Today is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fátima, honoring the six apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Portugal in 1917. This feast gives us a chance to return to the prayer and penance she requested, especially the Rosary prayed for peace and the conversion of sinners.
Who Our Lady of Fátima was
Our Lady of Fátima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal, between May 13 and October 13, 1917. The visionaries were Lúcia dos Santos (age 10) and her younger cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto (ages 9 and 7). Mary appeared to them on the thirteenth day of each month for six consecutive months near an oak tree in the Cova da Iria.
The apparitions occurred during World War I, a time of widespread suffering and upheaval. Mary identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary” and asked the children to pray the Rosary daily for peace and the conversion of Russia. She entrusted them with three secrets, the first two revealed in 1941 (a vision of hell and a prophecy about Russia), the third disclosed by the Vatican in 2000.
The Church investigated the apparitions carefully. The Bishop of Leiria declared them worthy of belief in 1930. Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942. Pope John Paul II, who credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life during the 1981 assassination attempt, visited the shrine three times and beatified Francisco and Jacinta in 2000.
What the apparitions are known for
The Fátima apparitions are distinctive for their emphasis on the Rosary, penance, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary asked the children to pray the Rosary every day and to make sacrifices for sinners. She taught them a prayer to add after each decade: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.”
The final apparition on October 13, 1917, drew an estimated 70,000 people who witnessed what became known as the Miracle of the Sun. Witnesses reported the sun appearing to dance, spin, and plunge toward the earth before returning to its normal position. The previously muddy ground and rain-soaked clothing of the crowd were reported to be completely dry afterward.
The iconography of Our Lady of Fátima shows her in a white mantle edged with gold, hands folded in prayer, often with a golden crown and rays of light. The three shepherd children kneel before her. This image has become one of the most recognized representations of Mary in the twentieth century.
For today
Pray one decade of the Rosary with the Fátima prayer Mary taught the children: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.” If you already pray the Rosary daily, add this prayer after each decade if you don’t already. If you rarely pray the Rosary, one decade takes three minutes.
Carry those words through the afternoon: especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
