“Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words,” by Father Louis Kondor
Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary, 18th Edition, 2016, 239 pages, Grades 9 and higher. ISBN: 978-972-8524-203
The Fatima apparitions are one of the most compelling events in the 20th century. They were approved by the Catholic Church in 1930. From May 13-Oct. 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared to three humble shepherd children, asking for prayers of reparation for sin and a consecration to God through Her Immaculate Heart. Why Fatima was chosen is known only to Divine Providence.
The messages from the Queen of Heaven to the children have been made public and have influenced the actions and prayers of millions of people. This book was edited by Father Louis Kondor S.V.D. from the writings of Sister Lucia dos Santos, the last surviving visionary. The writings demonstrate the love and concern God has for mankind. This edition is a compilation of four volumes of writings by Sister Lucia about the events. It includes the publication of the famous “Third Secret” by the Vatican June 26, 2000.
Lucia dos Santos is the youngest of seven children, born to Antonio and Maria dos Santos. They are humble people, living in the village of Fatima, some 80 miles north of Lisbon. They own a small amount of land and Lucia takes the family sheep herd to graze each day. Her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, join her with their family’s herd. There the cousins watch the sheep, play games and pray the rosary. They are so innocent that they don’t know the names of the months or the days of the week.
In 1916, an angel suddenly appears, telling them to pray the famous “Pardon Prayer” as the hearts of Christ and Mary desire this invocation. The prayer is: “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You.”
The angel later reappears twice and teaches the children this prayer: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You 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 with which He Himself is offended. And, through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.”
On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin appears to the three children and tells them to return on the 13th of the month for the next six months. She tells them that she will then reveal Her name. As the little shepherds return each month, the word of the apparitions spreads and the crowds begin to grow massively. On Oct. 13, there are at least 70,000 people at the apparition site. The Blessed Mother first tells the children that she is The Lady of the Rosary. Then the famous “Dance of the Sun” occurs with the huge crowd and the children witnessing the sun spinning in the sky, while the three children additionally see Mary next to St. Joseph as he holds the Child Jesus. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus then bless the crowd.
Next, Jesus, with Mary dressed as Our Lady of Sorrows, appear together in the sky, while Christ blesses the multitudes. Finally, the October apparition ends with the sun returning to its place in the sky, and three little shepherds seeing Mary dressed as Our Lady of Carmel.
While Francisco and Jacinta die from the Spanish Flu soon after the apparitions, Lucia will live to an old age in a convent in Spain and later in Portugal. Her mission is to spread the message of Fatima through writing and prayer. The famous “Third Secret” is listed at the end of the book.
The story of Fatima is really overwhelming. It is a story of God calling mankind back to a life of grace. The avenue back to this life of grace is through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary, chosen by God the Father to bear His Son has sent Her back to earth to gather Her children. As holy Simeon prophesies at the Presentation (Lk 2:33-35) “And his father and mother marveled at what was being said about Him, and Simeon blessed them and said to His Mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”
I hope you get a chance to read these memoirs. They are important for us to meditate on today, especially as we anticipate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions. The memoirs are available on Amazon. They are well worth reading.
