Veritas et Lux

On May 13, 1917, three shepherd children named Lúcia Santos, Jacinta Marto, and Francisco Marto were tending sheep in Fatima, Portugal, in a place called Cova da Iria when they saw a woman “brighter than the sun”, who identified herself as being from heaven. She asked them to return to this same location on the 13th of each month for the next six months. The Lady also requested that they pray the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to World War I.

Each month, the children returned to Cova da Iria, and the lady appeared to them each time sharing messages. Other people caught wind of this, and each apparition the crowds grew, with thousands gathering by October. The Virgin Mary emphasized prayer, penance, and conversion. She also foretold future events, including the end of World War I and the possibility of a worse war if people did not stop offending God.

During the final apparition, a crowd of around 70,000 people witnessed what became known as the “Miracle of the Sun”. After the Virgin Mary identified herself as the “Lady of the Rosary”, the sun appeared to change colors and rotate in the sky. Witnesses reported that the sun seemed to fall towards the earth before returning to its normal position. This event was widely reported in the media, and it even contributed to the conversion of many atheists who were in attendance.

During the apparitions, the Virgin Mary revealed three secrets to the children. Lúcia wrote down these secrets.

• 1st Secret – A terrifying vision of hell, where souls were suffering in torment. This vision emphasized the need for prayer and sacrifice to save souls from eternal damnation.
• 2nd Secret – Predicted the outbreak of World War II and the rise and spread of communism. The Virgin Mary warned that the Soviet Union would spread its errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.
• 3rd Secret – This secret was kept for many years and was only revealed by the Vatican in 2000. It is described as a vision of a “bishop dressed in white” being killed by soldiers in a city reduced to ruins. This has been interpreted by some as a prophecy for the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1984.

As is the story with many of the Marian apparitions, Mary calls us to live a life of prayer, repentance, and conversion. It is a reminder for us to constantly seek conversion to a more devout life, and to pray for the conversion and repentance of those around us who may be far from God.