What Happened at Fatima?

We know what happened at Fatima thanks to Lucia dos Santos. She was one of three children who saw the Blessed Virgin Mary. Lucia spoke with her. Later in life, Lucia wrote an eyewitness account of what happened at Fatima. She was by then a Carmelite nun and she wrote in obedience to her religious superiors. Her vivid eyewitness account is published as Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words.

Our Lady appeared to three children, Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto. The year was 1917. At the time, the children were ten, nine and seven years of age respectively. All three lived in Aljustrel, a village in the parish of Fatima, Portugal. The apparitions took place on a small plot of land belonging to Lucia’s parents called the Cova da Iria, where the children used to graze their sheep.

A message of apocalyptic proportions was entrusted to these little children. The message was directed not only to the people of Fatima, not only to Portugal, but to all mankind!

The reason that Our Lady came to Fatima was to deliver a message to the world. This was delivered during her third apparition on 13 July 1917.
The message is the most important point of the whole Fatima story.

If we take on board Our Lady’s requests there will be peace and many souls will be saved. Our Lady asks us to put aside our sinful lifestyles and turn completely to God.
There will be no peace in the world until mankind converts.
Our Lady asks for prayers and penance for world peace and for the conversion of sinners. Especially she requests we pray the Rosary every day.

On 3 May 1922, the bishop of Leria (Fatima), Jose Carreia da Silva, opened the official investigation into the apparitions, which were declared worthy of belief on 13 May 1930.
The bishop’s pastoral letter states:

Both Jacinta and Francisco passed away shortly after the apparitions, as foretold by Our Lady. Lucia dos Santos joined the Sisters of Saint Dorothy at Tuy, Spain, and later became a Carmelite in Coimbra, Portugal.
In 2005, Sister Lucia died in Coimbra Carmel and in the same year her cause for beatification was officially opened.

The Angel of Portugal, also known as the Angel of Peace appeared to the three Fatima children in the summer of 1916, one year before the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The children were visited three times by the angel.

The beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima whose photo appears throughout our website is the International Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima.
This statue is not only exceptionally expressive but has an exceptional history.