It all started when the Angel of Peace appeared to three shepherd children whose names were Francisco, Lucia, and Jacinta. The angel told them to pray saying that they Love God and that they ask for forgiveness for those who do not love God. The Angel of Peace appears to the Children again and tells them to love God and neighbor, to pray without ceasing. To offer penance to the Lord for the conversion of sinners. To accept all sufferings from the Lord.
Half a year before Our Lady appeared to the Children in Fatima, the Angel of Peace appeared to the shepherd children for one last time and taught them how to worship God in the Eucharist and gave them communion. After communion, the Angel of Peace teaches the children another prayer in reparation for the sacrileges done against the Holy Eucharist.
May 13th, 1917 was the day of the first apparition of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal. Francisco, Lucia, and Jacinta saw a beautiful dame who appeared to them with an important message. The children felt joy and wondered where this beautiful lady was from. Our Lady responds by saying that she is from heaven. Lucia asks if she will go to heaven. She also asks the same for Francisco and Jacinta. Our Lady affirms and tells the children that they will go to heaven.
Mary proceeds to open her hands to the children and a light radiates from them. In that light, the children saw a mirror in which they saw God in themselves, in turn seeing God’s light. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the children kneel and say a prayer in adoration of the Holy Trinity and in adoration of the Holy Eucharist.
At the same time, and same place next month in June, the shepherd children return to Fatima and Our Lady appears to them again. Our Lady tells the children that she will be their refuge and that she will lead them to God. Our Lady opens her hands once again and the children experience something akin to that they experienced the month before.
Except that this time the children saw a heart pierced and encircled by a crown of thorns on Our Lady’s palm. They knew that it was the Immaculate heart of Mary and that she was seeking reparation for sins. Our Lady told the shepherd children that more people should pray the Rosary and that Lucia should learn how to read and write, that it would be very important. From these experiences the children learned how to see themselves in God, to hate sin, and to live for God alone.
Next month in July, in Fatima, Our Lady takes the shepherd children on a field trip to hell so that they can know the reality of what it is like to be permanently separated from God, how the souls suffer for rejecting God, for condemning themselves. Our Lady tells the children that hell is the place where poor sinners go, that it rains souls in hell, and that they are to pray the Rosary, spread its devotion and devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and to do penance for the conversion of sinners.
Our Lady also tells the children that the first world war was about to end and if people do repent and believe in the gospel, a worse war would come. Our Lady requested that Russia would be consecrated to her immaculate heart, to do Communion of reparation on every first five Saturdays of the month so that Russia can be converted and so that there is peace. And by failing to do so, Russia would spread her errors throughout the world. Our Lady said that many would experience persecution, the Pope will have to suffer very much, and that many nations would disappear.
With hope, Our Lady tells the shepherd Children, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph” that the Pope will consecrate Russia to her Immaculate heart, that she will be converted, that there will be an era of peace in the World. That the Catholic faith will always remain in Portugal. However, Our Lady also said that the Pope and many faithful would go up a mountain and be shot, and that many angels would come to pick up their blood.
During these months of the apparition, many have become curious as to what is happening and the shepherd children have drawn much attention. Many have become skeptical of what has been happening regarding Marian apparitions. The children asked Our Lady if she could provide a sign so that others may believe and be converted. She promised that she would provide them with a sign in her last apparition.
On October 13th, Our Lady appears for the last time in Fatima to the three shepherd children and to a crowd of fifty thousand people. To make a display of God’s mercy, Our Lady provided the miracle that she promised. It was a stormy day and it seemed as if nothing was going to happen. However, later, it appeared that as if the sun was moving over the horizon, and then it came closer to Earth and it dried the people present as the people were already soaked by the rain.
Once the people were dried by the sun, an image of St. Joseph carrying the child Jesus appeared in place of the sun, and Jesus blessed the whole world in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
