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The Three Secrets at Fatima in 1917 concern the fate of the world, the eternal destiny of all, a dire warning, and a message of hope. The apparition requested the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary.
To three Shepherd children, Lucy, Jacinta and Francesco did the Blessed Virgin Mary appear from May 13, 1917, and culminating with the greatest miracle the world has ever witnessed on October 13, 1917 – The Miracle of the Sun. The apparition gave three secrets to the children from Her six appearances.
The apparition took place in a time of world turmoil during World War I, where millions had lost their lives. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on six occasions and promised to appear a seventh time. Two of the apparitions were very significant. The July 13, 1917 apparition, where the children were shown a frightening vision of Hell and the three secrets revealed, in which the third would remain hidden for decades, and for many still hidden.
The final apparition on October 13, 1917, would be an event that was witnessed by over 70,000 plus, including the Freemasonic secular newspaper. The Miracle of the Sun is the greatest miracle since the Resurrection.
Where is Fatima, Portugal?
Fatima is in the center of Portugal. The fame of the city came about following the apparitions in 1917.
Fatima is named after a Moorish Princess who converted to the Catholic faith around the 12th Century.
(NB: All the accounts of the events of Fatima in 1916-1917 are taken from the Memoirs of Sister Lucia)
Who is the ‘Angel of Peace’?
Prior to the events of 1917, May 13 till October 13, the three children, Lucy, Francesco and Jacinta were visited on 3 occasions by an Angel in 1916, as a preparation for what was about to take place.
The apparitions are recalled in this way:
The first apparition of the angel took place in 1916:
The angel, appeared as a young man aged about 14 or 15 years of age, recalls Sister Lucia. The angel approached the children, saying:
‘Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.’
The angel repeated the following words and reminded the children that Jesus and Mary were attentive to their requests and pray always:
‘O my God, I believe, I adore you, I hope, and I love you. I beg pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.’
In the second apparition, the angel appeared in the summer of 1916, near to Lucia’s home, by the well where the children were playing.
“Pray! Pray a lot! The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary want to show mercy through you. Offer prayers and mortification constantly to the Most High.”
The angel this time requested prayers, mortification through sacrifice, acceptance of suffering through humility and identified Himself as the Guardian Angel of Portugal.
The third and final apparition of the angel took place in the early autumn of 1916.
After reciting the prayer the Angel taught them, they saw the angel holding a chalice in his left hand.
He held a Host in his right hand, from which flowed drops of blood into the chalice. Leaving the chalice and Host suspended in the air, the angel knelt beside us and said the following prayer three times:
‘Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we worship Thee profoundly and offer Thee 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 negligence with which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.’
Then rising, he took the Chalice and Host in his hands. He gave the Host to me, and he gave the contents of the chalice to Jacinta and Francisco to drink, while saying:
‘Receive the Body and drink the Blood of Jesus Christ who is terribly insulted by ungrateful men. Make reparation for the crimes of your people, and comfort your God.’
He then repeated the prayer ‘Most Holy Trinity, etc’ three times and then disappeared. These Angel apparitions were a preparation of what was to come.
What are the apparitions of Fatima?
First Apparition May 13, 1917:
The First apparition of Our Lady occurred one Sunday 13 May 1917 whilst the children Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta were looking after their flock on Lucia land called the Cova da Iria.
Whilst they were playing, a bright shaft of light pierced the air.
They described it like as a flash of lightning which approached little by little.
This frightened the children as the sun was beaming down and there was no cloud. They began the descent home to run for safety, as they started, they saw standing over the foliage of a small holmoak,
“Alady dressed all in white, more brilliant then the sun, shedding rays of light, clear and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water, pierced by the burning rays of the sun”.
The lady spoke to them and said:
“Fear not! I will not harm you.“
“Where are you from?” the children asked.
“I am from heaven” the beautiful lady replied, gently raising her hand towards the distant horizon.
“What do you want of me?”, Lucia asked.
“I came to ask you to come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day, at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I want. And I shall return here again a seventh time.”
Lucia said : “Do you come from heaven…and will I go to heaven ?”
” Yes, you’ll go“.
“And Jacinta?” “As well” ” And Francisco?”
“Him too , but he will have to say many rosaries“.
In the end Our Lady asked : “Do you wish to offer yourselves to God, to endure all the suffering that He may please to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and to ask for the conversion of sinners?“
“Yes, we do.” said the children.
“You will have to suffer a lot, but the grace of God will be your comfort. “
Then she opened her hands with a loving gesture of a mother who offers her heart. From it an intense light departed that seemed to go through them. The vision vanished telling them :
“Recite the rosary every day to obtain the peace for the world and the end of the war.” And She disappeared.
Second Apparition June 13, 1917
During the apparition, the Lady requested the children to come here next month on the 13th and to pray the Rosary every day and that Lucia learn to read.
Third Apparition July 13, 1917
The Third apparition on July 13 1917 was the most terrifying to the children and to the entire world.
On July 13, 1917, upon reciting the rosary with the crowd, we saw the usual reflex of light and then the Lady.
Lucy asked: “What do you want from me?“
She answered: “That you come the 13th of the next month, that you continue to recite the Rosary every day to our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world and the end of the war, because only She will be able to aid you.”
Lucy said, ” I want to ask you to tell us who you are, and to make a miracle for the crowd to believe that you appear.”
She Answered: “You continue to come here. In October I will tell you who I am, that which I want, and I will do a miracle that all can see and believe. Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say often this prayer, especially during any sacrifice: “O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”.
As she spoke these words, Our Lady stretched out her hands, and bright rays came forth which seemed to penetrate into the earth. All at once the ground vanished, and the children saw Hell, frightened they lifted their eyes to the Lady who told them:
“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 the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light*, 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. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; 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 shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. “Do you want to learn a prayer?” the vision asked,
“Yes we do!” the children responded.
“When you recite the Rosary, say at the end of each decade:
Oh, My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.“
Note here that the ideologies of socialism and communism through the “Communist Manifesto” Karl Marx and Friederich Engels in 1884, were on the horizon, it wasn’t till the Bolsheviks seized power through the October Revolution.
The Russian Tzar and his entire family was assassinated on the night of 16-17 July 1918. What followed under Lenin (1917-22) and Stalin (1922-1953) was a dictatorship that killed millions of people
These events were unbeknown to the three children in 1917 but known by the Mother of God.
Fourth Apparition August 19, 1917
The fourth apparition occurred on the August 19. The children were unable to attend on the usual 13th day of each month as they were detained by the authorities for questioning.
The Lady continued to request their attendance and to pray every day.
Fifth Apparition September 13, 1917
At the fifth apparition the Lady spoke the following:
“I Want you to come here on October 13 and that you continue to recite the Rosary to obtain the end of the war. In October the Lord, the sorrowful Lady, the Lady of Mt. Carmel, and St Joseph with the child Jesus, will also come to bless the world. God is glad of your sacrifices, He does not want you to sleep with the chord to the sides, use it only during the day.“
Sixth Apparition October 13, 1917
The sixth apparition occurred on October 13, 1917.
The crowds had gradually increased but for this expected apparition some 70,000 people and interested secular media were present.
The day had been proceeded with torrential rain and the people had hoisted their umbrellas, the ground was muddy, and the people soaked from the rain.
The Lady appeared as usual and revealed Herself by stating:
“I am the Lady of the Rosary, I desire here a chapel in my honor to be built, that people continue to recite the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.”
Then Lucy asked: “may I ask you for cures and conversions, will you grant them?”.
“Some yes, others no. It is necessary that they ask pardon for their sins, that they don’t offend God our Lord,and that he is already too much offended.”
“Do you Want anything else from me?” Lucy asked.
“I do not want anything more.“
The Lady opened Her hands and a ray of light was thrown in the direction of the sun.
Lucy shouted “Look at the sun”
The rain stopped suddenly and there appeared a bright sun but not dazzling.
The sun began to turn on its’ axis.
Suddenly it began to project towards the people, who were terrorised and began to shout, “it’s the end of the world”.
Whilst this was happening the children saw a Lady dressed like the white of the sun with a blue cope, St. Joseph with the Child Jesus that blessed the world.
The Lord bless the world, standing next to Our Lady of Sorrows.
The Lady of Mt Carmel completed the miracle. The people, their clothes and the surrounding ground were completely dried.
What happened to the children of Fatima?
True to the Lady of Rosary’s word, Francesco died on 4 April 1919 and Jacinta on 20 February 1920.
Jacinta made a stunning revelation before her death.
Jacinta revealed some of the statements Our Lady made to Her during the apparitions:
“More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason. Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much.
Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God.
Priests must be pure, very pure. They should not busy themselves with anything except what concerns the Church and souls. The disobedience of priests to their superiors and to the Holy Father is very displeasing to Our Lord.
The Blessed Mother can no longer restrain the hand of her Divine Son from striking the world with just punishment for its many crimes.
Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
The eldest of the children, Lucia entered the Convent of the Sisters of St Dorothy to learn to read and write; then she entered in the convent of Coimbra where she would live the rest of her life until her death on 12 February 2005.
Whilst in her convent, Sister Lucia received several visions and messages, these are stated below:
On December 10, 1925, sister Lucia received an apparition by the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary in her convent cell. The Holy Virgin showed Her Heart surrounded by thorns, Our Lady said to her:
“See, My daughter, My heart surrounded by thorns which ungrateful men pierce at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude… Say to all those who:
- for five months, on the first Saturday, confess,
- receive Holy Communion,
- recite the Rosary
- and keep Me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, in a spirit of reparation, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls.”
As Our Lady said at the apparition of 13 July 1917,
“I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia”.
She did this on 13 June 1929, when She appeared to Lucy in the Chapel of Dorotheas, in the town of Tuy.
Our Lady said:
“The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.”
On the 100th Anniversary of the first apparition on 13 May 2017, Pope Francis declared the sanctity of both Francesco and Jacinta. St Jacinta and St Francesco, pray for us.
What are the Three Secrets of Fatima?
The greatest controversy in regard to the messages of Fatima, have been the secrets given to the children.
We have already learned above of the first two –
- The Vision of Hell.
- The end of World War 1 and commencement of a new war should the requests not be heeded to. The sign in the sky, under the Pontificate of Pius XI and World War II.
- The third secret was written down in the following manner by the order of His Excellency the Bishop of Leiria, Bishop Silva and the Most Holy Mother on 3 January 1944.
In June 1944, the sealed the envelope containing the third secret and was delivered to Bishop Silva, where it stayed until 1957, when it was delivered to Rome.
It was announced on 13 May 2000, 83 years after the first apparition of the Lady to the children in the Cova da Iria, that the third secret would finally be released.
Below is the text of the Third Secret as revealed by the Vatican on 26 June 2000:
J.M.J.
The third part of the secret revealed at the Cova da Iria-Fatima, on 13 July 1917.
I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine.
After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’.
And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father’. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions.
Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.”
It is the opinion of the author that the interpretation handed by the Vatican of the above Third Secret is not the authentic message handed to the Bishop by Sister Lucia.
Many experts in the area are of the opinion that the interpretation provided in 2000 are not the exact words of the Lady of the Rosary.
Further,
From Sister Lucia’s Fourth Memoir, the second secret ends with “In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved etc etc….” The next word begins the third secret.
Secondly, Author Antonio Socci’s boo, ‘The Fourth Secret of Fatima’ provides comprehensive research on why the authentic Third Secret remains hidden.
Thirdly, it is believed that when Saint Pope John XXIII read the third secret he stated, “not under my pontificate’.
Fourthly, Pope Benedict XVI has stated that the Third Secret can be found in the Book of the Apocalypse (Revelation),
Fifthly, those that have seen the Third Secret envelope have stated the number of lines, when held to the light, are around 11.
Finally, Francesco was not privileged with hearing the words of the Lady of the Rosary. Francesco was able to see Our Lady but not hear Her. Lucia and Jacinat were given permission to tell Francesco. Therefore the very words that came from the lips of the Holy Mother of God are not the words revealed in 2000.
Was the Consecration of Russia done?
Sr. Lucy reported that the Virgin of Fatima appeared to her again on June 13, 1929, and said:
“This is the moment when God asks
1. the Holy Father to make,
2. in union with all the bishops of the world,
3. the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart.
He promises to save it by that means. So many are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.”
Popes Pius XII (1942), John Paul II (1984) and Francis (2013) consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart, with Pius XII also specifically consecrating “the peoples of Russia” in 1952.
However, all consecrations did not meet the requirements asked for and are invalid. Whilst the world receives Graces from these consecrations, they do not satisfy the Heavenly request.
This, like the Third Secret are still outstanding and in direct disobedience to Our Lady and Our Lord and the warning of 1931 is dire to Our Lord’s ministers:
In the wake of Pope Pius XI’s indecision to fulfill the requests of Heaven, and his diplomatic policy of “Opening to the East,” Our Lord made known to Sister Lucia the following in August 1931 in Rianjo:
Make it known to My ministers, that given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My request, that they will follow him into misfortune. Like the King of France, they will repent and will do as I have requested, but it will be very late: Russia will already have spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions against the Church. The Holy Father will have much to suffer! But it will never be too late to have recourse to Jesus and Mary.”
If you know what eventuated with the King of France during the French Revolution for his ancestors who had failed to Consecrate France to the Sacred Heart, then take heed of this warning.
Pray the Rosary every day and offer penance, fasting, and sacrifice, and practice devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Five Fist Saturdays in reparation for all the sins committed.
Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us.
Saints Francesco and Jacinta, Pray for Us.
