These are excerpts which were originally published by the Most. Rev. John Venancio, Bishop of Fatima to present the EXACT message of Fatima
in the words of Sister Lucia de Jesus of the Immaculate Heart,
more popularly known as Sister Lucia, who was the last survivor of the three children who saw Our Lady.
Apparitions of the Angel
The First Apparition of The Angel
was an angel which we saw at some distance over the tops of the trees stretching eastward, a light whiter than snow, revealing the form of a young man, transparent and much brighter than crystal pierced by the rays of the sun. As it drew nearer we could discern and distinguish the features. We were surprised and struck dumb with amazement.
Having approached us, he said: “Fear Not, I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”
And kneeling down, he bowed his countenance to the ground. Led by the same supernatural impulse, we did the same and repeated the words which we heard him pronounce: “My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee.”
Having repeated these words three times, he rose and said: “Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.” Then he disappeared.
The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense that, for a long time, we were scarcely aware of our won existence, remaining in the same position and repeating the same prayers.
The Second Apparition of The Angel
…was when we were spending the siesta hours in the shade of trees which surrounded the well on the lands called Arneiro belonging to my parents.
Then suddenly, the same Angel appeared to us. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Pray! Pray a great deal! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you. Offer up prayers and sacrifices to the Most High.”
How are we to make sacrifices? I asked. “Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. Bring peace to your country in this way. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal, Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings sent you by Our Lord.”
The Third Apparition of The Angel
…occured as we passed one day from Pregueira a ( a small olive grove belonging to my parents) to the cave called Lapa (Loca do Cabeco), making our way round the hill on the side facing A ljustrel and Casa Velha.
While we were there he appeared the third time, holding in his hands a chalice surmounted by a Host, from which some drops of blood were falling into the chalice. Leaving the chalice and Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself on the ground and repeated this prayer three times: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”
Then rising, the Angel took the chalice and the Host. He gave the Host to me and the contents of the chalice to Jacina and Francisco saying at the same time: “Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Repair their crimes and console your God.”
Once again he prostrated himself on the ground, repeated the prayer to the Holy Trinity three times, and disappeared.
Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The First Apparition of Our Lady
…occured on May 13, 1917. While playing with Jacinta and Francisco on the hilltop in the Cova da Iria, suddenly we saw a flash as of lightning.
“There is a flash of lightning,” I said to my cousins… we should go home.
When we reached a large holm-oak about half way down the slope the light flashed again. Then a few paces further on, we beheld a beautiful lady dressed in white, poised over a holm-oak sapling very near us. She was more brilliant than the sun, radiating a sparkling light.
Struck with amazement, we halted before this vision. We were so near that we were bathed in the light that radiated from Her person to a distance of about three feet.
Then the Lady said:
“Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm.”
“Where are you from?” I asked.
“I am from Heaven.”
“What do you want of me?”
“I came to ask you to come here for six successive months, on the 13th day at the same hour. Later I will tell what I want. And I will return here yet a seventh time.”
“And I, shall go to Heaven?”
“Yes, you will.”
“And Jacinta?”
“She will go also.”
“And Francisco?”
“He will go there too, but he must pray many Rosaries first.”
Then I remembered to ask about two girls who had died recently. They were friends of mine and used to come to my home to learn weaving with my eldest sister.
“Is Maria das Neves in Heaven?”
“Yes, she is.” (I think she was about sixteen years old.)
“And Amelia?”
“She will be in Purgatory until the end of the world.” (It seems to me that she was between 18 and 20 years of age.)
“Do you wish to offer up to God all the sufferings He desires to send you in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Go then, for you will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will comfort you.”
While pronouncing these last words (the grace of God…) Our Lady opened Her hands for the first time, shedding on us a light so intense that it seemed as a reflex glancing from Her hands and penetrating to the inmost recesses of our hearts, making us see ourselves in God, Who was that Light, more clearly than we could see ourselves in a mirror. Then by an interior impulse, also communicated to us, we fell upon our knees, repeating in our hearts: “Oh most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the most Blessed Sacrament.”
After a few moments, Our Lady spoke again:
“Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.”
Then She began to ascend serenely, going up towards the east. The light that surrounded Her seemed to open up a path before Her, until She finally disappeared in the immensity of space. That is why we sometimes said we saw Heaven opening.
The Second Apparition of Our Lady
…was on June 13, 1917 – After saying the Rosary with Jacinta and Francisco and the other people who were present, we again saw the reflex of light approaching (which we called lightning).
Again, as in May, Our Lady appeared over the little holm-oak.
“What do you want of me?” O asked.
“I want you to come here on the 13th of next month. I want you to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later I will tell you what else I want.”
I then asked Our Lady to cure a sick person.
“If she amends her life she will be cured during the year.”
“I want you to take us to Heaven.”
Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you must remain here some time 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.”
“Must I stay here alone?” I asked sadly.
“No, my child. And would that make you suffer? Do not be disheartened. I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”
As she said these last words Our Lady opened Her hands and communicated to us a second time the immense light which enveloped Her. In this light we could see ourselves submerged in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in the light which rose towards Heaven, while I was in that which poured out over the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand there was a heart encircled with thorns which pierced it. We understood that it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and that She wanted reparation.
The Third Apparition of Our Lady
…was on July 13th, 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, we saw the flash of light once more and a moment later Our Lady appeared over the holm-oak.
“What do you want of me?” I asked.
“I want you to come here on the 13th of next month. Continue to pray the Rosary every day, in honour of Our Lady in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only She can obtain it.”
“I want you to tell us who you are, and to perform a miracle so that everyone will believe that you have appeared to us.”
“Continue to come here every month. In October I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”
Here I made some requests which I cannot now recall. What I do remember is that Our Lady said it was necessary for those persons to say the Rosary in order to obtain the graces during the year. And She continued:
“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say often, especially when you make some sacrifice: ‘O Jesus, this is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Saying these last words, Our Lady opened Her hands, as She had done during the two previous months.
The light from them seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls that looked like transparent embers, some black or bronze, in human form, driven about by the flames that issued from within themselves, together with clouds of smoke.
They were falling on all sides, just as sparks cascade from great fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid cries of pain and despair which horrified us so that we trembled with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as the people say they heard me exclaim aloud.)
The demons could be distinguished by their likeness to terrible, loathsome and unknown animals, transparent as live coals. Terrified and as if to plead for succor, we raised our eyes to Our Lady, who said to us kindly but sadly:
“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. In order to save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, there will be peace. The war will end, but if men do not cease offending God, another and more terrible war will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.
“When you see a night lit up by an unknown light, know that it is the sign God gives you that He is about to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, hunger, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. In order to prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays.
“If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecution of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be annihilated. But finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.
“The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and it will be converted, and a time of peace will be conceded to the world. In Portugal the Dogma of Faith will always be preserved etc… Do not tell this to anybody. You may tell it to Francisco.
“When you recite the Rosary, after each mystery say: ‘O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.” A short silence followed, and I asked:
“Is there anything more that you want of me?”
“No, I do not want anything more of you today.”
And as in the previous apparitions, She began to ascend towards the east, until She finally disappeared in the infinity of space.
The Fourth Apparition of Our Lady
…occurred on August 15th, 1917–Francisco and I saw the flash of light which we called lightning, and a few moments after Jacinta’s arrival, we saw Our lady above a holm-oak.
“What do you want of me?”
“I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month I will perform a miracle so that all will believe.”
“What do you want done with the money the people leave at the Cova da Iria?”
“Have two litters made with it, one for you and Jacinta to carry with two other girls dressed in white, the other for Francisco to carry with three other boys. The money placed on the litters is for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and what is over is to help toward the building of a chapel.”
“I wish to ask you to cure some sick persons.”
“Yes, I will cure some of them during the year.” And then with a sad expression She said: “Pray, pray very much and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because they have nobody to pray and make sacrifices for them.”
And Our Lady began to ascend as usual towards the east.
The Fifth Apparition of Our Lady
…was on September 13, 1917–We arrived at the Cova da Iria, and on reaching the holm-oak we began to pray the Rosary with the people. A little later we saw the flash of light, and Our Lady appeared on the holm-oak.
“Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, and also Our Lady of Dolours and Our Lady of 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 sleep with the cord on, only to wear it during the daytime.”
“I was told to ask you many things: for the cure of some sick people, of a deaf mute…”
“Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all will believe.”
And then She began to ascend as usual, and disappeared.
The Sixth Apparition of Our Lady
…occured on October 13th, 1917–On reaching the holm-oak in the Cova da Iria… we saw the flash of light, and Our Lady appeared over the holm-oak.
“What do you want of me?”
“I want to tell you that I wish a chapel to be erected here in my honour, for I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to say the Rosary every day. The war will soon end, and the soldiers will return to their homes.”
“I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things…”
“Some yes, not others. It is necessary for them to amend their lives, to ask for forgiveness of their sins. (And then with a sad expression on her face:) Do not offend God Our Lord any more, for He is already deeply offended.”
Opening Her hands, She made them reflect on the sun. While She ascended, the reflection from Her person was projected on the sun itself.
That is the reason why I cried aloud. “Look at the sun.” My intention was not to call the attention of the people to it, because I was not conscious of their presence. I was guided to do so by an interior impulse.
When our Lady disappeared in the immense distance of the firmament, beside the sun we saw Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle. Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they make the Sign of the Cross with their hands. A little later this vision vanished, and I saw Our Lrod, and Our Lady who appeared to me to be Our Lady of Dolours. Our Lord seemed to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph. This apparition disappeared, and I saw Our Lady again, this time resembling Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
“Your Excellency the Bishop of Leira, I present you with this account of the apparitions of Our Lady in the Cova da Iria in 1917. Whenever and for whatever motive I have had to speak of them, I have sought to do so in the least possible words, with the desire of keeping for myself alone those most intimate parts which are so difficult for me to reveal. But as these are the words of God and not mine, and He now by means of Your Excellency requires them of me, here they are.
Apparitions Subsequent to 1917
Our Lady appeared to the little shepherds again at other times, although not in the Cova da Iria.
A short time before the death of Francisco, when he and his sister Jacinta were very ill, she came to tell them that She would soon come to take them to Heaven.
Francisco was the first to go – it was the 4th of April, 1919. Jacinta was to go to two hospitals, “not to be cured, but to suffer more for the conversion of sinners.”
Near the end Our Lady appeared to her and said these grave words to her, which are also directed to us: She told her “that the sin which send most people to perdition is the sin of the flesh; that they should do without luxuries; that people should not remain obstinate in their sins as they had done up to then; that it was necessary to do much penance.”
On saying this, Our Lady was very sad. Because of this, Jacinta often exclaimed: “Oh, I am so sorry for Our Lady! I am so sorry for Her!”
Five First Saturdays
But Divine Providence had not yet finished the work resolved upon in regard to Fatima, and so Lucia, the oldest of the three little ones, was told that “she would stay here some time longer.” Our Lady said to her that “in order to prevent the war She would come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturdays.”
This She did on the 10th of December, 1925, and in June 1929, in Pontevedra and Tuy where Sister Lucia then was a Dorothean Religious.
On the 10th of December, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin Mary appeared to Lucia, with the Child Jesus by Her side, elevated on a cloud of light. Our Lady rested one hand on Lucia’s shoulder, while in the other hand She held a heart surrounded with sharp thorns. At the same time the Child Jesus spoke:
“Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation.”
Then Our Lady said to Lucia:
“My daughter, look at My Heart surrounded with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console m, 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 five decades of 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.”
On the 15th of February, 1926, the Child Jesus again appeared to Lucia, asking her if she had spread this devotion of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of His Holy Mother. Lucia told Him of the difficulties pointed out by her confessor, and though the Mother Superior ardently desired to propagate the devotion, her confessor also warned her that she could do nothing by herself alone. Our Lord replied:
“It is true that your Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace she can do all.”
Lucia then spoke of the difficulty which some people had of confessing on Saturday, and asked if Confession within eight days would be valid. Jesus replied:
“Yes, even more time still, as long as they receive Me in the state of grace and have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
She asked: “My Jesus, what about those who forget to make this intention?” Jesus replied:
“They can do so at their next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to Confession.”
The Last Vision
In June, 1929, Our Lady appeared again to ask the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, “promising by this means to prevent the spreading of its errors and to bring about its conversion.” But only on 20th December, 1940, eleven years later, was Lucia authorized to write to the Holy Father Pope Pius XII, asking this Consecration.
This is how Lucia describes this apparition in a letter:
“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 (Father), on his breast there was a dove also of light (Holy Spirit) and, nailed to the cross, was the body of another man (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 Crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down onto the Host and fell into the chalice. Our Lady was beneath the right are of the cross (… it was Our Lady of Fatima with her Immaculate Heart… in Her left hand… without swords or roses, but with a crown of thorns and flames…). Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as of crystal clear water 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, and I received lights about this Mystery which I am not permitted to reveal.
“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 heart, promising to save it by this means.”