Flora Cantábrica

Fatima English.13.21.6.22

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1. THE STORY OF THE APPARITIONS

 

PROLOGUE

 

Now, Your Excellency, we come to the most difficult part of all

that you have commanded me to put in writing. First of all, Your

Excellency has expressly required of me to write about the Apparitions

of the Angel, putting down every circumstance and detail,

and even, as far as possible, their interior effects upon us. Then,

along comes Dr. Galamba to ask you to command me also to write

about the Apparitions of Our Lady.

“Command her, Your Excellency,” he said a little while ago in

Valença. “Yes, Your Excellency, command her to write everything,

absolutely everything. She’ll have to do the rounds of purgatory

many a time for having kept silent about so many things!”

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As for purgatory, I am not in the least afraid of it, from this point

of view. I have always obeyed, and obedience deserves neither

penalty nor punishment. Firstly, I obeyed the interior inspirations of

the Holy Spirit, and secondly, I obeyed the commands of those

who spoke to me in His name. This very thing was the first order

and counsel which God deigned to give me through Your Excellency.

Happy and content, I recalled the words I had heard long

ago from the lips of that holy priest, the Vicar of Torres Novas:

“The secret of the King’s daughter should remain hidden in the

depths of her heart.” Then, beginning to penetrate their meaning,

I said: “My secret is for myself.” But now, I can no longer say so.

Immolated on the altar of obedience, I say rather: “My secret belongs

to God. I have placed it in His hands; may He do with it as

best pleases Him.”

Dr. Galamba said then: “Your Excellency, command her to say

everything, everything, and to hide nothing.” And Your Excellency,

assisted most certainly by the Holy Spirit, pronounced this judgement:

“No, I will not command that! I will have nothing to do with

matters of secrets.” 10

Thanks be to God! Any other order would have been for me a

source of endless perplexities and scruples. Had I received a contrary

command, I would have asked myself, times without number:

“Whom should I obey? God or His representative?” And perhaps,

being unable to come to a decision, I would have been left in a

state of real inner torment!

Then Your Excellency continued speaking in God’s name: “Sister,

write down the Apparitions of the Angel and of Our Lady, because,

my dear Sister, this is for the glory of God and of Our Lady.”

How good God is! He is the God of peace, and it is along

paths of peace that He leads those who trust in Him.

I shall begin, then, my new task, and thus fulfil the commands

received from Your Excellency as well as the desires of Rev. Dr.

Galamba. With the exception of that part of the Secret which I am

not permitted to reveal at present, I shall say everything. I shall not

knowingly omit anything, though I suppose I may forget just a few

small details of minor importance.

.

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1. Apparitions of the Angel

 

Although I cannot give the exact date, it seems to me that it

was in 1915 that the first Apparition took place. As far as I can

judge, it was the Angel, although at that time he did not venture to

make himself fully known. From what I can recall of the weather, I

think that this must have happened between the months of April

and October in the year 1915.

My three companions from Casa Velha, by name Teresa

Matias and her sister Maria Rosa, and Maria Justino, were with

me on the southern slope of the Cabeço. We were just about to

start praying the Rosary when I saw, poised in the air above the

trees that stretched down to the valley which lay at our feet, what

appeared to be a cloud in human form, whiter than snow and almost

transparent. My companions asked me what it was. I replied

that I did not know. This happened on two further occasions, but

on different days.

This Apparition made a certain impression upon me, which I

do not know how to explain. Little by little, this impression faded

away, and were it not for the events that followed, I think I would

have forgotten it completely.

The dates I cannot set down with certainty, because, at that

time, I did not know how to reckon the years, the months, or even

the days of the week. But I think it must have been in the spring of

1916 that the Angel appeared to us for the first time in our Loca do

Cabeço.

As I have already written in my account of Jacinta, we climbed

the hillside in search of shelter. After having taken our lunch and

said our prayers, we began to see, some distance off, above the

trees that stretched away towards the east, a light, whiter than snow,

in the form of a young man, transparent, and brighter than crystal

pierced by the rays of the sun. As he drew nearer, we could distinguish

his features more and more clearly. We were surprised, absorbed,

and struck dumb with amazement.

On reaching us, he said:

“Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”

Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead

touched the earth. Led by a supernatural impulse, we did the same,

and repeated the words which we heard him say:

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“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!”

Having repeated these words three times, he rose and said:

“Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the

voice of your supplications.” Then he disappeared.

The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense,

that we were for a long time scarcely aware of our own existence,

remaining in the same posture in which he had left us, and

continually repeating the same prayer. The presence of God made

itself felt so intimately and so intensely that we did not even venture

to speak to one another. Next day, we were still immersed in

this spiritual atmosphere, which only gradually began to disappear.

It did not occur to us to speak about this Apparition, nor did we

think of recommending that it be kept secret. The very Apparition

itself imposed secrecy. It was so intimate, that it was not easy to

speak of it at all. The impression it made upon us was all the greater

perhaps, in that it was the first such manifestation that we had experienced.

The second Apparition must have been at the height of summer,

when the heat of the day was so intense that we had to take

the sheep home before noon and only let them out again in the

early evening.

We went to spend the siesta hours in the shade of the trees

which surrounded the well that I have already mentioned several

times. Suddenly, we saw the same Angel right beside us.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “Pray! Pray very much! The

Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer

prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.”

“How are we to make sacrifices?” I asked.

“Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as

an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in

supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down

peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of

Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission, the suffering

which the Lord will send you.”

These words were indelibly impressed upon our minds. They

were like a light which made us understand who God is, how He

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loves us and desires to be loved, the value of sacrifice, how pleasing

it is to Him and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of

conversion to sinners. It was for this reason that we began, from

then on, to offer to the Lord all that mortified us, without, however,

seeking out other forms of mortification and penance, except that

we remained for hours on end with our foreheads touching the

ground, repeating the prayer the Angel had taught us.

It seems to me that the third Apparition must have been in

October, or towards the end of September, as we were no longer

returning home for siesta.

As I have already written in my account of Jacinta, we went

one day from Pregueira (a small olive grove belonging to my parents)

to the Lapa, making our way along the slope of the hill on the

side facing Aljustrel and Casa Velha. We said our Rosary there

and the prayer the Angel had taught us at the first Apparition.

While we were there, the Angel appeared to us for the third

time, holding a chalice in his hands, with a host above it from which

some drops of blood were falling into the sacred vessel. Leaving

the chalice and the host suspended in the air, the Angel prostrated

on the ground and repeated this prayer three times:

“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.”

Then, rising, he once more took the chalice and the host in his

hands. He gave the host to me, and to Jacinta and Francisco he

gave the contents of the chalice to drink, saying as he did so: “Take

and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by

ungrateful men. Repair their crimes and console your God.” Once

again, he prostrated on the ground and repeated with us three

times more, the same prayer “Most Holy Trinity…”, and then disappeared.

Impelled by the power of the supernatural that enveloped us,

we imitated all that the Angel had done, prostrating ourselves on

the ground as he did and repeating the prayers that he said. The

force of the presence of God was so intense that it absorbed us

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and almost completely annihilated us. It seemed to deprive us even

of the use of our bodily senses for a considerable length of time.

During those days, we performed all our exterior actions as though

guided by that same supernatural being who was impelling us

thereto. The peace and happiness which we felt were great, but

wholly interior, for our souls were completely immersed in God.

The physical exhaustion that came over us was also great

.

2. Lucia’s Silence

 

I do not know why, but the Apparitions of Our Lady produced

in us very different effects. We felt the same intimate joy, the same

peace and happiness, but instead of physical prostration, an expansive

ease of movement; instead of this annihilation in the Divine

Presence, a joyful exultation; instead of the difficulty in speaking,

we felt a certain communicative enthusiasm. Despite these

feelings, however, we felt inspired to be silent, especially concerning

certain things.

Whenever I was interrogated, I experienced an interior inspiration

which directed me how to answer, without either failing in

truth or revealing what should remain hidden for the time being. In

this respect, I still have just this one doubt: “Should I not have said

everything in the canonical enquiry?” But I have no scruples about

having kept silence, because at that time I had as yet no realization

of the importance of this particular interrogation. I regarded it,

at the time, as being just like the many other interrogations to which

I was accustomed. The only thing I thought strange was the order

to take the oath. But as it was my confessor who told me to do so,

and as I was swearing to the truth, I took the oath without any

difficulty. Little did I suspect, at that moment, that the devil would

make the most of this, in order to torment me with endless scruples

later on. But, thank God, all that is over now.

There was yet another reason which confirmed me in my conviction

that I did well to remain silent. In the course of the canonical

enquiry, one of the interrogators, Rev. Dr. Marques dos Santos,

thought he could extend somewhat his questionnaire, and began

therefore to ask more searching questions. Before answering, I

looked enquiringly at my confessor. His Reverence saved me from

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my predicament, and answered on my behalf. He reminded the

interrogator that he was exceeding his rights in this matter.

Almost the same thing happened when I was questioned by

Rev. Dr. Fischer. He had the authorization of Your Excellency and

of Rev. Mother Provincial, and seemed to have the right to question

me on everything. But, thank God, he came accompanied by

my confessor. At a given moment, he put to me a carefully studied

question about the Secret. I felt perplexed, and did not know how

to answer. I glanced towards my confessor; he understood me and

answered for me. The interrogator understood also, and confined

himself to picking up some magazines Iying nearby and holding

them in front of my face. In this way, God was showing me that the

moment appointed by Him had not yet arrived.

I shall now go on to write about the Apparitions of Our Lady. I

shall not delay over the circumstances that preceded or followed them,

since Rev. Dr. Galamba has kindly dispensed me from doing so.

 

3. The 13th of May, 1917

 

High up on the slope in the Cova da Iria, I was playing with

Jacinta and Francisco at building a little stone wall around a clump

of furze. Suddenly we saw what seemed to be a flash of lightning.

“We’d better go home,” I said to my cousins, “that’s lightning;

we may have a thunderstorm.”

“Yes, indeed!” they answered.

We began to go down the slope, hurrying the sheep along

towards the road. We were more or less half-way down the slope,

and almost level with a large holmoak tree that stood there, when

we saw another flash of lightning. We had only gone a few steps

further when, there before us on a small holmoak, we beheld a

Lady all dressed in white. She was more brilliant than the sun, and

radiated a light more clear and intense than a crystal glass filled with

sparkling water, when the rays of the burning sun shine through it.

We stopped, astounded, before the Apparition. We were so

close, just a few feet from her, that we were bathed in the light

which surrounded her, or rather, which radiated from her. Then Our

Lady spoke to us:

“Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm.”

“Where are you from?”

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“I am from Heaven.”

“What do you want of me?”

“I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession,

on the 13th day, at this same hour. Later on, I will tell you

who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here yet a seventh

time.” 11

“Shall I go to Heaven too?”

“Yes, you will”

“And Jacinta?”

“She will go also.”

“And Francisco?”

“He will go there too, but he must say many Rosaries.”

Then I remembered to ask about two girls who had died recently.

They were friends of mine and used to come to my home to

learn weaving with my eldest sister.

“Is Maria das Neves in Heaven?”

“Yes, she is.” (I think she was about 16 years old).

“And Amélia?”

“She will be in purgatory until the end of the world.” 12 (It seems

to me that she was between 18 and 20 years of age).

“Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the

sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins

by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of

sinners?”

“Yes, we are willing.”

“Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of

God will be your comfort.”

As she pronounced these last words “…the grace of God will

be your comfort”, Our Lady opened her hands for the first time,

communicating to us a light so intense that, as it streamed from

her hands, its rays penetrated our hearts and the innermost depths

of our souls, making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light,

more clearly than we see ourselves in the best of mirrors. Then,

moved by an interior impulse that was also communicated to us,

we fell on our knees, repeating in our hearts:

11

”.

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“O most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You

in the most Blessed Sacrament!”

After a few moments, Our Lady spoke again:

“Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the

world, and the end of the war.”

Then she began to rise serenely, going up towards the east,

until she disappeared in the immensity of space. The light that surrounded

her seemed to open up a path before her in the firmament,

and for this reason we sometimes said that we saw heaven

opening.

I think that I have already explained in my account of Jacinta,

or else in a letter, that the fear which we felt was not really fear of

Our Lady, but rather fear of the thunderstorm which we thought

was coming, and it was from this that we sought to escape. The

Apparitions of Our Lady inspired neither fear nor fright, but rather

surprise. When I was asked if I had experienced fear, and I said

that we had, I was referring to the fear we felt when we saw the

flashes of lightning and thought that a thunderstorm was at hand. It

was from this that we wished to escape, as we were used to seeing

lightning only when it thundered. Besides, the flashes of lightning

were not really lightning, but the reflected rays of a light which

was approaching. It was because we saw the light, that we sometimes

said we saw Our Lady coming; but, properly speaking, we

only perceived Our Lady in that light when she was already on the

holmoak tree. The fact that we did not know how to explain this,

and that we wished to avoid questions, caused us to say sometimes

that we saw her coming, and other times that we did not.

When we said we saw her coming, we were referring to the approach

of the light, which after all was herself. And when we said

we did not see her coming, we were referring to the fact that we

really saw Our Lady only when she was on the holmoak.

 

4. The 13th of June, 1917

 

As soon as Jacinta, Francisco and I had finished praying the

Rosary, with a number of other people who were present, we saw

once more the flash reflecting the light which was approaching

(which we called lightning). The next moment, Our Lady was there

on the holmoak, exactly the same as in May.

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“What do you want of me?” I asked.

“ I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray

the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what

I want.”

I asked for the cure of a sick person.

“ lf he is converted, he will be cured during the year.”

“I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.”

“Yes. I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay

here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make

me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to

my Immaculate Heart.” 13

“Am I to stay here alone?” I asked, sadly.

“No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose

heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your

refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands

and for the second time, she communicated to us the rays of that

same immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were,

immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part

of the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was

poured out on the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right

hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood

that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the

sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.

You know now, Your Excellency, what we referred to when we

said that Our Lady had revealed a secret to us in June. At the time,

Our Lady did not tell us to keep it secret, but we felt moved to do so

by God.

 

5. The 13th of July, 1917

 

A few moments after arriving at the Cova da Iria, near the

holmoak, where a large number of people were praying the Rosary,

we saw the flash of light once more, and a moment later Our

Lady appeared on the holmoak.

.”

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“What do you want of me?” I asked.

“ I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to continue

to pray the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the

Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the

war, because only she can help you.”

“ I would like to ask you to tell us who you are, and to work a

miracle so that everybody will believe that you are appearing to us.”

“Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you

who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see

and believe.”

I then made some requests, but I cannot recall now just what

they were. What I do remember is that Our Lady said it was necessary

for such people to pray the Rosary in order to obtain these

graces during the year. And she continued:

“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially

whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love

of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins

committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands

once more, as she had done during the two previous months. The

rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were

a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human

form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished

bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air

by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great

clouds of smoke now falling back on every side like sparks in huge

fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of

pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.

(It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people

say they heard me). The demons could be distinguished by

their terrifying and repellent likeness to frighfful and unknown animals,

black and transparent like burning coals. Terrified and as if to

plead for succour, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us, so

kindly and so sadly:

“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To

save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my

Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be

saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people

do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during

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the pontificate of Pius Xl. When you see a night illumined by an

unknown light 14, know that this is the great sign given you by God

that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war,

famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.

“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of

Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation

on the First Saturdays 15. If my requests are heeded, Russia

will be converted, and there will be peace 16; if not, she will spread

her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of

the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have

much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my

Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate

Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will

be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will

always be preserved; etc… Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco,

yes, you may tell him.

“When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my

Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to

Heaven, especially those who are most in need.”

After this, there was a moment of silence, and then I asked:

“Is there anything more that you want of me?”

“No, I do not want anything more of you today.”

Then, as before Our Lady began to ascend towards the

east, until she finally disappeared in the immense distance of

the firmament.

 

6. The 13th of August, 1917

As I have already said what happened on this day, I will not

delay over it here, but pass on to the Apparition which in my opinion,

took place on the 15th in the afternoon 17. As at that time I did

17

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not yet know how to reckon the days of the month, it could be that I

am mistaken. But I still have an idea that it took place on the very

day that we arrived back from Vila Nova de Ourém.

I was accompanied by Francisco and his brother John. We

were with the sheep in a place called Valinhos, when we felt something

supernatural approaching and enveloping us. Suspecting

that Our Lady was about to appear to us, and feeling sorry lest

Jacinta might miss seeing her, we asked her brother to go and call

her. As he was unwilling to go, I offered him two small coins, and off

he ran.

Meanwhile, Francisco and I saw the flash of light, which we

called lightning. Jacinta arrived, and a moment later, we saw Our

Lady on a holmoak tree.

“What do you want of me?”

“ I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th,

and to continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month, I

will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”

“What do you want done with the money that the people leave

in the Cova da Iria?”

“Have two litters made. One is to be carried by you and Jacinta

and two other girls dressed in white; the other one is to be carried

by Francisco and three other boys. The money from the litters is for

the “festa” of Our Lady of the Rosary, and what is left over will help

towards the construction of a chapel that is to be built here.”

“I would like to ask you to cure some sick persons.”

“Yes, I will cure some of them during the year.”

Then, looking very sad, Our Lady said:

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many

souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves

and to pray for them.”

And She began to ascend as usual towards the east.

 

7.The 13th of September, 1917

 

As the hour approached, I set out with Jacinta and Francisco,

but owing to the crowds around us we could only advance with

difficulty. The roads were packed with people, and everyone wanted

to see us and speak to us. There was no human respect whatsoever.

Simple folk, and even ladies and gentlemen, struggled to break

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through the crowd that pressed around us. No sooner had they

reached us than they threw themselves on their knees before us,

begging us to place their petitions before Our Lady. Others who

could not get close to us shouted from a distance:

“For the love of God, ask Our Lady to cure my son who is a

cripple!” Yet another cried out: “And to cure mine who is blind!… To

cure mine who is deaf!… To bring back my husband, my son, who

has gone to the war!… To convert a sinner!… To give me back my

health as I have tuberculosis!” and so on.

All the afflictions of poor humanity were assembled there. Some

climbed up to the tops of trees and walls to see us go by, and

shouted down to us. Saying yes to some, giving a hand to others

and helping them up from the dusty ground, we managed to move

forward, thanks to some gentlemen who went ahead and opened

a passage for us through the multitude.

Now, when I read in the New Testament about those enchanting

scenes of Our Lord’s passing through Palestine, I think of those

which Our Lord allowed me to witness, while yet a child, on the

poor roads and lanes from Aljustrel to Fatima and on to the Cova

da Iria! I give thanks to God, offering Him the faith of our good

Portuguese people, and I think: “If these people so humbled themselves

before three poor children, just because they were mercifully

granted the grace to speak to the Mother of God, what would

they not do if they saw Our Lord Himself in person before them?”

Well, none of this was called for here! It was a distraction of

my pen, leading me away where I did not mean to go. But, never

mind! It’s just another useless digression. I am not tearing it out, so

as not to spoil the notebook.

At last, we arrived at the Cova da Iria, and on reaching the

holmoak we began to say the Rosary with the people. Shortly afterwards,

we saw the flash of light, and then Our Lady appeared on

the holmoak.

“Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the

war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Dolours

and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child

Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He

does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it

during the daytime.”

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“I was told to ask you many things, the cure of some sick

people, of a deaf-mute…”

“Yes,I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a

miracle so that all may believe.”

Then Our Lady began to rise as usual, and disappeared.

 

8. The 13th of October, 1917

 

We left home quite early, expecting that we would be delayed

along the way. Masses of people thronged the roads. The rain fell

in torrents. My mother, her heart torn with uncertainty as to what

was going to happen, and fearing it would be the last day of my life,

wanted to accompany me.

On the way, the scenes of the previous month, still more numerous

and moving, were repeated. Not even the muddy roads

could prevent these people from kneeling in the most humble and

suppliant of attitudes. We reached the holmoak in the Cova da Iria.

Once there, moved by an interior impulse, I asked the people to

shut their umbrellas and say the Rosary. A little later, we saw the

flash of light, and then Our Lady appeared on the holmoak.

“What do you want of me?”

“ I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honour.

I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary

every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return

to their homes.”

“I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons,

the conversion of sinners, and other things…”

“Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and

ask forgiveness for their sins.”

Looking very sad, Our Lady said:

“Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is

already so much offended.”

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun,

and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to

be projected on the sun itself.

Here, Your Excellency, is the reason why I cried out to the

people to look at the sun. My aim was not to call their attention to

the sun, because I was not even aware of their presence. I was

moved to do so under the guidance of an interiorimpulse.

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After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of

the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our

Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph

and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced

the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition

disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady; it seemed to

me that it was Our Lady of Dolours. Our Lord appeared to bless the

world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition

also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling

Our Lady of Carmel.

 

EPILOGUE

 

Here then, Your Excellency, you have the story of the Apparitions

of Our Lady in the Cova da Iria, in 1917. Whenever and for

whatever motive I had to speak of them, I sought to do so in as few

words as possible, with the desire of keeping to myself alone those

more intimate aspects which were so difficult for me to reveal. But

as they belong to God and not to me, and as He now, through Your

Excellency, requires them of me, here they are. I return what does

not belong to me. To the best of my knowledge, I keep nothing

back. I think I have only omitted some minor details referring to the

petitions which I made. As these were merely material things, I did

not attach such great importance to them, and it is perhaps because

of this that they did not make such a vivid impression on my

mind; and then there were so many of them, so very many! It was

possibly because I was so anxious to remember the innumerable

graces that I had to ask of Our Lady, that I was mistaken when I

understood that the war would end on that very 13th 18.

Not a few people have expressed considerable surprise at the

memory that God has deigned to give me. In this matter indeed I

have, through His infinite goodness, been quite favoured in every

respect. Where supernatural things are concerned, this is not to be

wondered at, for these are imprinted on the mind in such a way

that it is almost impossible to forget them.

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