A WOMAN BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN - OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA by Joan Foo Mahony
Smitten By Faith Issue # 00041 13th May 2022
The statue of The Virgin Mary taken on procession at the Fatima Shrine
A view of thousands of people at the Fatima Shrine recently
HAPPY FEAST DAY OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA !
VIVA MARIA VIVA !
I am writing this on May 13th 2022, the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.
Today will be the first time in 2 years ( after the 2 year Covid Pandemic ) that the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Central Portugal is fully open to the general public and a few months ago already, thousands of pilgrims had begun gathering together to pray at this, the 4th largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, also known as the Fatima Shrine, is 130 km from Lisbon and 196 km from Porto covering an enormous area of 70,000 sq. km, visited by massive crowds of pilgrims of around 4 million each year. This number more than doubled in 2017 which was the centenary year of the appearance of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima and the crowds that gathered throughout 2017 numbered 9.4 million people ! That May 13th 2017 date - the 100th anniversary of the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima - celebrated the date – May 13th 1917 - when at a time of great despair ( the first world war), at a secluded cove called Cova da Iria near a small rural village of Fatima, “ …a woman brighter than the sun” - the Virgin Mary- appeared and revealed some incredible secret messages to 3 young children who were tending their sheep, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.
Here are snapshots of some Marian Apparitions around the world through the centuries
Far left : Guadalupe in Mexico
Middle Left : Kibeho Forest in Rwanda, Africa
Middle Right : Knock in Ireland
Far Right : Beauraing in Belgium
The Virgin Mary is not a myth. The historical Mary was a Galilean born in Nazareth around 23-20 BCE. And, since the Virgin Mary’s Assumption to Heaven more than 2,000 years ago, in different centuries and all over the world - from Mexico ( Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531), France ( Our Lady of Lourdes 1858) and even in Africa ( Our Lady of Kibeho, Rwanda 1981 ), the Virgin Mary has chosen to appear hundreds of times as mystical apparitions, usually to young children from very humble backgrounds. Not all Marian appearances are believed; in fact, the sceptics ridicule them. But, the devoted Catholic faithful who number more than a billion remain resilient and our numbers grow. As for the official Catholic Church ‘approval’ of any Marian Apparition, this involves a ‘confirmation’ by the Vatican that the apparition is worthy of belief, after going through strict and laborious formal evaluations to assess claimed apparitions. Although there is no “approved list” as such, nonetheless there are many Marian Apparitions recognised by the Catholic Church which treats each such ‘confirmed’ Marian Apparition as not just a subjective experience, but a real and objective intervention of divine power – the Virgin Mary’s – with her own personal loving messages for humanity. Marian Apparitions in so many countries scattered all over the world add substance to the universality of the Catholic faith beyond the biblical lands. For the sceptics of Marian Apparitions, the Catholic Church says that Marian Apparitions nourish our faith, but do not define it.
The appearance of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima on May 13th 1917 is a confirmed Marian Apparition. This is what I would like to write about today – how Mary and praying the Rosary occupies a very special place in my own heart. Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima continues to bring the abundant mercy of God to the world and her messages in 1917 are as potent and perhaps even more so today.
Let’s rewind the clock 105 years - back to 1916.
1916 - THE ANGEL OF PEACE
The 3 children in 1917 - from the left, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta
It was during World War I; a terrible time of conflict and death in Europe. In 1916, at an isolated meadow called the Cova da Iria near a small village of Fatima in Central Portugal by the foothills of the mountains of Aire, an Angel who said it was the ‘Angel of Peace’ appeared to 3 very young innocent shepherd children, herding sheep from another small village of Aljustrel just 2 kilometres from Fatima. Lucia Santos (9 years) was with her cousins Francisco (8 years) and Jacinta Marto (6 years). To these children, the ‘Angel of Peace’ appeared on at least 3 separate occasions and taught them a prayer and how to practice faith, hope and charity. What the children did not know was that the appearances of the Angel were actually in preparation for the later appearance of the Virgin Mary herself.
1917 - ONE YEAR LATER
A rosary from Beit Sahur in Bethlehem, made with rough pebbles and knotted rope, with each decade of the rosary separated by Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in silver. Photo: Courtesy of Mary-Anne Woon
The word “Rosary” comes from Latin word, ‘rosarium’ which means ‘rose garden’. The Rosary is a chain of roses representing prayers; prayer beads to help us recite and count prayers on a string of beads or a knotted cord.
A year later on May 13th in 1917, these 3 children saw a woman “brighter than the sun” who wore a white cape adorned with gold, holding a Rosary. The children must have been in awe of the vision; but they were probably not too fearful. The Angel of Peace had prepared them well. In any event, as children, they already had the innocence and light of their inherent faith. Something we as adults sometimes sadly lack. So, this bright and shining lady spoke to the children in their Portuguese dialect and taught the children how to pray the Rosary. She said – pray the Rosary daily so we can bring peace to the world. Mary spoke sadly about a terribly callous world – one with constant wars and turmoil among nations, famine and hunger. Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima then revealed her secret messages or prophecies to the 3 children who had never before experienced anything beyond their rural village life and did not even know the meaning and importance of what the lady was telling them. These predictions were far beyond their understanding, knowledge or maturity but they were pure ( and fitting ) messengers of the Virgin Mary. Later, when these children and especially Lucia the eldest were interrogated ( ceaselessly and sometimes roughly), they never deviated from the revelations of Our Lady of the Rosary and they were able to repeat all Our lady’s secret messages verbatim.
The older children Lucia and Francisco at first tried to keep the first apparition a secret as had been told to do; but the youngest Jacinta told her mother who then told her friends and very soon word of this spread throughout the entire village. What happened next was to be expected. How many believed ? Some did. But most did not and were hostile and sceptical. For the subsequent appearances by the Virgin Mary to the children, the children were now no longer alone. The children were followed by the villagers and the numbers grew to hundreds and thousands for each appearance of the Virgin Mary on the 6 separate occasions for the next few months – always on the 13th day. For the 6th and last appearance which would be on October 13th , the Lady told them to expect a great miracle.
The stunned thousands witnessing the ‘miracle of the sun’ on October 13th 1917
That day, it rained relentlessly all morning but regardless of the bad weather, almost 70,000 wet and rain-soaked people had gathered. At noon, the rains stopped and the skies cleared. That was when the miracle happened and Mary made the sun ‘dance in the sky’. This incredible sight became known as the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ or ‘Dance of the Sun’. The sun, which had just appeared through the clouds, began to rotate or spin like a disc rolling on itself; a dancing ball of light. The people and the trees around were illuminated with all colours of the rainbow. The crowd screamed in fear. The sun seemed to zig-zag in the sky and then to almost fall into the crowd. People fell to the ground cowering in fear, crying for mercy. Then, as suddenly as it started; it stopped. The crowds saw that their totally wet clothes were completely dry. This miraculous event of October 13, 1917 when the sun ‘danced’ was seen over an area of at least 600 square miles.
When the world learnt about the messages from Our Lady of the Rosary, did we heed them? Sadly, we did not. In fact, just a mere 22 years after the first Marian Apparition at Fatima, World War II began - a war even more disastrous than the first world war before it. When the Second World War ended in 1945, 60 million people had perished; more than half of them civilians. Our Lady of the Rosary had predicted the end of World War I. Peace at last ? No. Our Lady had also predicted the beginning of World War II if we did not pray.
On May 13 ,1981, 64 years after Mary's appearance at Fatima, there was an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II at St. Peter’s Square when he was shot at close range but miraculously escaped death when the bullet was deflected. This assassination and consequent suffering of Pope John Paul II was actually revealed by Our Lady of Fatima as the “…..Bishop clad in white who would have to suffer much". After the assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II was to later suffer with his body, the most intense public physical suffering – which he offered to God - for 24 years until his merciful death in 2005.
As for Russia, in one of her secret messages, Our Lady had referred specifically to ‘Russia’. She spoke of the need to pray for Russia. Just 6 months after Mary’s apparitions, Russia experienced the Bolshevik Revolution and in 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed. Today, a century after the Lady of the Rosary of Fatima first mentioned its name, Russia is waging war in Ukraine and we have once again, death and suffering.
THE AFTERMATH OF FATIMA
THE FAITHFUL CHILDREN OF THE ROSARY
Both Francisco and Jacinta died in 1919, victims of the terrible Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918. The Virgin Mary continued to appear to the 2 ailing children in hospital and brought them joy and solace as they lay dying. They knew that Mary would take them straight to Heaven. From their hospital beds they also repeated words said by the Virgin Mary, words which were beyond their comprehension. In 2000, Francisco and Jacinta were both beatified and became saints; Jacinta being the youngest non-martyred child ever to be beatified.
Lucia as a Carmelite nun with Pope John Paul II
Lucia dos Santos, the eldest of the three had to go through incessant interrogations about what she and the other children had seen and what the Virgin Mary had revealed. She became a Carmelite nun at a Convent in Coimbra, Portugal and went into seclusion while spreading the Fatima message of prayer, penance, conversion and promoting devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Lucia said that the purpose of Mary’s apparitions at Fatima was to bring peace and love; for humanity to take heart that God is always with us and that prayer will be our path to salvation. Lucia lived a long life and in 2005, on February 13th (the same day of the month as the apparitions had usually occurred) she passed away peacefully at 97 years.
THE SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA
Inside the Fatima Shrine Complex
Left : The Basilica of the Holy Trinity
Middle : The Basilica of Our Lady Of The Holy Rosary
Right : The Chapel of the Apparitions - the core of the Fatima Shrine
The current Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary or Fatima Shrine Complex is built on the actual site of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima and is a site of prayer and hope for the millions of pilgrims who come each year. Today, we have a huge complex of 2 Basilicas, 2 Chapels , hostels for the sick and several other monuments and structures built over time since 1928 when the first foundation stone for the construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was laid. Another basilica, the Basilica of the Holy Trinity was added in 1953.
The original small statue of Our Lady of the Rosary encased in glass at the Chapel of the Apparitions
The core of the Fatima Shrine Complex is the Chapel of the Apparitions ( first built in 1919 ) located at the exact same spot of the Our Lady’s appearance . This spot is marked by a marble pillar plinth on which stands a small statue of Our lady of the Holy Rosary which was installed by devoted pilgrims in 1920. The statue is small; just about 1 meter high and made of cedar wood from Brazil with poly chrome and gold applications. The statue was first blessed on May 13th, 1920, by the local parish priest and taken to the Chapel of the Apparitions on June 13th of that year. There is a unique gold crown inlaid with pearls and precious stones worn by the statue only on days of great pilgrimages and this crown was offered by the women of Portugal on October 13th, 1942. In 1989 after the attempt on Pope John Paul II’s life, the extracted bullet was encased in the crown. On October 13th, 2013, at the request of Pope Francis, the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima was taken to Rome and chosen as the most important representative icon of Marian devotion in the entire world for Catholics as the Pope then consecrated the world to Our Lady of Fatima.
At the Basilica of the Holy Rosary, there is another statue of Our Lady of Fatima, a larger statue which stands in the niche above the main entrance of the Basilica and was sculpted by an American priest who had spent a lot of time speaking to Sister Lucia about how Mary looked. The statue was presented to the Sanctuary of Fatima in 1958.
LOVING MESSAGES FOR HUMANITY
On May 13, 1982, Pope John Paul II spoke the following words during a homily given in Fatima, Portugal:
“In the light of a mother’s love we understand the whole message of the Lady of Fátima. The greatest obstacle to man’s journey towards God is sin, perseverance in sin, and, finally, denial of God. The deliberate blotting out of God from the world of human thought. The detachment from him of the whole of man’s earthly activity. The rejection of God by man…. Sin has thus made itself firmly at home in the world, and denial of God has become widespread in the ideologies, ideas and plans of human beings.”
Today, on the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, I entrust myself to Mary as I pray the Rosary and ask for the light of God and the plenitude of his graces. Let us look at the events of the world today through the eyes of faith and return more fully to the fundamental practices of faith – prayer, penance, and charity.
VIVA MARIA VIVA – OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA – PRAY FOR US !
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On the Feast Day today of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, I am happy to announce that the Spanish translation of “MILLENNIALS MEET MARY’ -
‘LA VIDA DE MARIA’ - the electronic digital book ( for the Spanish speaking world) is now available in iBookstore ! All proceeds go to the Regina Apostolorum Foundation.
It will be also be available in Googleplay soon.
https://millennialsmeetmary.com/shop/
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