Our Lady of Fatima
Europe · Portugal
What happened
In 1917, in Cova da Iria, a parish in Fátima, in the diocese of Leiria, the children Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto claimed to have witnessed six apparitions of "a Lady brighter than the sun," on the 13th of each month from May to October, with one apparition in August due to the children's detention by civil authorities. From the beginning, people gathered around them, while the authorities maintained a hostile and skeptical attitude, a fact documented in both civil and ecclesiastical records. The devotion spread rapidly throughout Portugal and the world.
The message of the Virgin
The Lady insisted on the recitation of the Rosary, the conversion of sinners, and penance, and asked for sacrifices to be offered in reparation for offenses against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. There was also a historical and prophetic dimension, with references to the First World War, Russia, the persecution of the Church, and the vision of the "bishop dressed in white." The content of the so-called three secrets is recorded in official documents of the Holy See, whose theological interpretation was developed by, among others, Cardinal Ratzinger.
The sanctuary today
The Sanctuary of Fatima includes the Chapel of the Apparitions, the ancient Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, and the modern Basilica of the Holy Trinity. It receives millions of pilgrims each year, with particularly large pilgrimages on May 13 and October 13. The remains of Francisco and Jacinta Marto, canonized in 2017, and those of Sister Lucia, who died in 2005, rest there.
The Church's recognition
The Bishop of Leiria officially recognized the authenticity of the apparitions in 1930, declaring their supernatural nature. Their messages have been received and commented on by the Magisterium. It is, therefore, an apparition approved by the local bishop prior to the 2024 Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
A grace that touches the heart
On October 13, 1917, before a crowd estimated at between 30,000 and 70,000 people, the so-called "Miracle of the Sun" occurred: numerous witnesses claimed to have seen the sun "dance," change color, and appear to plunge toward Earth without causing any eye damage. The phenomenon was reported even by non-religious and non-pro-Church newspapers, making it a historically well-documented event, although its explanation remains subject to diverse interpretations.
Link with the Rosary
In Fatima, the Virgin Mary asked that the Rosary be prayed every day for world peace and the conversion of sinners. The devotion itself is that of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the sanctuary is one of the world's great centers of this devotion.