First Apparition (13th May, 1917)
On Sunday the 13th of May, 1917, slightly more than a year after the Angel’s first visit, the three children, Lucia and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco, were pasturing their sheep in a rather barren hollow known as the Cova da Iria (Hollow of Irene), which was about 2 kilometres from their village of Aljustrel. They had finished their lunch and said their Rosary and were playing at a building a little house of stones, when suddenly they saw a flash like lightning. Fearing a storm, the children quickly gathered the sheep to get home. They had just taken a few steps with their flock when, a little further on, they saw upon a small fern a Lady dressed in white, who shone more brightly than the sun. Lucia says, “She was like the Angel, only far more beautiful”. She wore a long white dress, and the mantle over her head and shoulders reaching to her feet was edged in burnished gold. Her hands were joined before her breast, and from the right hand hung an exquisite Rosary of white pearls.
The Lady spoke to them: “Have no fear, I do not wish to harm you”.
“Where are you from?” asked Lucia.
“I come from heaven”, was the reply.
“What is it that you want from me?” asked Lucia ever more an xiously. “I have come to ask you to come here on the thirteenth day of each month at this time, for six consecutive months, I shall tell you later who I am and
what I want. Afterwards, I will return here yet a seventh time”. “Shall I go to heaven too?” Luc ia asked, “Yes, you will”.
“And Jacinta?”
“She will go also”
“And Francisco?”
“He will go there too, but he must say many Rosaries”.
Then Lucia asked about two girls who died recently. They were her friends and used to come to her home to learn weaving wit h her eldest sister.
“Is Maria das Neves in Heaven?” “Yes, she is”.
“And Amelia?”
“She will be in Purgatory until the end of the world”.
(Amelia was between 18 and 20 years of age when she died).
“Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners?” the Lady asked.
“Yes, we are willing”.
“Then, you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God w ill be your comfort”.
As she pronounced these last words “the grace of God will be your comfort”, Our Lady opened her hands for the first time, communicating to the children, a light so intense that, as it streamed from her hands, its rays penetrated their hearts and the innermost depths of their souls, making them see themselves in God, who was that light, “more clearly than we see ourselves in the best of mirrors”.
Then, moved by an interior impulse that was also communicated to them, they fell on their knees, repeating in their hearts:
“O most Holy Trinity, I adore you! My God, My God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament”.
After a few moments, Our Lady spoke again: “Pray the Rosary everyday, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war” (the First World War).
Then she began to rise serenely, going up towards the east, until she disappeared in the immensity of space.
Second Apparition (13th June, 1917)
On June 13 th, 1917, Our Lady appeared to the children again, after they had said the Rosary with several on -lookers gathered at the Cova that day, having heard of the first vision.
“What do you want of me?” Lucia asked.
“I wish you to come here on the 13 th of next month, to pray the Rosary everyday, and to learn to read. Later I will tell you what I want”.
She told them that she would soon take Jacinta and Francisco to heaven, but that Lucia would have to stay on earth sometime longer. “Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart”.
“Am I to stay here alone?” Lucia asked sadly.
“No my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God”.
The children were shown a heart encircled with piercing thorns. And they understood clearly that this was the Immaculate Hea rt of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.
Third Apparition (13th July, 1917)
On July 13 th, 1917, a few moments after arriving at the Cova da Iria near the Holm-oak, where a large number of people were praying the Rosary, the children saw the flash of light once more and a moment later, Our Lady appeared over the Holm -oak.
“What do you want of me?” Lucia asked.
“I want you to come here on the 13th of next month. Continue to say the Rosary everyday in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war (First World War was then raging), because only she can obtain it”.
In answer to Lucia’s plea, Our Lady promised that in October she would work a great public miracle so that all might believe and know who she was. The Mother of God told the children to sacrifice themselves for sinners, and to say many times, especially when making a sacrifice, this prayer:
“O my Jesus, I offer this for the love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary”.
As she spoke these words, Our Lady stretched out her hands, and bright rays came forth which seemed to penetrate the earth. All at once the ground vanished, and the children found themselves standing on the brink of a sea of fire. As they peered into this dreadful place, the terrified youngsters saw huge numbers of devils and damned souls. The devils resembled hideous black animals, each filling the air with despairing shrieks. The damned souls were in their human bodies and seemed brown in colour, tumbling about constantly in the flames and screaming with terror. All were on fire within and without their bodies. Neither the devils nor the damned souls seemed able to control their movements. They were tossing about like fiery coals in a furnace. There was never an instant’s peace or freedom from pain.
Looking with compassion at the pale and trembling little ones, Our Lady spoke to them: “You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, ma ny souls will be saved and there will be peace”.
“The war (First World War) is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin. When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger, and of persecution of the Church and the Holy Father”.
“To prevent this, I shall come to ask the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and t he Communion of Reparation on the five First Saturdays. If my requests are granted, atheistic Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecution of the Church. The goo d will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer much and various nations will be destroyed”.
“…But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, atheistic Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peac e will be granted to the world”.
“When you recite the Rosary, after each mystery, say: Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy mercy”. After a short silence, she ascended towards the east and disappeared.
Fourth Apparition (19th August, 1917)
By August of 1917, the apparitions had created so much excitement that the atheistic civil authorities became alarmed, and the Mayor of Vila Nova de Ourem (the municipal ity to which Fatima belongs) had the children kidnapped and placed in jail at Ourem to prevent them from being present at Cova da Iria on the 13th.
On the 19 th of August, the children were with their flock at Valinhos when the signs which usually preceded the apparitions appeared: cooler air, and a weaker sun which added colour to everything and everyone. A moment later, Our Lady appeared. She told them to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue praying the Rosary everyday. “In the last month, I will perform a miracle so that all may
believe”. Then, looking very sad, Our Lady said: “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell because there is no one who prays and makes sacrifices for them”. And sh e began to ascend as usual towards the east.
Fifth Apparition (13th September, 1917)
Our Lady appeared to the children the fifth time on 13 th September, 1917. She told them that God was pleased with their sacrifices and that they should continue to pray the Rosary that the war may end. She promised that she would come in October and perform a miracle so that all may believe.
“Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. St. Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bl ess the world”.
Sixth Apparition (13th October, 1917)
The last and the most dramatic of the 1917 apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place on October 13 th. It was witnessed by 100,000 people, according to an estimate by a professor from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Many walked for miles over the rough fields. It rained all night of the 12 th and the morning of the 13 th. Standing in mud up to their ankles, the people huddled together under umbrellas, seeking protection from the relentless rain as they prayed their Rosaries.
Shortly after noon, Our Lady appeared at the Holm -oak tree. She told the children:
“I am the Lady of the Rosary. I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend Our Lord and God anymore, for He is already too grievously offended by the sins of men. People must say the Rosary. Let them continue saying it everyday”. Lucia then put forward the requests of many people to Our Lady. Some were granted, some were not. “They need to amend their ways”, Our Lady said; “They need to ask forgiveness of their sins...”.
Thereafter, upon taking leave of her three little friends for the last time. Our Lady stretched out her hands towards the rays of the sun, and as she was lifted upwards, her light was in no way overshadowed by the sun. The vision was indeed brighter than the sun. Along the face of the sun, other visions appeared in succession:
St. Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, Lucia saw Our Lord and Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and Lucia saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Of a sudden, Lucia cried out, “Look at the sun!” The people looked into the sky.
The rain had ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun shone forth, but not in its usual brilliance. Instead, it appeared like a silver disc, as pale as the moon, at which all could gaze at without straining, their eyes. Suddenly, impelled by some mysterious force, the disk began to whirl in the sky, casting off a great shaft of multi-coloured light of Red, green, blue, yellow and violet, the enormous rays shot across the sky at all angles, lighting up the entire countryside for miles around, but particularly the upturned faces of those 100,000 spell bound people. After three minutes, the wonder stopped, but was resumed again a second and a third time three times in all, in about 12minutes. It seemed that the whole world was on fire, with the sun spinning at a greater speed each time.
Then a gasp of terror rose from the crowd, for the sun seemed to tear itself from the heavens and came crashing down on the horrified multitude. All were on their knees in terror, asking pardon for their sins. Just when it seemed that the ball of fire would fall upon and destroy them, ‘the miracle of the sun’ ceased, and the sun resumed its normal place in the sky, shining forth as peacefully as ever.
When the people rose from the ground, cries of astonishment were heard from all sides. Their clothes, which had been soaking wet and muddy, were now clean and dry.
Apparition at Pontevedra, Spain (10th December, 1925)
On December 10th, 1925, while Lucia (now Sister Lucia) was kneeling in prayer in the convent chapel of the Dorothean Sisters at Pontevedra, Spain, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christ Child appeared to her with a new and wonderful message for souls. The first to speak was the Christ Child, who said:
“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”.
Holding in her hand a heart encircled in sharp thorns, Our Lady then said to Sister Lucia:
“My child, behold my heart surrounded with the thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death with all 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”.
Apparition at Tuy, Spain (June 13th, 1929)
On June 13th, 1929, Sister Lucia experienced the “Last Vision” of Fatima in the Dorothean Convent chapel of Tuy, Spain. It was the vision of the Holy Trinity, made public only after Pope Paul VI’s 1967 Fatima Pilgrimage . In her own words, Lucia describes the vision:
“Suddenly, the whole chapel was illuminated by a supernatural light, and a cross of light appeared above the altar, reaching to the ceiling. In a bright light at the upper part of the cross could be seen the face of a man and his body to the waist (God the Father) on his breast there wa s a dove
also of light (God the Holy Spirit) and, nailed to the cross, was the body of another man (God the Son). Somewhat above the waist, I could see a chalice and a large host suspended in the air, onto which drops of blood were falling from the face of Jesus Cr ucified and from the wound of his side. These drops ran down on to the host and fell
into the chalice. Our Lady was beneath the right arm of the cross (... it was Our Lady of Fatima with her Immaculate Heart … in her left hand ... with a crown of thorns and flames …). Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as of crystal clear waters which ran down over the altar, formed these words: Graces and Mercy.
I understood that it was the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity which was shown to me, ... Our Lady then said to me: the moment has come when God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means”.
On March 25 th, 1984, in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, in union with the world’s Bishops, Pope John Paul II consecrated the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in accord with Our Lady’s request. Sr. Lucia later confirmed this again, and so World Apostolate of Fatima members should not listen to those (no matter their facts) who say the consecration has not been done.