At the time of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lucia de Jesus, Francisco and Jacinta Marto were ten, nine and seven years. All three lived in Aljustrel, the site belonging to the parish of Fatima. The revelations took place in a small plot of land belonging to Lucia's parents, called the Cova da Iria, and located two and a half kilometers from Fatima on the way to Leiria. Our Lady appeared to them on the vine called ilex, which is a dwarf variety of oak, measuring just over a meter high.
Francisco saw Mary, but did not hear her. Jacinta saw and heard her. Lucia on the other hand, could see hear and talk with her. The apparitions took place around noon.
The first revelation: May 13, 1917
The three children were playing at Cova da Iria when they saw two flashes like lightning. Then they saw the Virgin Mary above the holm oak. She was, as described Saint Lucia:
A Lady dressed in white, more brilliant than the the sun, radiating light, cleaner and more intense than that of a crystal cup filled with crystalline water, and struck by the rays of the most brilliant sun. Her face, indescribably beautiful, was neither sad nor joyful, but serious, with an air of gentle reproach. Her hands, joined as if she were praying, were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand. Her clothes seemed to be all woven of light. Her tunic was white. The veil, white and edged with gold, covered the head of the Virgin and descended to her feet.
The visionaries were so close to the Mother of God - a distance of about five feet - that they were in the glow that surrounded her. Their conversation follows:
MOTHER OF GOD: Do not be afraid, I will not do you no harm.
LUCIA: Where is Your Grace from?
MOTHER OF GOD: I'm from the sky (and lofty hand pointing to the sky).
LUCIA: And what do you want from me?
MOTHER OF GOD: I've come to ask you, to come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day of the month, at the same time. Then I will tell you who I am and what I want. Then I will come back here a seventh time.
LUCIA: And will I also go to heaven?
MOTHER OF GOD: Yes, you will.
LUCIA: And Jacinta?
MOTHER OF GOD: Also.
LUCIA: A Francis?
MOTHER OF GOD: Also, but he must say many rosaries.
LUCIA: Is Maria das Neves already in heaven?
MOTHER OF GOD: Yes, she is.
LUCIA: And Amelia?
MOTHER OF GOD: She will be in purgatory until the end of the world. Do you want to offer yourselves to God, to endure all the sufferings which He may will to send you, as both a reparation for sins with which He is offended, and an act of supplication for the conversion of sinners?
LUCIA: Yes, we do.
MOTHER OF GOD: Well then, you will have much to suffer. But the grace of God will be your comfort.
It was upon saying these last words - 'the grace of God...' - that for the first time she opened her hands, which emitted a very intense light, that penetrated our breasts, reaching the innermost part of our souls and making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more clearly than in the best of the mirrors. Then driven by a deep inspiration, we knelt down and recited from the depths of our souls: 'O Most Holy Trinity, I love Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Blessed Sacrament!
A moment later, Our Lady added:
Pray the rosary every day, for peace in the world peace and end the war.
Then began to float calmly in an easterly direction until it disappeared into the infinite distance. The light that surrounded her, as if torowalo her way in the thick of the stars.
The second revelation: June 13, 1917
The second revelation was preceded by great brilliant glow, which they called the "lightning", but was rather a reflection of the approaching light. Some of the approximately fifty observers who came to the place, noticed that the sun, at the beginning of the revelation, for a few minutes lost its luster. Others remembered that the tip of a tree, covered with foliage, seemed to sag, as if under some weight a moment before Lucy began to speak. During the Blessed Virgin Mary's conversations with the seers, some people heard a whisper, like buzzing bees.
LUCIA: What does Your Grace wish of me?
MOTHER OF GOD: I want you to come here on the thirteeth day of next month, to pray the Rosary every day and to learn to read. Then I shall say later what I want.
[Lucia then asked Our Lady to cure a patient.]
MOTHER OF GOD: If he converts he will be cured within a year.
LUCIA: I would like to ask you to take us to heaven.
MOTHER OF GOD: Yes, I shall take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you'll be here for some time. He wishes to use you, so that people may better know me and love me. He wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and these souls will be so precious to God, like flowers, which decorate His throne.
LUCIA: Will I be here alone?
MOTHER OF GOD: No, my daughter. Does that make you suffer much? Do not lose courage, I will not leave you, never. My Immaculate Heart shall be your refuge and the path which leads you to God.
At the time when she spoke these last words her hands parted for the second time and gave us a tremendous reflection of that intense light.
When the vision ceased, the Lady, all the time wrapped in and radiating light, rose slightly, without the slightest effort, over the green oak and disappeared in an easterly direction.
Several people who were closer noticed that the leaves appearing at the top of a bush, bowed in the same direction, as if being drawn by the Lady's clothes. The bush remained in this position after several hours, before returning to its natural position.
