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Fatima is a village and parish in the town of Aljustrel, about 70 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal. Lucia de Jesus dos Santos Abobora was born March 22, 1907, the youngest of the seven children of Antonio dos Santos Abobora and his wife, Maria Rosa. Her First cousins, Francesco Marto (b. June 11, 1908) and Jacinta Marto (b. March 11, 1910) were the eighth and ninth children of Manuel (Ti) Marto and his wife Olimpia (sister of Antonio Abobora). In the summer of 1914 while Lucia was tending flocks with some other girls, having said the rosary after lunch, a white figure like a person wrapped in a sheet appeared to the girls on three occasions. Lucia wrote about this in 1937, and while clear about the fact, is vague in her description of what happened thirty years before when she was a child of seven. In the early summer of 1916, Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta were tending the combined family flocks near the hamlet of Cabeco. Having finished the rosary after lunch they were startled by a great gust of wind, and saw a radiant figure approaching in the air across the valley. It stopped before the cave where they had gone for shelter. It appeared to be a youth of great beauty, and he spoke to them: "Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me". Kneeling and bowing to the ground he prayed three times: "0 my God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee and I love Thee. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee." Three times the children recited the prayer with him. Then he said: "Pray thus. The most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary will be touched by your prayer". Then he disappeared. None of the children mentioned this apparition to anyone. They were to offer sacrifices and accept sufferings for the conversion of sinners. The Lady opened her hands and streams of light came from them similar to those of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The Lady told them to recite the rosary daily for peace and the conversion of sinners. Then the Lady rose from the tree and disappeared to the east. All had seen the Lady. Jacinta heard all but said nothing. Francesco did not hear the Lady but heard Lucia. The apparition lasted about ten minutes. On the way home Lucia urged them to mention nothing, but Jacinta blurted it all out that evening. Ti Marto questioned his two children closely. Next morning his wife, Olimpia, visited Maria Rosa, Lucia's mother, and talked the matter over. Maria accused Lucia of lying, but Lucia never wavered in her account. The children spent an uncomfortable month. June 13 is the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a Portuguese, patron saint of Portugal and of the Fatima parish, and was a holiday in the village. The children brought the sheep to pasture and then back home. Lucia went to Mass and then called for the Marto children and started for the Cova da /ria, accompanied by several villagers. Others were waiting at the Cova, making a crowd of 50 people. Maria da Capelinha who was present saw the children kneel before the small tree, heard a sound like the buzzing of bees, which she took to be the Lady talking, saw a little cloud above the tree, and when the children said the Lady was going, heard a sound like a rocket. Lucia asked the Lady what she wanted, and was told to come back the 13th day of July, to learn to read, and to recite five decades of the rosary daily. Lucia was told that Francesco and Jacinta would soon be in heaven, but that she would have to wait longer to help establish devotion to the Immaculate heart of Mary throughout the world. Again the Lady opened her hands and rays of light shone from them. In front of the right hand was a heart surrounded by a crown of thorns which pierced it. Francesco had seen the Lady but heard only Lucia. On the way home Francesco and Jacinta told their parents what had happened and were believed. Lucia's mother was convinced her daughter was lying, and lost her temper when Lucia expressed a wish to learn to read. Off she marched Lucia to the village priest. Fr. Manuel Ferreira. He had already talked to Francesco and Jacinta, and after questioning Lucia was convinced that they were telling the truth, but was not sure that the origin of the apparition was holy or demoniacal. He warned Lucia that it might be a trick of the devil, which upset Lucia, and brought a tongue lashing and blows from her mother. Lucia decided not to meet the Lady on July 13, but changed her mind on the morning of the 13th. At the Cove da Iria four to five thousand people had gathered. Just before noon there was a flash of light. Ti Marto was near his children and saw a faint mist or cloud settle on the tree, and heard a sound like a horse fly in an empty bottle, but could distinguish no words. The Lady was visible only to the three children, and waited for Lucia to speak, asking: "What do you want me to do ?" She was told to come back the 13th of August and to daily recite five decades of the rosary to obtain peace and the end of World War I. Lucia asked her name and asked that she perform some miracle that all could see, so that they would believe she had appeared. The Lady promised to tell her who she was and to perform a miracle in October. Lucia was told to sacrifice herself for sinners and to practice devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary to make reparation for the sins committed against them. Toward the end of July, 1916, beside the cottage of Lucia's family, the Angel appeared again without warning, urging their ceaseless prayers and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. In September or October of the same year the Angel of Peace appeared to them a third time at the cave near Cabeco, while they were reciting the angel's prayer. He held a chalice above which was suspended a bleeding Host. The chalice and Host remained suspended in air while he and the three children recited the prayer with him three times. He gave the Host to Lucia to consume and the chalice to Francesco and Jacinta to drink. Again they repeated the prayer three times and the angel disappeared. These apparitions were not revealed until Lucia, under obedience, wrote a complete account of the events in 1937, while in the convent. They were not made public until 1942. After Mass on Sunday, May 13, 1917, the three children started their sheep toward pasture about noon, to a field owned by Antonio Abobora, the Cova da Iria. While playing, they were startled by a flash of light, and ran for shelter to an oak tree. There was another flash and they ran for another tree, but stopped when they saw above a small tree in their path a ball of light with a Lady standing in its center. She told the children not to be afraid, that she came from heaven. They were to return to this place the 13th day of the month for the next five months. "In October I will tell you who I am and what I want." At Lucia's questioning all three were told they would go to heaven. Again the Lady opened her hands and rays of light shone forth, seeming to pass into the earth, revealing a lake of fire in which were demons and human souls, a vision which lasted for only a few seconds. The children were told that they had seen hell, and that a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was to be established worldwide to save souls from hell. They were told that World War I was drawing to a close, but in the reign of the next pope there would be a greater war. An unknown light illuminating the night would presage the punishment of the world by war, famine, persecution of the Church and the pope. To prevent this Russia was to be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and communion of reparation was to be made on the First Saturday of every month. If Russia is converted, peace will come to the world; if not, Russia will spread her errors over the world and cause wars and persecutions of the church, At the end of the rosary they were advised to say:"0 my Jesus, forgive us. Preserve us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, and help especially those most in need." A message was given which was sealed in an envelope in the custody of the Bishop of Leiria which was opened in 1960, but its contends have not been revealed by the Pope. Then the Lady disappeared into the eastern sky. Publicity came with a rush. The anti-clerical press attacked the apparitions as a trick inspired by priests. The Catholic press was reserved reminding the people that the origin of any apparition could be diabolic as well as heavenly. Fatima was overwhelmed by visitors and the children were constantly questioned. The Government decided that this was a dangerous revival of superstition which must be stamped out. Fatima came under the sub-prefecture of Ourem, whose administrator was Arturo de Oliveira Santos, a blacksmith and militant free thinker. Santos ordered Ti Marto and Antonio Abobora to appear before him with the children at the town hall of Ourem at noon, August 11. Ti Marto decided to leave his children at home, But Antonio Abobora brought Lucia. Under questioning Lucia refused to reveal the secret message. Next evening Santos arrived in Aljustrel and went to Ti Marto's to question his two children but to no avail. Santos suggested that they bring the children in the morning to Fr. Ferreira to get his opinion on the matter to which Ti Marto agreed. Santos appeared in the morning, took the children, saying that after interviewing the priest he would take the children to Cove da Iria. Fr. Ferreira was not so friendly this time and accused Lucia of lying, and insisted on knowing the secret message. He dismissed the children in the care of Santos, who took them to Ourem on the pretext of consulting the priest of Ourem. He took them to his own house and subjected them to questioning, locked them up for the night , brought them to the town hall in the morning for further questioning and then threw them into the jail with the drunks and thieves. A policeman took them to Santos office for a last try. Lucia was 10, Francesco 9, and Jacinta 7 Santos ordered his assistant to take Jacinta and throw her in oil. He came back and reported her dead. Francisco was taken next and reported to Santos as dead. Thinking he had shaken Lucia he demanded she reveal the secret message or die. She refused and was lead out the door, and into the room where Jacinta and Francesco were being held. They were forced to spend the night at Santos' house, were questioned in the morning at the town hall and then sent back in custody to Fatima, where their families were searching high and low for them. The children had been in custody on August 13, when they were supposed to meet the Lady at Cova da Iria, but a crowd of 18,000 had assembled. At noon there was a rumble and a flash of light and a filmy cloud came from the east and settled on the small tree for a few moments and then disappeared. On Sunday, August 19, 1917, Lucia, Francesco and his brother John took the sheep to pasture. About 4:00 P.M. they were in a place called Valinhos near Aljustrel, when Lucia sensed a change in the air and sent John to fetch his sister, Jacinta. When Jacinta arrived the Lady appeared to them above a small tree as she had at Cove da Iria. The same admonition was repeated:- come to the Cova on September 13, recite five decades of the rosary daily. Money which had been left by visitors at the Cova was to be used to buy two processional biers for the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Lucia and Jacinta with two other girls were to carry one, while Francesco and three other boys would bear the other. They were admonished to continue making sacrifices for the conversion of sinners "because many should go to hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them". On the morning of September 13th, 25,000 to 30,000 people had assembled at the Cova, asking for cures and graces from the Blessed Virgin. The three children arrived about noon and the sun seemed to lose something of its brightness. Many people present saw the ball of light approach and settle above the tree. During the apparition some saw petals of white float down a sunbeam, diminishing in site as they descended but disappearing before touching the ground.. Not much was said to Lucia except the repetition of the admonition to continue to make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, and a statement that on October 13th St. Joseph and the Child Jesus would appear. Seventy thousand people were on hand on October 13th and the children and their parents arrived about 11:30 A.M. and stood before the tree. It was raining continuously from the night before. At noon the Lady appeared. Spectators saw a wisp of white vapor form about the children and disappear three times Lucia asked:"Who are you and what do you want?" The Lady replied" I am Our Lady of the Rosary. I want a chapel built here in my honor. The Rosary must be said every day. The war is coming to an end and the soldiers will not be long in coming home. She promised to grant some of the favors passed on to her by Lucia. She told her men must reform their lives. The rain stopped and Our Lady disappeared. The clouds were split down the middle and rolled aside leaving the sun in a clear sky. The crowd stared at it and did not become blinded, since it appeared like a silver disc. To the right of the sun appeared the Holy Family, Our Lady, St. Joseph and the Christ Child in his arms. All three children saw this, and saw St. Joseph and the Christ Child thrice bless the throng. Lucia also saw Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows without the sword in her heart and beside her Our Lord, only the upper half of his body being visible. She also saw Our Lady of Mt. Carmel with the Infant Jesus crowned as Queen of Heaven. None of the crowd saw this but they were terrified by what they did see. The sun had changed in appearance so that one could stare directly at it without being blinded. As the throng looked up the sun became to move, spinning on its axis and emitting colored rays of light to the side. This lasted for four minutes, stopped, started again, stopped and started again. This time the beams of multicolor swept over the faces of the crowd Suddenly the sun appeared to ziz-zag toward the earth, and the crowd shrieked in terror. The sun appeared to halt and climb back in giant zig—zags to its place in the heavens, lost its silvery appearance and returned to normal. All this lasted fifteen minutes. It was seen as far as ten miles away. The lettered and unlettered, freethinker, priest, peasant and scientist saw it, and all questioned told the same story. It must be that God imposed this apparition on the eyes of the 70,000 witnesses at Cova da Iris and those within the range of at least ten miles to underscore the reality of Our Lady's appearances in Portugal and the importance of the message given there. Lucia and Jacinta had first told of the message that this would happen back in May of that year. This was the end of the apparitions at Fatima. As to the three children, they had begun to grow spiritually by their interior life of prayer and penance. In the great influenza epidemic of 1918 Francesco was taken ill, recovered, relapsed and grew steadily weaker. He received his First Holy Communion April 3, 1919 and died the next day. Jacinta was also take ill at the same time, developed pneumonia, pleurisy, and was hospitalized at Ourem, where she said Our Lady appeared to her and told her she would soon die in a hospital in Lisbon. A doctor from Lisbon visited Fatima in January, 1920, and had Jacinta taken to Lisbon for an operation to save her life. She lingered after the operation of Feb. :0, 1920,until Feb 20 of the same year. She died alone in her room at the hospital, not yet ten years of age. Jacinta was buried at Ourem but in 1935 was reinterred in the grave of Francesco at Fatima. Before her body left Ourem it was found to be incorrupt. On May 1 951 she was buried again in the basilica at Fatima. Francesco was disinterred and buried in the basilica on March 13, 1952. Lucia is alive as of this writing. At the age of 14 she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy at Vilar, and went to make her novitiate in Spain. Today she is a Carmelite nun at Coimbra. She visited the Cove da Iria in May of 1946 to see the new basilica being constructed and the Chapel of the Apparitions where she attended Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Leiria. She visited the graves of Feance'sco and Jacinta and returned to the convent. She has reported an apparition of Our Lady, Dec. 10, 1925; and two of Our Lord in 1927. In 1918 Pope Benedict XV re-established the Diocese of Leiria. In May of 1922 the Bishop of Leiria set up a canonical commission to investigate the apparitions. On October 13, 1930, the Bishop published the conclusions of the commission, declaring the apparitions worthy of belief, and gave his official approval to devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. On May 13, 1967, Pope Paul VI was at Fatima to mark the 50th anniversary of the first apparition. At that time pictures appeared in the press, showing Lucia in her Carmelite robes with the Pope at the celebration. On this date the Vatican issued a slogan cancel which read:" Pope Paul VI as a pilgrim prays to the Virgin of Fatima on the fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions for the church and for the peace of the world". On October 13, 1967, the fiftieth anniversary of the last apparition was commemorated by Vatican with three stamps. The L.30 shows a statue of the three children at the shrine of Fatima. The L.50 is a photograph of the Basilica of Fatima. The L.200 shows Pope Paul VI praying before the statue of Our Lady at the Fatima shrine. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 455 - 457 Date Issued - 13 October 1967 Face Value - 30 l, 50 l, 200 l Perforations - 13.5x14 Printer - The Italian State Printing Works |
| (From Vatican Notes Volume XVI, Number 4, January - February 1968 1965, Pages 3-7) |
