Catholics all over the world remember three shepherd children in Fatima today who received a special visit from the Virgin Mary.
It was 1917, and much of Europe was engulfed in World War I.
Portugal, where these shepherd children tended to their flock, had been hit by famine, disease, and a government trying to erase religion from public life. Catholic churches were seized, and public religious celebrations were banned.
October 13 marked the sixth and final visit from the Blessed Mother to ten-year-old Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto (ages nine and seven).
Beginning in May, Mary appeared to the children on the 13th of each month. She asked them to offer sacrifices for sinners and pray the Rosary daily. Despite official threats and public ridicule, the children stood firm. When Lúcia previously asked for a sign, Our Lady promised:
“In October I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle so that everyone may see and believe.”
On October 13, 1917, an estimated 70,000 people — believers, curious onlookers, and hostile skeptics — gathered at the Cova da Iria under a torrential downpour. Standing before the oak tree, Lúcia asked her usual humble question:
“What does Your Grace want of me?”
The Blessed Mother answered:
“I wish to tell you that I want a chapel built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.”
Lúcia then presented requests from the crowd for healing and conversions:
“I have many things to ask you: if you would cure some sick persons, and if you would convert some sinners…”
And Our Lady told her:
“Some yes, others no. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.”
Growing noticeably sad, Mary delivered her final heartfelt plea to humanity:
“Do not offend the Lord Our God any more, for He is already too much offended!”
Opening her hands, Our Lady reflected light upon the sun and began to ascend. As she departed, Lúcia pointed toward the sky and shouted to the crowd:
“She is going! She is going! Look at the sun!”
The clouds abruptly parted, giving way to the "Miracle of the Sun."
The sun appeared as a bright, silver disc that anyone could look at directly without burning their eyes. It began to spin rapidly like a wheel of fire, casting vivid, multicolored lights across the landscape.
Suddenly, the sun detached from the sky and plunged toward the earth in a jagged motion. Terrified onlookers fell to their knees, weeping and praying aloud.
Just as quickly, the sun returned to its place. The crowd realized that the torrential rain had ceased, and their soaked clothes and the muddy ground were completely dry.
The miraculous event made front-page news even in secular media including anti-Catholic, Masonic newspapers. For the shepherd children, it was divine confirmation.
Reflecting on the impact of seeing these divine mysteries, young Francisco later told Lúcia:
“I loved seeing Our Lady… but I love God so much! But He is very sad because of so many sins. We must never commit any sins again.”