body seemed to be exempt from natural law. On February 24th, the body was placed in a leaden casket and sealed in the presence of the authorities and some ladies. Fifteen years later, on September 12, 1935, the Bishop commanded that Jacinta's body be transferred to the cemetery of Fatima so that both her and Francisco's bodies could be placed in the same tomb. When Jacinta's casket was opened on this occasion, her little body was still whole and incorrupt!

Note: On May 13, 2017, the world rejoiced as Jacinta Marto, like her brother one of the bravest and most loving children that has ever lived, was canonized a Saint at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fatima, Portugal, by Pope Francis.

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1918 - The Chapel

  At the sixth apparition, Our Lady asked "I want a chapel to be built here in My honor." The first chapel was begun on August 6, 1918. As soon as it was finished, someone offered to have a statue made to complete the shrine. This proposal met with great enthusiasm, and immediately a procession was planned for the installation of the statue. However, when the hostile government officials learned of this, they promptly made their own plans for breaking up the demonstration. There was no procession, but the people had to sneak the statue into the little chapel. And, they had to take it to one their homes nightly due to fear that everything in the chapel would be stolen or set on fire. 

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1922 - Sure enough, two years later, on March 6, 1922, two bombs were placed at the Cova, one in the chapel, the other at the holm oak. The roof of the chapel was blown off, but the bomb at the holm oak failed to explode. 

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1923 - The destruction of the chapel had aroused the people to protest to the government, and they determined to hold a great pilgrimage for May 13, 1923 in order to make reparation to Our Lady for this terrible insult. Some officials tried to prevent the demonstration, but when the day arrived, over 60,000 persons gathered to march to Fatima to pay homage to their Queen. 

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  Many years have now passed since the apparitions occurred. The barren fields on which Lucia, Francis and Jacinta used to graze their sheep are now covered with large beautiful buildings. The little chapel can still be seen, but a great shrine in honor of Our Lady of Fatima dominates the area, flanked by a hospital, a convent and a retreat house, all of which testify to the power and mercy of Our Blessed Mother Mary.

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1925 - Communion of Reparation - First Saturday

  Remember, at Our Lady’s third apparition at Fatima, on July 13, 1917, she gave them the Secret(s), one part of which was: “When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God gives you, that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father.”

  Then Our Lady said: “To forestall this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.” She did not say when she would come to ask for the Communion of Reparation, she just promised that she would, and she did, eight years later.

  On December 10, 1925, Our Lady fulfilled this commitment: "I shall come to ask for... the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays", when she appeared to Lucia in her room at the Dorothean Convent in Pontevedra, Spain. The Child Jesus was at Our Lady's side, elevated upon a cloud of light. Our Lady, resting one hand upon Lucia's shoulder, held in Her other hand a heart surrounded with sharp thorns. The Child Jesus spoke first to Lucia: "Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation."

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  Then Our Lady said to Lucia: "My daughter, look at My Heart encircled with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and keep Me company for a quarter of an hour while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to Me."

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1926 - Lucia could never forget this vision of Mary's bleeding heart. She informed her confessor and her superior of this apparition, but they felt unable of themselves to spread this devotion. Two months passed, and on February 15th, 1926, the Child Jesus again appeared to Lucia, inquiring if she had spread this devotion of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of His Mother. In fact, Lucia's Mother Superior ardently desired to propogate the devotion but her confessor had advised her she could do nothing by herself.  Our Lord's answer to this was "It is true that your superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace she can do all." Meanwhile, Lucia did her part in writing to her own mother, urging her to become an apostle in the crusade of reparation, when she said: "As soon as I knew it, I embraced it myself and have wanted to do everything possible to make others practice it."

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1927 - While praying at the convent chapel at Tuy, Spain, where she was then stationed, Lucia received permission from Heaven to reveal the first two parts of the Secret: both the vision of Hell; and the urgent need for devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. "You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wants to establish throughout the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart"... "I shall come back for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart." Lucia informed her Mother Superior and her confessor about this apparition immediately. It appears that despite Lucia's efforts, not much progress was made in convincing her superiors of the need for progatation of this devotion. 

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  Our Lord obviously foresaw this difficulty. Appearing to Lucia as a child, he said: "... have you revealed to the world what the Heavenly Mother asked you?" Then, recognizing it was Jesus, Lucia repeated to Him what her confessor had said to her that this vision had to be repeated; there had to be facts permitting us to believe it, and that the Mother Superior alone could not spread this devotion.  Jesus then said: "It is true that the Mother Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace she can do everything. It is enough that your confessor gives you permission, and that your superior announce this for it to be believed by the people, even if they do not know whom it was revealed to."  Jesus explained that five First Saturdays were required because of the five specific offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and He also elaborated upon each of the five offenses and blasphemies.  

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  Tragically, today these offenses and blasphemies are committed not only by non-Catholics but the ignorance and coldness exemplified in them are now characteristic of many Catholics as well. Since the time of the Second Vatican Council, all too many Catholics - including a frightening number of clergy and religious - have disregarded these great Marian truths reiterated by Almighty God Himself. 

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  Why is it that the church hierarchy, at all levels, has ignored/ignores these requests of not only Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, but also of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the First Saturday Communion of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? How many Churches and Priests ignore any reference to the Five First Saturdays? How many offer the devotion service to its parishioners? How many Catholics participate in the devotion? How many Catholics perform the devotion exactly as requested by Our Lady?  

  Clearly the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays is an important devotion for our time, and is needed now more than ever. For just as Our Lady promised Francisco and Jacinta that she would take them to heaven, she promises the same to us if we perform the First Saturday devotion as requested...i.e. on the first Saturday of each month, we confess our sins to a priest (at least within a few days of the first Saturday), attend Mass, receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary, and keep her company for at least a quarter of an hour, while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, all with the intention of making reparation to her for the offenses against Her Immaculate Heart.

  Our Lady promises us that she will assist us at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation if we do this as she has requested of us. And, Our Lady has proven time and again that she will live up to her promises!

​1929 - The Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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  First let us remember once again, at Our Lady’s third apparition at Fatima, on July 13, 1917, she gave them the Secret(s), one part of which was: “When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God gives you, that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father.”

  Then Our Lady said: “To forestall this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.” She did not say when she would come to ask for the Consecration of Russia, she just promised that she would.

  In 1927, Our Lady told Lucia once again while Lucia was praying in the convent chapel in Tuy, Spain, that: "I shall come to ask for the Conscration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart."  She did not say when she would come to ask for the Communion of Reparation, she just promised that she would.

  Finally, two years later, on June 13, 1929, in fulfillment of Her promises, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucy at Tuy, Spain, this time along with the visible presence of the Most Holy Trinity, to formally request the Consecration of Russia. Sister Lucia describes the vision as follows:

  “Suddenly a supernatural light illumined the whole chapel and on the altar appeared a cross of light which reached to the ceiling. In a brighter part could be seen, on the upper part of the Cross, the face of a Man and His body 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 in mid-air, was to be seen a Chalice and a large Host onto which fell some drops of Blood from the face of the Crucified and from a wound on His breast. These drops ran down over the Host and fell into the Chalice. Under the right arm of the Cross was Our Lady (Our Lady of Fatima with Her Immaculate Heart in Her hand)... Under the left arm (of the Cross), some big letters, as if it were crystal-clear water running down over the altar, formed these words: ‘Grace and Mercy.’”

  As with the Miracle of the Sun, this “Trinitarian Theophany” is absolutely unique in the history of the world. Thus did God Himself signify the singular importance of what Our Lady of Fatima was about to tell Sister Lucia in the miraculous presence of the Most Holy Trinity: "The moment has come in which God asks of the Holy Father to make, and to order that in union with him and at the same time all the bishops of the world make, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart."

  Our Lady promised to convert it (Russia) through this day of prayer and worldwide reparation.  Our Lady explained that this consecration to her Immaculate Heart should be made by the Holy Father in union with all the bishops of the world. Lucia made this known to her confessors. One of them, Reverend Father Francisco Rodrigues, S.J., told her to write it down. He then showed this letter to the Bishop and gave him the full details. Father Rodrigues also had it brought to the attention of the Holy Father. Yet, for two years, nothing was done!

  In the summer of 1931, Jesus appeared to Sister Lucia and issued this warning to the Church's hierarchy regarding failure to perform the Consecration of Russia that God Himself commanded through the Blessed Virgin Mary two years earlier: "Make it known to My ministers, given that they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My command, they will follow him into misfortune." 

  Our Lord here refers to the execution of Louis XVI by the soldiers of the French Revolution, following the century-long failure of the French kings to heed His request (to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque) for the Consecration of France to His Sacred Heart. Our Lord thus warns of a fate like the one depicted by the vision that will be published in 2000 (but without the explanatory words of the Virgin) in which a Pope, bishops, priests, religious and lay people are likewise executed outside the devastated city. 

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​NOTE: The Kings of France for 100 years did not obey the command given by Jesus in 1689 to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart. The King of France and his ministers were killed by the French Revolutionaries and the Reign of Terror between 1789 and 1794. 

Prophesy fulfilled.

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1938 - Pope Pius XI was still Pope, seven more years had passed, and still no Consecration of Russia. World War II was beginning to break out, and the pope was pleading for peace. In March, 1938, Germany invaded Austria and prepared for World War II, which began in September, 1939, six months after Pope Pius XI died in March, 1939. (Remember, Our Lady had prophesied 21 years earlier that World War II would break out in the reign of Pope Pius XI). 

Prophesy fulfilled.

  When asked: "But the war did not begin under Pope Pius XI?", Lucia replied: "The annexation of Austria gave occasion for the war. When the Munich Accord was made, the sisters rejoiced for they thought that peace was secured. Unhappily, I knew more than they."  When asked "And what about that great sign that God was going to give the world that He was going to punish it for its crimes?", Lucia answered that this sign was the appearance of the "Great Northern Lights" of 1938 when unusual lights appeared in the skies of the world. "This was the sign," she said, "that God used to make me understand that His justice was ready to deal the blow upon the guilty nations." 

  When then asked: "But the astronomers say that it was a common aurora borealis?" Lucia countered: "I do not know, but it seems to me that if they had studied it well, they would have realized that, owing to the circumstances under which the light appeared, it was not nor could it have been an aurora borealis."

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  So, it does appear that another of Our Lady's prophesies that were made 21 years earlier was fulfilled right on track, once again! Another incredible event!

  But still no Consecration of Russia!

​  In 1940, Lucia wrote again to the Bishop of Leiria expressing her regret that the consecration had not yet been made. "Would that the world knew the hour of grace that is being given it and would do penance." Then she wrote what her director told her to write.  She asked for the consecration of the world to Mary's Immaculate Heart with a special mention of Russia!  The Pope deliberated long and prayerfully upon this request.

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  On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII, acting alone and on the basis of inaccurate information about what Our Lady requested, consecrates the world, but not Russia specifically, to the Immaculate Heart. The bishops do not participate. 

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  On December 8, 1942, Pius XII repeats the same ceremony, again without the participation of the bishops. Our Lord tells Sister Lucy that because of this World War II will be shortened, but that world peace will not result as Russia has not been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and consequently converted. World peace is reserved only to the proper Consecration of Russia.  The war did stop on the Feast of Our Lady!

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  On July 15, 1946, the eminent author and historian William Thomas Walsh interviewed Sister Lucia.  In his widely