Fatima, Portugal (1917)

FATIMA : THE 1st APPARITION ON MAY 13th, 1917 (Part One)
1. The Mystery of the Number "13" ... 2. Apparition of the Angel .... 3. First Apparition of Our Lady

Fatima is a town located 88 miles north of Lisbon. Fatima is one of the most important Catholic shrines in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Fatima's fame is due to the apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary, to three shepherd children; Lucia dos Santos and her two younger cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also used in reference to the same apparition; the children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as "the Lady of the Rosary." It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e., Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima (Portuguese: ''Nossa Senhora do Rosario de Fatima''). It is interesting to see how Our Lady continues the Rosary theme that she had introduced markedly at Lourdes—where she prayed the Rosary with Bernadette and asked to see Bernadette’s Rosary beads—chiding her that she was praying with someone else’s beads. Here, at Fatima, the Rosary comes into even greater focus and prominence.

Between May 13th and October 13th of 1917, the three children witnessed six apparitions. The last one, on October 13th, was confirmed by a miracle witnessed by anywhere from 60,000 to an estimated 100,000 people known in the Catholic world as "the day the sun danced."

Without doubt, the so-called “Age of Mary” (1830, Rue de Bac, and onwards) coincided with the “Age of Revolution.” Perhaps that is why she provocatively chose the revolutionary number “13” to show her fearlessness of the Revolution. For the number “13” has long since been associated, from biblical times, with revolt: “For they had served Chodorlahomor twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they revolted from him” (Genesis 14:4).

The Mystery of the Number "13"
The conspiracy theorists also insist that the number “13” plays a major role in the calculations, organization and artistic representations of the world’s elite revolutionaries. Regardless of whether they are right or wrong, the discovery of the number “13” and its uses certainly makes for interesting reading! So today being the 13th of May, the date Our Lady chose to first appear at Fatima, here are some of things that are said about the number “13” for what it’s worth!

Some have thought the reason for 13's bad reputation was simply because it followed 12, the number of power. A dozen is such an easy quantity to work with. You can cut it up in so many different ways, whereas 13 deifies all attempts at division—which is what the revolutionaries desire: they seek to divide to conquer, but they avoid division among themselves (sometimes by brutal means if necessary).

Superstitions
Some believe that the origin of the fear involving the number 13 goes back to the time of Christ at the Last Supper. In Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting entitled The Last Supper much symbolism is apparent and perhaps lends itself to the legend that surfaced. The painting depicts the moment when Jesus said: "Amen I say to you, that one of you is about to betray Me" (Matthew 26:21). This has led to the superstitious fear and belief that the first person to leave a table where 13 people are seated will die. Franklin D. Roosevelt would hastily invite his private secretary Grace Tully to attend a meal or a meeting just to avoid 13 at the table.

Symbol of Modern Day Rebellion
Our Lord together with His Apostles made up the number of thirteen men, chosen in order to change the world. The devil likes to ape God and Christianity. So it would be no surprise if the use of "13" is not intended to somehow 'ape' that sacred number of Christ and the Apostles. The epitome of rebellion and apostasy can be seen in the doctrines and philosophies of the New World Order. Examples of the number “13” in various organizational logos, government buildings, and specific dates and events are suspect and perhaps not just coincidental. Remembering that the number “13” represents "rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea," let's take a look at what they list some occurrences associated with those involved in the making of a New World Order.

The significance of the mystical number 13, which frequently appears upon the Great Seal of the United States, is not limited to the number of the original colonies. The sacred emblem of the ancient initiates, here composed of 13 stars, also appears above the head of the 'eagle.' The shield has 13 red and white vertical bars. The motto, E Pluribus Unum, contains 13 letters, as does also the inscription, Annuit Coeptis. The 'eagle' clutches in its right talon a branch bearing 13 leaves and 13 berries and in its left a sheaf of 13 arrows. The face of the pyramid consists of 72 stones arranged in 13 rows. Coincidental? All those 13’s in the Seal alone are a mathematical probability that would be a chance in 13 million!

Another interesting link to the number “13” is the explosion of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, name 'Aquarius' which occurred at 1:13 in the afternoon (13:13 military time) on April 13, 1970. Weird, eh? Well, anyway, the fact that Our Lady kept choosing the 13th day of the month is not because she is a rebel, but because, perhaps, she is 'rebelling' against the rebels.

A Message for Every Man, Woman and Child
Appearing to the children, the Blessed Virgin told them that she had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child living in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and bloody violence, not to mention increasing threats to the Faith, she promised that Heaven would grant peace to the entire world if her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.

Portugal and the World in 1917
Of course, we all knew that 1917 was the year that Our Lady first appeared at Fatima—but what else do we know of 1917? Already many kingdoms had fallen throughout Europe in the Age of Revolutions: France’s traditional monarchy had fallen in 1789 (being replaced with a puppet monarchy); the French Revolution was ‘exported’ by the conquests of Napoleon and monarchies crumbled to be replaced by puppets in many cases. This was the tone in Europe throughout the 1800’s with several eruptions of Europe-wide revolutions along the way (1848, 1870). During this time the monarchists tried to consolidate the remains of European monarchy and this saw the creation of the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was actually a multinational realm and one of the world’s great powers. It was geographically the second largest country in Europe after the Russian, and the third most populous after Russia and the German Empire. It collapsed as a result of defeat in the First World War along with the collapse of monarchies in Germany, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. Even Britain, though a constitutional monarchy, functioned more like a "closed" democracy prior to 1914. On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by a group of six assassins. The assassination led directly to the First World War.

To isolate Fatima from what was happening in Portugal and the world can both weaken the importance of Our Lady’s message and reduce Fatima to a mere sentimental devotion. In 1917, the Catholic country of Portugal was at the mercy of the forces of Freemasonry. More than a hundred years of struggle had ended with Portugal’s king being shot down in the street, and Portugal’s Faith shackled by anti-Christian laws that began to force the Portuguese Catholic Church increasingly ‘underground’ and into anonymity. The inevitable Masonic “republic” had been declared, which in turn declared many unheard of things in Portugal. Priests and nuns, for example, were now to be arrested for wearing their religious habits. It was to this Portugal that the Mother of God appeared on May 13th, in 1917, as Our Lady of the Rosary.

First World War (1914-1918)
Europe was in the middle of the First World War (1914–18), when, in 1916, the Angel of Peace made three appearances to the three children of Fatima. At the first apparition the Angel said: “Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” Heaven was sending peace when man was making war! Our Lady would later say that wars are a punishment for sin—God help us in our age! For sin abounds more than ever before—in a quantity the world has never seen!

That First World War was mainly fought in Europe—with total life loss estimated to have been approximately 60 to 85 million, making it the deadliest war in world history in absolute terms of total dead. The higher figure of 85 million includes deaths from war-related disease and famine. Civilians killed totaled from 38 to 55 million, including 19 to 25 million from war-related disease and famine. Total military dead: from 22 to 25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 5 million prisoners of war. Yet even this horrendous number of deaths is likely to be dwarfed by the fatalities Our Lady has warned are to come our way—where well over half to three-quarters of the world will be wiped out—all because the world would not listen to and use her remedies.

1917 Russian Revolutions
Also, in 1917, the Russian Revolution took place, which was to put the Communists into power. The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which dismantled the Tsarist rule and eventually replaced it with a dictatorial and brutal Communist regime. The spark came with the “February Revolution” which took place in the context of heavy military setbacks during the First World War, which left much of the Russian army in a state of mutiny. The army leadership felt they did not have the means to suppress the revolution and Czar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, would be forced to abdicate.

In May of 1917, the month that Our Lady first appeared at Fatima, Czar Nicholas II had abdicated under pressure from members of the national legislature and a provisional government was established. In the second revolution, during October, the Provisional Government was removed and replaced with a Bolshevik (Communist) government, headed by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. To end Russia’s participation in the First World War, the Bolshevik leaders signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918.

Civil war erupted between the “Red” (Bolshevik) and “White” (anti-Bolshevik) factions, which was to continue for several years, with the Bolsheviks ultimately victorious. In this way, the Revolution paved the way for the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922.

The Angel of Peace
In the year of 1916, the three children Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who later witnessed the vision of The Blessed Virgin Mary, were visited by an Angel three times whilst out tending their sheep.

The first time the Angel appeared they were sheltering from the rain on a hillside called the Cabeço. When the rain had passed and the sun had returned, the little shepherds spent the day at this spot, eating lunch, saying the Rosary and playing games. Lucia was then only nine years old, Francisco was eight, and Jacinta was six.

As they were playing, a strong wind suddenly blew, shaking the trees, and the children saw a figure approaching above the olive trees. Lucia described the figure as having "the appearance of a young man of fourteen or fifteen, whiter than snow, which the sun rendered transparent as if it were of crystal, and of great beauty. We were surprised and half absorbed. We did not say a word.

While coming closer to us, the Angel said: “Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” And kneeling on the earth, he bent his forehead to the ground. Prompted by a supernatural movement, we imitated him and repeated the words which we heard him pronounce: “My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee 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 and do not love Thee.”

"Having repeated that prayer three times, he got up again and said to us: “Pray in this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.” And he disappeared."

The Angel of Peace had come to speak to the children, to infuse them with this extraordinary grace through which they were penetrated with the Divine Presence, and to demonstrate to them the attitude, posture and fervor with which to pray to God. Interestingly, during the apparition Francisco could not hear the words of the Angel, and had to be told what was said afterward; this would be the case for all of the other apparitions as well. After some time the three little shepherds recovered their physical strength and playfulness.

The second apparition of the Angel took place during the summer of 1916. While the children were playing around their favorite well, the Angel suddenly appeared. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Pray, pray a great deal! The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High."

Lucia asked the Angel how they were to make sacrifices. The Angel replied, "Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, you will draw peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings which the Lord will send you."

Lucia comments, "Those words of the Angel engraved themselves in our spirit, as a light which made us understand Who God is, how much He loves us and wants to be loved by us, the value of sacrifice and how pleasing it is to Him, and that out of respect for it, God converts sinners." The dominant theme in this second apparition of the Angel was the importance of making offerings to God through every possible action and sacrifice, even the smallest, and of making the offerings with special intentions, especially for the conversion of sinners.

Third and Final Angelic Apparition
Later that year in the autumn, the third and last vision occurred when the children took their sheep to the same place where the first apparition took place. There in the blessed place of the Cabeço, they were reciting the prayer the Angel had taught them when above them an unknown light appeared. Lucia relates, "We got up again to see what was happening, and we saw the Angel again, who had in his left hand a Chalice over which was suspended a Host, from which some drops of Blood fell into the Chalice."

Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself down to the earth near the children and repeated a prayer three times. Then, getting up, the Angel took the Chalice and Host. He gave Lucia the Sacred Host on the tongue. Then while giving the Precious Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, he said:

"Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God." Then, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the children three times the same prayer: Most Holy Trinity, etc., and disappeared.

This final apparition of the Angel was clearly the summit of the three, as the children were graced to see the Precious Blood of Our Lord fall from the Sacred Host into the Chalice, and then receive Holy Communion from the hands of the Angel.

The appearance of the Angel of Peace to the three children was a preparation for the signal grace that was about to be bestowed upon them: the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The apparitions of the Angel prepared them for seeing the Mother of God, through the transforming Divine graces the Angel showered on them, and his instructions about prayer, sacrifice and offerings. Through his apparitions to Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, the Angel of Peace came to ready them for the decisive roles they were each to play in the most important event of the Twentieth Century, the appearance of Our Lady at Fatima.

The Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On May 13th, 1917 the three children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, now a year older, leading their flock of sheep out from Aljustrel on the morning of the 13th of May, the feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, the three children passed Fatima, where the parish church and cemetery could be found, and proceeded just under a mile or so north, to a natural hollow in the ground, known as the Cova da Iria, just outside the town of Fatima in Portugal. Here they allowed their sheep to graze as they played in the pasture land sprinkled with the occasional oak tree. After having had their lunch, about noon, they decided to pray a Rosary, although in a somewhat abbreviated fashion, saying only the first words of each prayer—“Ave Maria. Amen”--so that they would have more time to play.

Shortly, they were startled by what they later described as "lightening in a clear sky." The children looked up, bewildered into the sky. Fearing a storm, they ran under a holm oak, or carrasqueira, although the day was pleasant and there was no other sign of bad weather. Thinking that a storm might be approaching they debated whether they should take the sheep and go home. A second flash of light was even brighter, and frightened, they ran again, until they suddenly stopped in amazement in front of a small evergreen called the azinheira. A few yards away stood a Lady of dazzling light. Their eyes were unable to comprehend the lady's brilliance and beauty. The children smelled roses.

The 'Lady' Appears for the First Time
In Lucia's own words, "she was a Lady dressed all in white, more brilliant than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal glass filled with crystalline water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun." She held a Rosary in her right hand.

Lucia explains: “And we began to go down the slope driving the sheep towards the road. When we were half-way down, near a holm oak there [the large tree which today is encircled with an iron fence], we saw another flash of lightening, and after a few steps we saw on a holm oak [a small one lower on the hillside] a lady dressed in white, shining brighter than the sun, giving out rays of clear and intense light, just like a crystal goblet full of pure water when the fiery sun passes through it. We stopped astounded by the Apparition. We were so near that we were in the light that encircled her, or which she radiated, 4 to feet.”

The Lady said: “Please don't be afraid of me, I'm not going to harm you.”
Lucia responded for all three, as she would throughout the apparitions.
"Where are you from?"
The Lady answered: “I come from Heaven.”

The Lady wore a pure white mantle, edged with gold and which fell to her feet. In her hands the beads of a Rosary shone like stars, with its crucifix the most radiant gem of all. Still, Lucia felt no fear. The Lady's presence produced in her only gladness and confident joy.

Lucia then asked: "And what do you want of me?"
The Lady’s reply was: “I want you to return here on the thirteenth of each month for the next six months, and at the very same hour. Later I shall tell you who I am, and what it is that I most desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time.”
Then Lucia inquired: "And shall I go to Heaven?"
To which the Lady replied: “Yes, you will.”
Probing further, Lucia asked: "And Jacinta?"
The Lady affirmed: “She will go too. “
Lucia then asked: "And Francisco?"
To which the Lady replied: “Francisco, too, my dear, but he will first have many Rosaries to say.”

For a few moments the Lady looked at Francisco with compassion, tinged with a little sadness. Lucia then remembered some friends who had died.

"Is Maria Neves in Heaven?" she asked.
The Lady responded: “Yes, she is.”
Another girl came to mind, and Lucia inquired: "And Amelia?"
Of this girl, the Lady said: “She is in Purgatory.”

The Lady continued: “Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you? In atonement for all the sins that offend Him? And for the conversion of sinners?”
The children with childish heroic simplicity replied: "Oh, we will, we will!"
The Lady then told them: “Then you will have a great deal to suffer, but the grace of God will be with you and will strengthen you.”

Lucia relates that “as the Lady pronounced these words, she opened her hands, and we were bathed in a heavenly light that appeared to come directly from her hands. The light's reality cut into our hearts and our souls, and we knew somehow that this light was God, and we could see ourselves embraced in it. By an interior impulse of grace we fell to our knees, repeating in our hearts: "O, Holy Trinity, we adore You. My God, my God, I love You in the Blessed Sacrament."

The children remained kneeling in the flood of this wondrous light, until the Lady spoke again, mentioning the war in Europe, of which they had little or no knowledge.

“Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.”

After that she began to rise slowly in the direction of the east, until she disappeared in the immense distance. The light that encircles her seemed to make a way amidst the stars, and that is why we sometimes said we had seen the heavens open.

This is the account of the first apparition! In the following days we will examine the events that we have covered above and try to analyze them a little, in order to draw some guidance and fruit for ourselves in these perilous days in which we live!

FATIMA : THE 1st APPARITION ON MAY 13th, 1917 (Part Two)
1. What did Our Lady bring? ... 2. Learning from the Angel .... 3. Remedies for our days

What Did Our Lady Bring?
Did Our Lady bring joy? Did she bring sorrow? Actually, she brought both. That is how this life has to be! We can echo Our Lady’s words at Lourdes to St. Bernadette, when she said: “I do not promise to make you happy in this life, but in the next.” The children of Fatima asked Our Lady, at this first of six apparitions, if they would go to Heaven. We can imagine their joy at being told that they would. But the sorrows (at least in quantity) were greater than the joy (though the intensity of that joy of knowing they would go to Heaven, would give them the strength to endure the many sorrows).

There was joy and sorrow at knowing that one local girl, whom they enquired about, was already in Heaven; but there was sorrow at being told that another girl from the locality would burn in Purgatory until the end of the world.

There would be a lifetime lasting sorrow at being shown a vision of Hell—which would lead them to perform many hard and brutal penances in order to try and save sinners from falling into Hell: sinners who would not give a ‘damn’ about their fate!

There was sorrow, too, at being told the several secrets that Our Lady revealed to them—especially what we now call “The Third Secret of Fatima.” Terrible burdens for such little children.

For two of the three children, there would be the sorrow of an early death within 2 and 3 years of the apparitions ending—for Francisco died in April, 1919, aged only 10; while Jacinta died in February 1920, aged only 9.

Suffering
What Our Lord said to His Apostles at the Last Supper, could well have been said by Our Lady to the three children at Fatima: “A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me? Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy” (John 16:19-20) ... “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23) – which is what the three children did! Our Lady, at this first apparition, had asked them a difficult question: "Do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings He may send you in reparation for sins and for the conversion of sinners?" With child-like faith they heroically said yes. To which Our Lady replied: "Then you will have much to suffer. But the grace of God will strengthen you and be your comfort."

Suffering with Hope
The message of Fatima is at the same time a message of suffering, yet hope. It has ever been so—even to those of later years who were not at Fatima during the months of the 1917 apparitions. When the Pope John-Paul II arrived in Fatima for the first time, in 1982, he said that he had come “because, on this exact date last year in St. Peter's Square, in Rome, there was an attempt on the life of your Pope, which mysteriously coincided with the anniversary of the first vision at Fatima, that of the 13th of May 1917. The coincidence of these dates was so great that it seemed to be a special invitation for me to come here.” For those who may have forgotten, on May 13th, in 1981, Pope John-Paul II was shot by an assassin in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, and what saved his life was a metal button he was wearing, that had upon it the image of the Virgin Mary.

All this ties in with what was just said above: Fatima is about suffering and hope. Let us look at this first apparition once again, but this time let us go beyond the superficiality of the surface events and words and try to penetrate somewhat deeper into this opening “Message of Fatima” of May 13th, 1917.

Even prior to Our Lady’s first apparition of Mary 13th, something had happened that links into several other earlier visions and statements. The Angel of Peace, like a forerunner of Our Lady, came to prepare the way for her—just as Our Lady is seeking to prepare the way for her Divine Son’s re-conquest of the world.

The First Angelic Apparition
The first time the Angel appeared to the three little shepherds—Lucia at that time was only nine years old, Francisco was eight, and Jacinta was six—they were playing, a strong wind suddenly blew, shaking the trees, and the children saw a figure approaching above the olive trees. Lucia relates: "The Angel said: ‘ Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.’ And kneeling on the earth, he bent his forehead to the ground. Prompted by a supernatural movement, we imitated him and repeated the words which we heard him pronounce: ‘My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee 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 and do not love Thee.’ "Having repeated that prayer three times, he got up again and said to us: ‘Pray in this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.’ And he disappeared."

The Angel of Peace interrupted the games of the children and called them to prayer! He also showed them the attitude, posture and fervor with which to pray to God. Interestingly, during the apparition Francisco could not hear the words of the Angel, and had to be told what was said afterward; this would be the case for all of the other apparitions as well, including those of Our Lady. We can only speculate why, but perhaps it was the relative unworthiness of Francisco—in relation to the two girls—that was a partial cause behind his divinely limited participation and access to the supernatural events around him.

After all, Our Lady would later say that Francisco would not get to Heaven until he had said many Rosaries, whereas this was not the case for the two girls—to whom Our Lady promised Heaven without the attached ‘price’ or ‘penance.’ We can perhaps also link this to the prophecies of the coming ‘Chastisement’ where it is said that of all those who will be killed (around three-quarters of the world), men will be in the greater majority. Is this because men are the greater sinners, or the causes of sin? We do not know for certain, but it certainly supplies food for thought!

At Lourdes, in 1858—around 58 years before this Angelic apparition of the Angel—Our Lady had told Bernadette to pray and do penance for sinners (read the account of the apparitions here). At Fatima, Heaven continues where it left off—the message is the same, the demands are the same.

However, back to Fatima! Are we too busy playing in our own lives, so that there is little time for prayer? Are we Marthas or are we Marys? Is prayer an afterthought for the day, or does it take prime place in our day? How much do we pray? Do we throw God a few scraps from our busy day, like we throw a dog a bone? Or do we sit Him down to a daily spiritual banquet, with multiple, seemingly endless courses? Finally, do we, like the Angel instructed, pray for sinners, or do we just pray for ourselves, our nearest and our dearest? In other words, are we praying selflessly or selfishly? Some people only pray when they need something! That is not love! Or if it is, then is a selfish, mercenary love!

The Second Angelic Apparition
The second apparition of the Angel took place during the summer of 1916 near a well on family property. While the children were again playing, the Angel suddenly appeared like a school teacher coming back into to class to find the students all rowdy and disordered. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Pray, pray a great deal! The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High."

Lucia asked the Angel how they were to make sacrifices. The Angel replied, "Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, you will draw peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings which the Lord will send you."

While the Angel’s away, the children will play! Are we not the same? O how easily we are distracted by what goes on around us! O how readily we seek fun, pleasure and joy—at the expense of the spiritual! The Angel was evidently displeased with their playing and not praying! He explicitly told them—and notice that they were only young children—TO PRAY, PRAY A GREAT DEAL! And not only that—he also asked that CHILDREN MAKE SACRIFICES! And to add an even greater ‘burden’—he asked that they OFFER UNCEASINGLY PRAYERS AND SACRIFICES! What would the angel ask of us adults, if he asked that of little children? If this message and command was given by a human being, rather than coming from Heaven, we would most probably dismiss it and reject it as being far too extreme and radical! O how much we fritter time away on sweet-nothings!

Lucia comments, "Those words of the Angel engraved themselves in our spirit, as a light which made us understand Who God is, how much He loves us and wants to be loved by us, the value of sacrifice and how pleasing it is to Him, and that out of respect for it, God converts sinners." The dominant theme in this second apparition of the Angel was the importance of making offerings to God through every possible action and sacrifice, even the smallest, and of making the offerings with special intentions, especially for the conversion of sinners.

At the Rue de Bac in Paris in 1830, when Our Lady gave us the Miraculous Medal through St. Catherine Labouré, the young St. Catherine noticed that Our Lady had many rings that were on her fingers. Some of those rings gave off rays of light while others did not. When Catherine asked what those rings and rays were, Our Lady replied they were graces. When Catherine asked why some rings gave-off rays and others did not, Our Lady said that the rings that gave-off rays were graces that God gives to us, and the rings that gave-off no rays were graces that God did not give. When Catherine why God did not give them, Our Lady replied that God does not give them because WE DO NOT ASK FOR THEM! In other words, WE DO PRAY ENOUGH!

Third and Final Angelic Apparition
Later that year in the autumn of 1916, the third and last vision occurred when the children took their sheep to the Cabeço, the same place where the first apparition took place. There, they were reciting the prayer the Angel had taught them when above them an unknown light appeared. Lucia relates, "We got up again to see what was happening, and we saw the Angel again, who had in his left hand a Chalice over which was suspended a Host, from which some drops of Blood fell into the Chalice."

Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself down to the earth near the children and repeated a prayer three times. Then, getting up, the Angel took the Chalice and Host. He gave Lucia the Sacred Host on the tongue. Then while giving the Precious Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, he said:

"Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God." Then, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the children three times the same prayer: Most Holy Trinity... (as above), and disappeared.

Eucharist and Our Lady
This final apparition of the Angel was clearly the summit of the three, as the children were graced to see the Precious Blood of Our Lord fall from the Sacred Host into the Chalice, and then receive Holy Communion from the hands of the Angel. The Eucharist came first—Our Lady came second! We see exactly the same thing in one of the Vision of St. John Bosco (click here), where two pillars miraculously emerge from the stormy sea on which the Ark of the Church was being tossed around and attacked by pirates on all sides. On the taller pillar was the Holy Eucharist in the form of a gigantic Host and on the smaller pillar was Our Lady. The pope sailed the Ark of the Church to safety between the two pillars and chained the Ark to them.

Devotions that are the Remedies for Today
This obviously sings out, loud and clear, the two key devotions that Heaven wants in this modern day: devotion to Jesus and devotion to Mary; devotion to the Holy Eucharist and devotion to the Rosary; devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Again, we have to ask ourselves—how devoted to these things are we? Not by words or feelings, but by concrete actions. How often do I go to Mass? How often do I visit the Blessed Sacrament? How long do spend in thanksgiving after receiving the Holy Eucharist? How long are my visits to the Blessed Sacrament? How often do I say the Rosary? How many Rosaries a day? How well are they said—lip service Rosaries or heart-felt Rosaries? Have I made the True Devotion Consecration to Mary (recommended by many popes)? Do I live the consecration as it should be lived, or was it just a one-time thing, long since made and long since forgotten?

Pearls and Swine
The appearance of the Angel of Peace to the three children was a preparation for the signal grace that was about to be bestowed upon them: the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The apparitions of the Angel prepared them for seeing the Mother of God, through the transforming Divine graces the Angel showered on them, and his instructions about prayer, sacrifice and offerings. Our Lady is a treasure which we must take seriously and prepare for seriously. If Holy Scripture says: “Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet”, then how much more true that is of Our Lady who is the holiest of holies and the pearl of all pearls?

Our Lady is the Answer
Fr. Faber, in the Preface of his personal translation of St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary, speaks of our own personal stormy seas and threats to our Ark: “One man has been striving for years to overcome a particular fault, and has not succeeded. Another mourns, and almost wonders while he mourns, that so few of his relations and friends have been converted to the Faith. One grieves that he has not devotion enough; another that he has a cross to carry which is a peculiarly impossible cross to him; while a third has domestic troubles and family unhappinesses which feel almost incompatible with his salvation; and for all these things prayer appears to bring so little remedy.

“But what is the remedy that is wanted? What is the remedy indicated by God Himself? If we may rely on the disclosures of the saints, it is an immense increase of devotion to our Blessed Lady; but, remember, nothing short of an immense one. Mary is not half enough preached. Devotion to her is low and thin and poor. Hence it is that Jesus is not loved, that heretics are not converted, that the Church is not exalted; that souls which might be saints wither and dwindle; that the Sacraments are not rightly frequented, or souls enthusiastically evangelized.

“Jesus is obscured because Mary is kept in the background. Thousands of souls perish because Mary is withheld from them. It is the miserable, unworthy shadow which we call our devotion to the Blessed Virgin that is the cause of all these wants and blights, these evils and omissions and declines. Yet, if we are to believe the revelations of the saints, God is pressing for a greater, a wider, a stronger, quite another devotion to His Blessed Mother.”

FATIMA : THE 5th APPARITION ON SEPTEMBER 13th, 1917
1. The Apparition of Our Lady ... 2. Testimony by the Vicar-General .... 3. The Examination of the Children

Despite the ridicule and jokes of the secular, atheistic press, more than 30,000 people gathered in the Cova for the September apparition. Whether drawn by devotion or curiosity, they prayed the Rosary while awaiting the arrival of the visionaries and their vision. Lucia herself relates what happened:

"As the hour approached, I set out with Jacinta and Francisco, but owing to the crowds around us we could only advance with difficulty. The roads were packed with people, and everyone wanted to see us and speak to us. There was no human respect whatsoever. Simple folk, and even ladies and gentlemen, struggled to break through the crowd that pressed around us. No sooner had they reached us than they threw themselves on their knees before us, begging us to place their petitions before Our Lady. Others who could not get close to us shouted from a distance:

“For the love of God, ask Our Lady to cure my son who is a cripple!” Yet another cried out: “And to cure mine who is blind!… To cure mine who is deaf!… To bring back my husband, my son, who has gone to the war! … To convert a sinner! … To give me back my health as I have tuberculosis!” and so on.

"All the afflictions of poor humanity were assembled there. Some climbed up to the tops of trees and walls to see us go by, and shouted down to us. Saying yes to some, giving a hand to others and helping them from the dusty ground, we managed to move forward, thanks to some gentlemen who went ahead and opened a passage for us through the multitude .... If these people so humbled themselves before three poor children, just because they were mercifully granted the grace to speak to the Mother of God, what would they not do if they saw Our Lord Himself in person before them?

"At last, we arrived at the Cova da Iria, and on reaching the holmoak we began to say the Rosary with the people. Shortly afterwards, we saw the flash of light, and then Our Lady appeared on the holmoak."

When at least the time came they could hear Lucia say, "What do you want of me?"
OUR LADY: "Continue the Rosary, my children. Say it every day that the war may end. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world ... God is pleased with your sacrifices, but He does not want you to wear the cords to bed. Keep them on during the day."

LUCIA: "I have the petitions of many for your help. Will you assist a little girl who is deaf and dumb?"
OUR LADY: "She will improve within the year."

LUCIA: "And the conversions that some have asked to have brought about? The cures of the sick ones?"
OUR LADY: "Some I will cure, and some I will not. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."

With these last words still ringing in their ears, the Lady rose and disappeared in the heavens, as Lucia called to the crowd, "If you wish to see her --- look! Look!"

THE LETTER OF MONSIGNOR JOAO QUARESMA (1932)

In this letter, written in 1932, Monsignor John describes what he saw and heard on September 13th, 1917. At that time he was Vicar General of the Diocese of Leiria, to which Fátima belonged, and would later serve on the canonical commission of inquiry.

Fifteen years have passed since the extraordinary events of Fátima. Heavy clouds hung over Portugal and her people, while sadness and despair reigned in our country. In the midst of this darkness innumerable prayers were offered to God, asking for help and for mercy.

Men hoped for a ray of light in the storm which human passions had provoked. The Lord heard the prayer of His servants, and in the sky of Fátima there appeared, like the rainbow after the flood, a vision of Peace. The vision spoke to three children, and at once the terrible clouds began to disperse and souls breathed again as the burden of sadness was laid aside. Eyes, longing for the light, searched the skies where the morning star shone.

Now, may it not be that these simple children were mistaken? May they not have been victims of an illusion? Yet it is always possible that our Lady may come to earth to bring us a message. Could there be some truth in what the children said? How explain these ever-growing multitudes that filled the Cova every thirteenth day of the month declaring that they witnessed extraordinary phenomena?

So on a beautiful September morning we left Leiria in a rickety carriage drawn by an old horse, for the spot where the much-discussed apparitions were said to take place. Father Gois found the dominating point of the vast amphitheatre from which we could observe events, without approaching too nearly the place where the children were awaiting the apparition.

At midday there was complete silence. One only heard the murmur of prayers. Suddenly there were sounds of jubilation and voices praising the Blessed Virgin. Arms were raised pointing to something in the sky. "Look, don't you see?"

"Yes, yes, I do!" Much satisfaction on the part of those who do. There had not been a cloud in the deep blue of the sky and I, too, raised my eyes and scrutinised it in case I should be able to distinguish what the others, more fortunate than I, had already claimed to have seen.

With great astonishment I saw, clearly and distinctly, a luminous globe, which moved from the east to the west, gliding slowly and majestically through space. My friend also looked, and had the good fortune to enjoy the same unexpected and delightful vision. Suddenly the globe, with its extraordinary light, disappeared.

Near us was a little girl dressed like Lucia, and more or less the same age. She continued to cry out happily: "I still see it! I still see it! Now it's coming down!"

After a few minutes, about the duration of the apparitions, the child began to exclaim again, pointing to the sky: "Now it's going up again!"---and she followed the globe with her eyes until it disappeared in the direction of the sun. "What do you think of that globe?" I asked my companion, who seemed enthusiastic at what he had seen. "That it was our Lady," he replied without hesitation.

It was my undoubted conviction also. The children had contemplated the very Mother of God, while to us it had been given to see the means of transport---if one may so express it---which brought her from Heaven to the inhospitable waste of the Serra da Aire. I must emphasize that all those around us appeared to have seen the same thing, for one heard manifestations of joy and praises of our Lady. But some saw nothing. Near us was a simple devout creature, crying bitterly because she had seen nothing.

We felt remarkably happy. My companion went from group to group in the Cova and afterwards on the road, gathering information. Those he questioned -were of all sorts and kinds, and of different social standing, but one and all affirmed the reality of the phenomena which we ourselves had witnessed.

With immense satisfaction we set off for home after this pilgrimage to Fátima, firmly resolved to return on the 13th of October for further confirmation of these facts.

Joao Quaresma

THE EXAMINATIONS OF THE CHILDREN BY REV. DR. FORMIGAO

The first systematic questioning of the children, with a view towards discovering the truth, took place on September 27, by seminary professor Father Manuel Formigao of Santander. This prudent priest had observed the apparition of September 13 from a distance, but did not see the phenomenon that those near the children did. He had witnessed a certain dimming of the sunlight, which he attributed to natural causes. From this time onward, Fr. Formigao would prove himself a good and protective friend of the children, and become later one of the foremost scholars of the events.

EXAMINATION OF FRANCISCO

Q. "What have you seen in the Cova da Iria during these months?"
"I have seen Our Lady."

Q. "Where does she appear?"
“The top of an oak tree."

Q. "Does she appear suddenly, or do you see her coming from anywhere?"
"I see her coming from the side where the sun rises and stops on the oak tree."

Q. "Does she come slowly or quickly?"
"She always comes quickly."

Q. "Do you hear what she says to Lucia?"
"No."

Q. "Do you ever speak to the Lady? Has she ever spoken to you?"
"No, I have never asked her anything. She only speaks to Lucia."

Q. "Who does she look at? At you and Jacinta or only at Lucia?"
"She looks at all three of us, but she looks longer at Lucia."

Q. "Did she ever cry or smile?"
"Neither, she is always serious."

Q. "How is she dressed?"
"She has a long dress, and over it a mantle which covers her head and falls to the edge of her dress."

Q. "What is the color of the dress and the mantle?"
"It is white, and the dress has gold lines."

Q. "What is her attitude?"
"Like someone praying. She has her hands joined at the height of her breast."

Q. "Does she carry anything in her hands?"
"Round the palm and the back of her right hand she carries a Rosary."

Q. "And what does she wear on her ears?"
"You cannot see her ears, because they are covered by the mantle."

Q. "Is the Lady beautiful?"
"Yes, she is."

Q. "More beautiful than that girl over there?"
"Yes."

Q. "But there are ladies who are much more beautiful than that girl?"
"She was more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen."

LATER ON, JUST BEFORE THE OCTOBER APPARITION, HE QUESTIONED FRANCISCO A SECOND TIME

Q. "How old are you?"
"Nine years old."

Q. "Do you only see our Lady, or do you also hear what she says?"
"I only see her. I can't hear anything she says."

Q. "Has she light round her head?"
"Yes."

Q. "Can you look well at her face?"
"I can look, but only a little because of the light."

Q. "Has her dress some decoration?"
"It has some cords of gold."

Q. "What colour is the crucifix?"
"White."

Q. "And the chain of the Rosary?"
"White, too."

Q. "Would the people be sad if they knew the secret?"
"Yes."

EXAMINATION OF JACINTA

After I had finished questioning Francisco, I called Jacinta, who was playing in the road with some other children, and sitting her on a little stool at my side, I subjected her to a similar interrogation, and succeeded in obtaining complete and detailed replies as in the case of her brother:

Q. "Have you seen our Lady on the 13th of each month since May?"
"Yes."

Q. "Where does she come from?"
"She comes from the sky from the side of the sun."

Q. "How is she dressed?"
"She has a white dress, decorated with gold, and on her head a mantle. also white."

Q. "What color is her hair?"
"You cannot see her hair, because it is covered by the mantle."

Q. "Does she wear earrings?"
"I don't know, because you cannot see her ears."

Q. "How does she hold her hands?"
"Her hands are joined at the height of her breast, with the fingers pointing upwards."

Q. "Are the beads in the right or the left hand?"
To this question the child replied at first that they were in the right hand, but just after, owing to a purposely captious insistence on my part, she became perplexed and confused and was not able to indicate with certainty the hand in which the Vision had held the Rosary.

Q. "What was the chief thing that our Lady told Lucia?"
"She said that we were to say the Rosary every day."

Q. "And do you say it?"
"I say it every day with Francisco and Lucia." '

SECOND EXAMINATION OF JACINTA IN OCTOBER

After hearing Lucia, Dr. Formigao went to Senhor Marto's house, and in his presence, and before some of his daughters, he questioned Jacinta.

Q. "Did the Lady tell you to say the Rosary?"
"Yes."

Q. "When?"
"When she appeared the first time."

Q. "Did you hear the secret or was it only Lucia who heard?"
"I heard too."

Q. "When?"
"At the second apparition on St. Anthony's day."

Q. "Is the secret that you will be rich?"
"No."

Q. "That you will be good and happy?"
"Yes, it is for the good of all three of us."

Q. "Is it that you will go to Heaven?"
"No."

Q. "Can you tell the secret?"
"I can't.

Q. "Why?"
"Because the Lady said we were not to tell it to anyone."

Q. "If the people knew it, would they be sad?"
"Yes."

Q. "How did the Lady have her hands?"
"She had them stretched out."

Q. "Always? "
"Sometimes she turned the palms up to Heaven."

Q. "In May did the Lady say she wanted you to go to the Cova da Iria again?"
"She said she wanted us to go there each month until October, when she would say what she wanted."

Q. "Has she light round her head?"
"Yes."

Q. "Can you look easily at her face?"
"No, because it hurts my eyes."

Q. "Do you always hear well, what the Lady says?"
"Last time I couldn't hear everything, because of the noise the people were making."

EXAMINATION OF LUCIA

Half an hour after this interrogation Lucia appeared. She came from a little property belonging to her family where she had been helping with the vintage. Taller and better nourished than the other two, with a clearer skin and a more robust, healthier appearance, she presented herself before me with an unselfconciousness which contrasted in a marked manner with the shyness and timidity of Jacinta. Simply dressed, like the latter, neither her attitude nor her expression denoted a sign of vanity, still less of confusion.

Seating herself on a chair at my side, in response to my gesture, she willingly consented to be questioned on the events in which she was the principal protagonist, in spite of the fact that she was visibly fatigued and depressed by the incessant visits and the repeated and lengthy questionings to which she was subjected.

Q. "Is it true that our Lady has appeared in a place called the Cova da Iria?"
"Yes, it is true."

Q. "How many times has she appeared to you?"
"Five times, once each month."

Q. "On what day of the month?"
"Always on the 13th, except in the month of August, when I was taken to Ourem by the mayor. In that month I only saw her a few days afterwards, on the 19th, at Valinhos."

Q. "People say that our Lady also appeared to you last year? Is there any truth in this?"
"She never appeared to me last year, never before May of this year; nor did I ever say so to anybody, because it is not true."

Q. "Where does she come from? From the east?"
"I don't know because I don't see her come from anywhere. She appears over the oak tree and when she goes away she goes into the sky in the direction where the sun rises."

Q. "How long does she stay? A long or a short time?"
"A short time."

Q. "Enough to be able to recite an Our Father and Hail Mary, or more?"
"A good deal more, but it is not always the same time; perhaps it would not be long enough to say a Rosary."

Q. "The first time you saw her were you frightened?"
'I was, so much so that I wanted to run away with Jacinta and Francisco, but she told us not to be afraid because she would not hurt us."

Q. "How is she dressed?"
"She has a white dress, which reaches to her feet, and her head was covered with a mantle, the same color and the same length."

Q. "Has the dress anything on it?"
"You can see, in the front, two gold cords which fall from the neck and are joined at the waist by a tassel, also gold."

Q. "Is there any belt or ribbon?"
"No."

Q. "Her earrings? "
"They are little rings."

Q. "In which hand does she hold the Rosary?"
"In the right hand."

Q. "Is it a Rosary of five or fifteen decades?"
"I didn't notice."

Q. "Had it a cross?"
"Yes, a white cross and the beads, too, were white; so was the chain."

Q. "Did you ever ask who she was?"
"I did, but she said she would only tell us on the 13th of October."

Q. "Did you ask her where she came from?"
"I did, and she told me that she came from Heaven."

Q. "When did you ask her this?"
"The second time, on the 13th of June."

Q. "Did she smile sometimes, or was she sad?"
"She neither smiled, nor was she sad; she was always serious."

Q. "Did she tell you and your cousins to say certain prayers?"
"She told us to say the Rosary in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world."

Q. "Did she say that many people were to be present in the Cova da Iria during the apparitions of the 13th?"
"She said nothing about that."

Q. "Is it true that she told you a secret that you were not to tell to anybody at all?"
"Yes."

Q. "Does it only concern you or your cousins also?"
"It concerns all three of us."

Q. "Could you not tell it even to your confessor?"
At this question Lucia was silent and appeared confused. I judged it better not to insist by repeating the question.

Q. "In order to free yourself from the mayor on the day he imprisoned you, did you tell him something as if it were the secret, thus deceiving him and boasting of it afterwards?"
"That is not true. Senhor Santos really did want me to reveal the secret, but I could not, and did not do so, although he tried in every way to make me do what he wanted. I told the mayor everything that the Lady had said to me except the secret. Perhaps it was because of this that he thought I had told him the secret too. I never wanted to deceive him."

Q. "Did the Lady tell you to learn to read?"
"Yes, the second time she appeared."

Q. "But if she told you that she would take you to Heaven in October next, what would be the good of learning to read?"
"That is not true. The Lady never said that she would take me to Heaven in October, and I never told anyone that she had said such a thing."

Q. "What did the Lady say was to be done with the money which the people left under the oak tree in the Cova da Iria?"
"She said that we were to make two andores and that I and Jacinta and two more girls were to carry one, and Francisco with three more boys the other, to the parish church. Part of this money was to be for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and the rest to help to build a new chapel."

Q. "Where does the Lady want the chapel built? In the Cova da Iria?"
"I don't know; she didn't say."

Q. "Are you glad that our Lady appeared to you?"
"Yes."

Q. "On the 13th of October will our Lady come alone?"
"St. Joseph and the Holy Child will come, and a little time afterwards the world will have peace."

Q. "Did our Lady reveal anything more?"
"She said that on the 13th of October she would perform a miracle so that the people can believe that she appeared."

Q. "Why do you often lower your eyes, instead of keeping them on the Lady?"
"Because she sometimes blinds me."

Q. "Did she teach you any prayer?"
"Yes, and she wants us to recite it after each mystery of the Rosary."

Q. "Do you know this prayer by heart?"
"Yes."

Q. "Say it."
"O my Jesus, forgive us and deliver us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need."

Dr. Formigao returned to his seminary at Santarem, pondering seriously and prayerfully the strange case of the children of Aljustrel. For better or worse he believed them. He was convinced they told the truth, at least as they saw the truth, which did not exclude a possibility that in all their honesty, they were yet the victims of hallucination.

IN OCTOBER HE RETURNED AND CONDUCTED A SECOND EXAMINATION OF LUCIA

Q. "You told me some days ago that our Lady wanted the money given by the people to be used for the parish church for two andors. How are these to be obtained, and when are they to be taken to the church?"
"They must be bought with the money which is given on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary."

Q. "Do you know for certain where our Lady wants the chapel in her honour to be built?"
"I don't know for certain, but I think she wants the chapel in the Cova da Iria."

Q. "What did she say that she would do in order that people might believe?"
"She said that she would perform a miracle."

Q. "When did she say this?"
"She said it several times, but once, during the first apparition, I asked her." "Are you not afraid of what the people will do if nothing extraordinary happens on that day?" "I am not at all afraid." "Do you feel something inside you, some force which draws you to the Cova da Iria on the 13th of each month?" "I feel I want to go there, and I should be sad if I didn't." "Did you ever see the Lady make the sign of the cross, pray, or tell the beads?" "No." "Did she tell you to pray?" "She told me to pray several times."

Q. "Did you see the signs which-other people said they saw, such as a star, or roses falling from the Lady's dress?"
"I didn't see a star nor any other signs."

Q. "Did you hear any noise or an earthquake?"
"No, I heard nothing."

Q. "Can you read?"
"No "

Q. "Are you learning?"
"No."

Q. "Then you are not doing what our Lady wants?"
Lucia did not reply to this.

Q. "When you tell the people to kneel and pray is it the Lady who tells you to?"
"No, it is not the Lady. I tell them to."

Q. "Do you always kneel when she appears?"
"Sometimes I kneel, sometimes I stand."

Q. "When she speaks is her voice sweet and agreeable?"
"Yes."

Q. "How old is the Lady?"
"She looks about fifteen years old."

Q. "What colour is the Rosary chain?"
"White."

Q. "And the crucifix?"
"White too."

Q. "Does the veil cover the forehead of the Lady?"
"It does not cover it; you can see her forehead."

Q. "Is the light which surrounds her very beautiful?"
"More beautiful than the most brilliant light of the sun."

Q. "Did the Lady ever greet you with her head or with her hands?"
"Never."

Q. "Did she ever laugh?"
"Never."

Q. "Does she usually look at the people?"
"I never saw her look at them,"

Q. "Do you hear the voices and the cries of the people while you are talking to the Lady?"
"No."

Q. "Did the Lady ask you in May to come back every month until October to the Cova-da Iria?"
"She said we were to come back from month to month on the 13th for six months."

Q. "Do you remember your mother reading a book called Short Mission, where there is a story of an apparition of our Lady to a girl?"
"Yes."

Q. "Did you think much about this story, or speak about it to other children?"
"I never thought about this story, and I never talked about it to anyone."

EXAMINATION OF MANUEL GONCALVES, A WITNESS

At the time of his second examination of Lucia, just prior to October 13, Fr. Formigao also examined the eldest son of the family he was staying with, who was a witness of the apparitions.

Q. "Have the parents of these children a good name? Are they respectable, decent living people?"
"The parents of Jacinta and Francisco are very good people, profoundly religious and well thought of by everybody. Lucia's father is not a churchgoer, but he is not at all a bad man. On the thirteenth of June some of his more disreputable friends succeeded in making him drunk in the hope of getting him to commit some folly or other in the place of the apparitions, and although he had allowed his daughter to go to the place as usual, he ordered the other people off, as proprietor of the ground where the oak tree grows. When the people saw that he was drunk, they took no notice of his order, but a man pushed him so that he fell to the ground. The mother is a pious hard-working woman."

Q. "What do the inhabitants of Fátima think of the children's affirmations? Do they believe them? Do they think they are lying, or perhaps victims of a hallucination?"
"At first the people did not want to go to the Cova. No one believed the children. On the 13th of June, the day of the second apparition, there was a feast in the parish in honor of St. Anthony. In the Cova there were only about seventy people at the time of the apparition. The parents of Jacinta and Francisco had gone in the morning to Porto de Mos for the so-called 'Fair of the thirteenth,' with the intention of buying oxen and returning at night. In their absence the house filled up with people who wanted to see the children and question them. At present a large proportion of the people think that the children are speaking the truth. For my own part I am convinced of this."

Q. "On the days of the apparitions are there extraordinary signs? Many people claim to have seen them."
"The signs are very numerous. In August almost everyone who was present saw them. A cloud came down on the oak tree. In July the same thing was seen, and there was no dust. The cloud seemed to sweep the air clean."

Q. "Were there any other signs?"
"In the sky, near the sun, there were some white clouds which turned successively bright red (the color of blood), pink and yellow. The people themselves turned this last color. The light of the sun sensibly diminished in intensity, and in July and August a noise was heard."

Q. "Is it possible that anyone could have induced the children to play a hoax?"
"That would be impossible!"

Q. "Have many people come from outside to talk to the children?"
"Innumerable people from all parts."

Q. "Do they accept the money which is offered them?"
They have accepted something from people who insist, but they do not' accept it willingly."

Q. "Are there people in Fátima who have been close to the children during the apparitions?"
"In July, Jacinto Lopes da Amoreira and Manual de Oliveira from this village of Montelo, were near them.'

Q. "What does Lucia do during the apparitions?"
"She says the Rosary. When she speaks to the Lady she speaks loudly. I myself heard her in June, because I was near her. Some people say that they heard the sound of the reply."

Q. "Is the place of the apparitions much frequented on the other days?"
"Yes, many people go there, especially on Sundays, and mostly at night. People come from far and near, even more from outside the parish. They say the Rosary and sing hymns in honor of our Lady."