Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School

Our Lady of Fatima

Feast Day - May 13

Our Lady of Fatima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary who appeared to three shepherd children, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at Fátima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13th, the Fatima holiday.

The children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as "the Lady of the Rosary.

Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia.   One of the visionary children, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Mary gave the children three secrets.  Since Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta the following year, Lucia, revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The second secret was a vision of hell.  Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See's Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a "bishop in white" who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him.  Many link this to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981.

"Miracle of the Sun"

As early as July the lady had promised a miracle for the final apparition, on October 13, so that all would believe.  On that date a crowd believed to be 70,000 in number,including newspaper reporters and photographers, gathered at the Cova da Iria.

The incessant rain had finally ceased and a thin layer of clouds cloaked the silver disc of the sun such that it could be looked upon without hurting one’s eyes.  Lucia called out to the crowd to look at the sun. Sometime while Lucia was pointing towards the sun and seeing various religious figures in the sky, the sun appeared to change colors and rotate, like a fire wheel.  For some, the sun appeared to fall from the sky before retreating, for others, it zig-zagged.  The phenomenon was witnessed by most in the crowd as well as people many miles away.

No scientific explantion could be given as to what the witnesses saw.