, MCl"'~ i I JoaD ole. - H~elf ot<1rlV'lsr .. , MOTHER .,4;Du oa-QS OF CHRIST CRUSADE Free ... Not to be sold Nihil Ostat: FRANCIS J. MALONEY, S. T. L, Censor Libror'Um ImprWtatur: ~ JAMES E. CASSIDY, Bishop of Fall River August 11, 1947 Fall River, Mass. BY JOHN DE MARCtIl. I. M. c. DECLARATION In conformity with the decree of Pope Urban VIII, we do not wish to anticipate the judgment of the Church in our appraisal of the characters and occurrences spoken of herein. We submit wholeheartedly to the infallible wisdom and judgment of Holy Mother Church. What has happened in Portugal, pro- claims the miracle. It is the presage of what the Immaculate Heart has prepm'cd for the wOTld. His Eminence, THE CARDINAL PATRIARCH OF LISBON d CD , Q, . The house of Artur dos Santos, Administrator of the Municipality of Oure'm , where the children were brought after their kidnapping on August 13, 1917. Contents I. The Angel II. The Children of Fatima III. First Apparition IV . Second Apparition V. Third Apparition VI. Sacrifices and Sufferings VII. Fourth Apparition VIII. Fifth Apparition IX. Sixth Apparition X. Sfxth Apparit~on (continued) XI. Francisco Leads the Way XII. Jacinta's Death XIII. The Chapel at the Cova da !ria XIV . Lucia's Mission A TRUE STORY as it happened. It is taken directly from Lucia's Memoirs and checked by her in person . She still lives today and is now a nun, Sister Maria Lucia of the Immaculate Heart. I. The Angel :FATIMA is a village in the very center of Portu- gal, about 70 miles north of .Lisbon. It con- sists of numerous little hamlets hidden away in the elevation known as Serra de Aire. One such hamlet is known as Aljustrel; and it · is here, and more especially in the surrounding rocky pasture1ands, that our story is centered. On a day unnamed in any of the records, in the year 1915, four little girls had been playing in the fields. Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, a child -of eight, was among them. When the sun told them that it was mid-day, they sat down to their lunch, and having finished, began the Rosary as was their custom even at that tender age. Durihg the recitation all of them noticed ,the sudden appearance of a cloud in form like ' that of a man, hovering above the foliage of the valley. «Like a cloud, whiter than snow, slightly transparent, with a human outline,» was Lu- cia's description. The little girls were suprised and filled with wonderment. They could not understand it. They were surprised even more, when the strange white figure appeared twice again to them. He was not paying now merely a passing visit, for he left an inexplicable impression on their minds. Although the impression remain- ed with them for a long while, it diminished with time. Perhaps, but for the events that followed, it would have been completely for- gotten. A year passed. Lucia as usual was out in the fields with the sheep. This time, her little cous- ins, Jacinta and Francisco were her compan- ions and playmates. ' . « We had gone with the sheep to the section .of my father's land that lies at the foot of the Cabe~o,» 1 Lucia recalled, giving us . from memory the exact details. «It is called ··the Casa Velha. About mid-moniing, a drizzle began to fall. Seeking shelter, we climb led the slope, followed by our sheep. It was then that we first entered the Cave that was to become so sacred. I t lies in the middle of one of my god-father's olive orchards and from .it can be seen the little village where I was born, my father's house and the hamlets of Casa Velha and Eira da Pedra. The olive orchards extend for long distances, until they seem to become one with these small hamlets. «The rain stopped,» Lucia went on, «and the sun shone brightly, but we spent , the day in the cave. We had our lunch and after the Rosary we started to play jacks. «We played only a short while, when a strong wind shook the trees, and made us raise our eyes to see what was happening, for the day was serene. There above the trees toward the East, we began to see a light, whiter than The Head, a rocky elevation some 60 feet high . The three Fatima children, left to right, Lucia Santos and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto snow. It was the form of a young man, trans- parent, more brilliant than a crystal pierced by the rays of the sun. ;.» Lucia tried to des~ cribe each detail of his appearance. «As he ap- proached, we began to distinguish his features. We were so surprised and half absorbed, and we could not utter one word. He came near us and said: «'Fear not! 1 am the Angel of . Peace. Pray with me!'» The Angel knelt on the ground and bowed very low. · By some inspiration, they imitated him and repeated the words they heard him pronounce: «My God, 1 believe, 1 adore, 1 hope, and 1 love You. 1 beg pardon of You for tho~e who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.» He repeated this prayer three times. Then he arose and said: «Pray this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplicati<:ms.» " The Angel disappeared and the awareness of the supernatural was so intense that for a long space of time they remained there in the same position in which' he left them, unaware of their very existence, repeating that same prayer over and over again. « We felt the presence of God so intensely, so intimately', that we dared not speak even to each other. The next day we felt ourselves still enveloped by that atmosphere. Only very grad- ually did its intensity diminish within us. None of us thought of speaking of this apparition or of recommending that it be kept a secret. ' It imposed secrecy of itself. It was so intimate that it was not easy to utter even a single word about it. Perhaps it made a deeper im- pression upon us because it was the Angel's. first clear manifestation.» Children being children, the &pell did wear off and it was not long before they went back to their daily round of playing, singing and dancing. One notable effect remained, however, which seemed to fit in with the events that fol- lowed. The three little cousins were content to spend all their time together. When the summer months came, bringing with them the scorching heat of the sun, the children were awakened each dawn to take their sheep out to the fields while the grass was still covered with the morning's dew. When the heat burned off the dew, and the sheep's hunger was dulled, the children led them back again to the barn to stay there until evening when they would again be led out to· the fields. Meanwhile, the three cousins spent their days playing their games under the invit- ing shade of the fig trees. When they were tired, they relaxed at the well, under the lacy foliage of the olive and almond trees. It was while resting there, during one early afternoon,. that the Angel visited them again. Lucia tell& us what happened: «What are you doing?» The Angel sud- denly appeared at their side. ,--- «Pray! Pray a great deal! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for yau! Offer unceasingly to the Most High prayers and sacrifices!» «But how are we to sacrifice ourselves?» Lucia said. «Offer up everything within your po-wer as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of rep- aration for the sins by which He is of- fended; and of supplicatwn for the con- version of sinners. Thus inv.oke peace upon our country. 1 am her Guardian An- gel; the Angel of Portugal. Above all, ac- cept and bear with submission the suf- ferings that the Lord may send you.» Only Lucia and Jacinta heard the Angel's words. Francisco only saw the Angel and knew that he was speaking to the girls. Burning with curiosity, he wanted to learn what was said. «Jacinta, tell me what the Angel said!» «I will tell you tomorrow, Francisco. 1 am not able to speak now.» The little girl was so overwhelmed, she lacked the strength to talk. The next day as soon as he got up Francisco asked Jacinta, «Could you sleep last night? 1 was, thinking of the Angel all night long trying to guess what he said to you.» Lucia told him all the Angel said. The little lad could not grasp the meaning of the words of the Angel and kept interrupting, «What is the Most High? What does he mean, 'The hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive t6 the voice of your supplications?'» .!:; «When he learned the answers, he became thoughtful,» Lucia relates, «and then again started asking other questions. But my spirit was I:)ot yet entirely free. 1 told him to wait for the next day. «Satisfied, he waited for a while, but he did not miss the. first opportunity to ask new ques- tions. It madeJ acinta raise her voice, saying, 'Take care! We must not speak much about these matters.'» «Every time we spoke of the Angel,» says Lucia, «I did not know what came over us. Jacinta used to say, 'I don't know what hap- pens to me, but 1 cannot speak, play or sing; I don't have the strength for the smallest thing, and Francisco would remark, Neither can I. What does it matter? The Angel is more im- portant. Let us think about him.'» In later years, Lucia revealed: «Tlhe words of the Angel were like a light that made us realize who God was, how He loved us and wanted to be loved; the value of sa~ifice, to what degree it pleased Him, and how it was rewarded with the conversion of sinners. From that moment, we began to offer to the Lord everything that mortified us, witho,ut trying to find any other ways of mortification or penance than passing hour after hour, bow- ed to the ground, repeating the prayer that the Angel had taught us.» Autumn drew near. The children set out with the sheep to the hills for the whole day. They were due for another surprise visit. «We wandered from Pregueira to Lapa, go- ing around the hill by the side of Aljustrel and Casa Velha,» Lucia continued her report. «We said the Rosary there and the prayer that the Angel had taught us in the first apparition. Then the Angel appeared to us for the third time. He was holding a chalice in his hand. A Host was over it, from which fell some drops of Blood into the chalice. Leaving the chalice and Host suspended in mid-air, he pro~trated himself on the ground, repeating this prayer three times ~ «'Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoot, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body? Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for ' the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He Himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immacu- late Heart of Mary, I beg of You the con- version of poor sinners.' » The Angel then arose, and holding the chal- ice and the Host again, he gave the Host to Lucia, and the contents of the chalice to J a- cinta and Francisco, while he said: «Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jeatts Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God. » He prostrated himself again on th~ ground and again repeated with the children there times the prayer: «Most Holy Trinity . . . » Then he disappeared. The full meaning of this vision unfolded slowly and astonishingly to their young minds. Their whole being became absorbed by a new. IItrange, yet happy feeling of the inward pre- sence of God. They kept silence for some time. Francisco was the first to break it. He had not heard the Angel speak and was anxious to learn everything. «Lucia,» he said, «I know that the Angel gave you Holy Communion. But what did he give to me and Jacinta?» «The same; it was Holy Communion,» J a- cinta replied at once, overflowing with joy, «did you not see that if was the Blood that dropped from the Host?» «I felt that God was within me,» he agreed, «but 1 did not know how.» The three of them remained kneeling on the ground for a long while, repeating over and over again the inspired, heart-stirring prayer of the Angel. II. The Children of Fatima THE ELDEST of the three children to whom Our Lady was to appear at Fatima was Lucia de Jesus dos Santos. Born on March 22, 1907; she was the youngest of the sev,en children of outside and inside of home where the children were born. Francisco and Jacinta. Home where Lucy was born. Senhor Antonio dos Santos and his wife, Ma- ria Rosa. They lived in the hamlet of Aljustrei which is situated as an oasis among the rocky hills of Aire, forming a part of the village of Fatima. Senh<.:>r Santos was a farmer whose . small holdings were scattered about the hills of the vicinity. Lucia was always healthy and strong. Al- though her features, a rather flat nose and a heavy mouth, suggested a frown, her sweet disposition and keen mind were reflected in a pair of dark, beautiful eyes which glistened under their heavy lids, making her most attrac- tive. She was particularly affectionate toward children and very early began to prove her- self a help to mothers in minding their young . ones. She was singularly gifted in holding the attention of the other children by her . affection and resourcefulness. She is remembered also as being fon (Memailrs .of L1M;ia) . • The reaT wlrlch we e~erienced did not prG- perly have to do wiith _ the Blessed Vi-I1g1n but rather with the storm which we ·believed 1m- first at each other, then at the sky which was clear and bright without ' the least spot of a cloud. No breeze stirred the air, the sun was shining strong. Such perfect weather belied this flash of lightning, the forerunner of a storm. The children decided that they had bet- ter start for home before it rained. Quickly they gathered the sheep and started down the hill. Half way down, just as they were passing a tall oak tree, another shaft of light split the air. Panicky with fear, and as if led by some unknown power, they took a few steps, turned towards the right, and there, standing over the foliage of a small holmoak 4 they saw a most beautiful lady. «It was a lady In:ssed all in white,» Lucia records, «more brilliant than tht: sun, sh~Jding rays of light, clear and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most , sparkling water, pierced by the burning rays of the sun.» minent and which we wished to -escape. The ~­ parition of Our Lady [nspi:red ;neither fear nor dread but only suiprlse.» (Mem<>irs of Lt'iciaJ. • Two kinds of oak ,grown in Portugal, the a.'>:inheira and the carrasqueira. The azinheira is the Q'UIe1'CU8 ilex, famous in dassical liJterature. Lt is . one of the 'most ornamootal oaks, cOlll!pact and I'egular in f=, beautiful in its glossy fo- liage the year round. Its acorns form OIlJe of the edible, sorts in Europe. The earrasqueira is the Quercus coccifer.a. It is a smalle¥eI1green about thI1ee f,eet hign, with glossy and shar) foliage, and does not -give acorns. It was over a carras- queira that Our Lady a,ppeared at Fatima. «Fear not!» the Lady said, «1 will not harm you.» «Where are you from?» Lucia made bold to ask. «1 am from H eaven7» the beautiful Lady, replied, gently raising her hand towards the distant horizons . «What do you want of me?» Lucia humbly asked. «1 came to ask you to come here for six consecutive months7 on the thirteenth daY7 at this same hour. 1 will tell you la- ter who 1 am and what 1 want. And 1 shall return here again a seventh time.» «And I, am I, too, going . to go to Heaven?» Lucia asked. «Yes7 you shall,» the Lady assured her. «And Jacinta?» «Yes.» «And Francisco?» «He 'too shall g07 but he must say many Rosaries,» the Lady responded. We who see things with worldly eyes are impressed only with serious faults; we forget that before God, the slightest fault is a serious matter. Though Francisco, like Lucia and Ja- cinta, was immersed in the glorious light of the splendor that shone from the Lady, he was not seeing the Lady. Neither could he hear the Lady's voice, though he could hear Lucia talking. «I don 't see anything, Lucia! Throw a stone at it to see if it is real!» Francisco suggested . Throw a stone at the Lady? Never! Instead, Lucia inquired of her, «So you are Our Lady and Francisco can't see you?» «Let him say the Rosary!» the -Lady an- swered, «and in that way he too will see me.» Lucia passed on the conunand. :Francisco quickly took his Rosary from his pocket to do as the Lady said. Before he finished the first decade, the Lady became visible to him with almost blinding splendor. Meanwhile" Jacinta, 'solicitous for ' the Lady who had come so far, ·said, «Lucia! Ask the Lady if she is hungry. We still have some bread and cheese.» Francisco, however, had other things on' his mind. He' was worried abbut the sheep. They had run down the hill and were ii:l',a neighbor's garden. It was planted with beans, potatoes I and other vegetables and Prancisco thought the sheep would eat the vegetables and destroy the garden. He realized the. seridus punishment he would get from his father. if the sheep dam- aged other people's 'property. «Lucia,» he cried out, «I am going over there to chase the ' sheep. They are at the peas.» «Look here! It is not necessary! The Lady s~ys that they will not eat.them!» «What do you mean - the sheep won't eat chickpeas? » «Never mind, Francisco! The Lady knows.» At these words, Francisco relaxed. He trusted the Lady. Lucia asked some more questions of the Lady. Two girls who used to come to her house to learn sewing from her sisters had recently died. Lucia wanted to find out about them, too. . «And Maria do Rosario, daughter of Jose das Neves, is she in Heaven?» «Yes,» the Lady replied. «And Amelia?» «She is still if!. Purgatory.» Lucia's eyes filled with tears. How sad, that her friend Amelia was suffering in the fires of Purgatory. Then the Lady said to the children: «Do you want to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may choose to send you, as an act of re- paration for the sins by which He is o/.- fended and as a supplication for the con- version of sinners 'I» Promptly Lucia responded for all three, «Yes, we want to.» «Then you are 'going to suffer a great deal,» the Lady promised, «but the grace .of God will- be your com fort.» As she pronounced these words, the Lady opened her hands and shed upon the children . a highly intense Ught, that was as a reflex glancing from them. «This light penetrated us to the heart,» Lucia reported, «and its very recesses, and allowed us to see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more c1arly than we see ourselves in a mirror. Then we were moved by an inward impulse, also communi- Photo shown is that of the countryside near Fatima. It looks exactly as it was in 1917. cated to us, to fall on our knees, whille we repeated to ourselves: «'Most Holy Trjnity, I adore You! My God, My God, I Love You in the Most Blessed Sacrament,'» Again the Lady spoke to them, «8aythe Rosary every dn;y to earn peace for , the world and the end 0./ the war.» «She began then to elevate herself serenely,» Lucia said, «going in the dir,ection of the East until she disappeared in ' the immensity of space, still surrounded by a most brilliant light that seemed to open a path for her through the myriad galaxies of stars.» ' The children stood riveted to the spot for some time, their eyes fastened on the skies where they last saw the Lady. Gradually they returned to themselves, and looking around for the sheep, they found them grazing upon the sparse grasS under the shade of the holmoaks. They noticed that the vegetables in the garden were not even touched. They were ever so happy, and grateful to the Lady for her caring for the sheep, and thereby sparing them pun- ishment at home; but their joy was supreme and beyond all description for having seen the exquisitely beautiful Mother of God. She was so wonderful, so lovely! They felt the same joy now as when the Angel visited them" only when the Angel came, they felt a sort of an- nihilation before 'his presence; whereas, with Our Lady, they received strength and courage. «Instead of bodily exhaustion, we felt a certain physical strength,» Lucia described her reac- tion. «In place of annihilation before the Di- vine Presence, we felt exultation and joy; in place of difficulty in speaking we felt a certain communicative enthusiasm.» The children spent the rest of the afternoon in the fields, living over and over again the short visit of Our Lady. They were so supre- mely happy, though mixed with deep concern. Our Lady seemed unhappy over something and they tried to fathom the meaning of her every word. Meanwhile, Francisco pressed the girls with questions to learn everything she had said. They told him everything. When they told him that Our Lady promised ' that he would go to Heaven, bursting with joy, he folded his handes in front of his breast and exclaimed aloud, «0 My Lady, I will say all the Rosaries you want .'» Lucia thought it best for . them to keep the vision secret. She was old enough to realize how incredulous people are about such things, and more,. she had had previous and bitter ex- perience when the girls who first saw the An- gel spread the news through the neighborhood. Francisco and Jacinta both agreed to Lucia's suggestion . . Lucia. however, doubted Jacinta'S ability to keep it secret, for the little girl's face shone with joy and she would say every so often, «Ai que Senhora tiio bonita! Oh, such a beautiful Lady!» «I just . know you' are going to tell it to everyone,» Lucia warned Jacinta. «Honest, I will not tell anyone,» Jacinta as- sured her. «You won't breathe a word, even to your mother?» «I 'Won't tell anyone.» «We'll keep it a secret,» they all agreed. But how could little Jacinta keep it a secret, when she had seen such a beautiful Lady. When Lucia reached home,she said not a word to anyone about the Heavenly Visitor. After supper and prayers, she listened to the reading from the , New Testament and went right to bed. How different were things in her cousin's home! The Martos had. gone to mar- ket that day to buy a pig. They were not home when FrancIsco and Jacinta returned from the fields. Francisco, meanwhile, busied himself in the yard but Jacinta waited at the door for her parent's arrival. She had already forgotten Lucia's solemn warning, «Not a word, even to your mother.» Jacinta never kept any secrets from her mother, and today, when the greatest thing on earth had happened, h9W could · she keep if from her mother? Finally, her mother and father came in sight, her mother walking ahead, the father guiding the little animal. «The child ran to me,» her mother described the scene, «and took hold ~f me as she had never before done. 'Mother,' she burst out excitedly, 'I saw Our Lady today in the Cova da Iria.' 'My! My!' I said. 'Don't tell me. You must certainly be a good little girl to see Our Lady!' «Sad and disappointed, she followed me in- to the house, insisting over and over again, 'But I did see her!' Then she began to tell me all that had happened, the flash, their fear, the light. She told me how beautiful and pretty the Lady was, how Francisco did not see her at first and wanted Lucia to throw a stone at her, how the Lady was surrounded by a blind- ing light, how she had offered her some bread and cheese and how the Lady asked her to say the Rosary every day. I put no stock in her words, saying 'You are really silly, As if Our Lady would appear .to a little girl like you!' «Then 1 began to mix the feed for the little pig. My husband was standing by the pen, watching to see ho\',1 it would get along with the other animals. After the animals were fed, he came into the house and sat by the kitchen fire to eat his supper. His brother-in-law, An- tonio da Silva, was with us and all my children were there. Then, with some severity, I told Jacinta to repeat this story of Our Lady at the Cova da Iria. Right ~way she began, with all the simplicity in the world.» «'It was a lady so beautiful, so pretty . . . dressed in white, with a chain of gold around her. neck extending down to her breast ... her head was covered with a white mantle, yes, very white... I don't know but it was whiter even than milk ... which covered her to the feet ... all embroidered in gold ... how beauti- full She kept her hands together, in this way.' The child rose from the stool, joined her .hands at the breast, imitating the vision. 'She had · beads between her fingers ... Oh! what a beau- tiful Rosary she had ... all of gold, brilliant as the stars at night with a crucifix that was shi- ' ning. . The Lady spoke a lot with Lucia, but never with me or with Francisco. I heard ev- erything they said. Mother, it is necessary to say the Rosary every day! The Lady said this to Lucia. She said also that she would take the three of us to Heaven, Lucia, Francisco and me, too ... and many other things I don't know, but Lucia does. And when she entered into Heaven it seemed that the doors closed with such speed that , her feet were almost caught outside. Heaven was so pretty... there were so m~y wild peonies.'» . Francisco confirmed the words of Jacinta. The girls in the family were most interested, but the boys all laughed at the story, echoing the words of their mother, «A good little saint you are, for Our Lady to appear to you.» Antonio Silva tried to offer his explanation, «If the children saw a lady all dressed in white . . . who could it be but Our Lady?» The father, meanwhile, was mulling it over in his mind, trying to fit together the religious principles involved. Finally he said, «Since the ,beginning of time, Our Lady has appeared many times and in many ways. This is what has been helping us. If the' world · is in bad shape today, it would be worse, had tHere not been cases of this sort. The power of God is great! We do not yet know what it is, but it will be something... God's will be done.» Later he confessed, «I believed what the chil- dren said was true almost at once. Yes, I belie- ved immediately. For I was thinking that the children had received no education, not the least. Were it not for the help of Providence, they would never even have thought of it. Did I think the children might be lying? Not at all! Francisco and JaCinta were too much op- posed to untruths.» Some time later, when the Bishop of Leiria published his official decision on the matter, he did no more than develop the arguments advanced by Ti Marto over his bowl of soup. Finally, they all retired, taking the father's advice that they should leave it in God's hands. When Jacinta's mother saw next morning some of her neighbors, she related with a smi- ling condescension the children's secrets. The news caused such a sensation that in no time at all it spread all through the village, finally reaching Lucia's family. Maria dos Anjos was the first to hear the news. «Lucia,» she said to her sister, «1 have heard people talking, saying that you· saw Our Lady at the Cova da Iria. Is that true?» «Who told you?» Lucia was so surprised that the news had gotten out. She stood there, thinking. Then, after . a while, she mumbled, «And I had asked her so much not to tell » anyone!» «Why?» . < «She wanted us to go to the Cova · da Iria for six months, without interruption~ and then she would say who she is and what she wants.» «Didn't you ask her who she was?» «I asked her where she was from; .and she said to me, 'I am from Heaven.'» Lucia fell into great silence so that she would not have to tell anything, but Maria coaxed her so much that she told her · more. Lucia was very sad. At this point Francisco ca· me along and confirmed Lucia~s suspicion that it was Tacinta who had wagged her tongue.Se· nhora Maria Rosa laughed at the whole thing. But when her eldest daughter told her what Lucia had said, she realized something serious was taking place. Calling Lucia immediately, she made her repeat the whole story. The gos- sip is true! She hated to believe it, but it was begining to appear that her child was turn- ing out to be a liar! The afternoon of the fourteenth, the chil- dren went but as usual with their sheep. Lu- cia, frightened as she was by her mother's unbelieving attitude, walked along in silence. Jacinta, too, was miserable, embarrassed be- cause she had broken her promise to Lucia. The joy of the vision had been quickly des- troyed by the ridicule and disbelief that had met their sincere account of the vision. Finally, they reached the Cova da Iria, and Jacinta sat on a rock silent gloomy as could be. Lucia, feeling sorry ,at her little cousin's grief, forced a smile and said, «Jacinta, let's play.» «l don't want. to play today!» «Why?» «Because I am thinking that the Lady told us to say the Rosary and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. Now, when we say the Rosary, we have to say every word in the Hail Mary and the OUT Father.» «Yes,» Lucia agreed, «but how are we going to make sacrifices?» «We can give our lunch to the sheep,» Fran- cisco suggested. When noon came, they did give their lun- ches to the sheep. Hungry as they were, it was a hard thing to do, to give away the bread and , cheese that their mothers had prepared for them. As the days went by, they thought it would be more pleasing to the Lady to give their lunches ' to some poor children instead of the sheep. When they themselves got hungry, Francisco climbed the holmoaks and picked acorns, 'even though they were still green. But this wasn't enough of a sacrifice for Jacinta. She suggested that they should prefer the acorns from the oak trees, for they were more bitter. «That first afternoon,» Lucia recalled, «we relished this delicious meal. Other times, we ate pine seeds, roots of bell-flowers (a' little yellow flower on whose root grows a little ball the size of an olive), mulberries, mushrooms and some things that we picked from the roots of pine trees, but I don't remember what they are called. We did have some fruit, if we hap- pened to ·be ncar our parent's property.» Those days were long days for the children, for there was no song or peace of mind to help speed the hours away. Their greatest trial came from theis families. Lucia's lot was the worst. Mother, sisters, friends and neighbors, all heaped abuse upon the little one. Her father, however, refused to let the affair bother him. He shrugged his shoulders and called it just some more women's gossip. Yet if he was indifferent, Lucia's mother worried a great deal about it. She used to say, «Ano I was the one to be burdened with these things. This was all I needed for myoId age. To think that I was always so careful to bring up my chil- dren to tell the truth, and now that girl comes up with such a lie.» Nor did Senhora Maria Rosa content herself with mere talk. She took action to stoP this carrying-on of her child. One day before Lucia went out with the sheep, her mother tried to force her to confess that she was lying. She tried caresses, threats, then resorted to the broomstick. Lucia's answer was either silence or continued confirmation of what she had already told. Finally, in desperation, the mo- ther commanded her, «Take the sheep out anq think over during the day that I have never approved lying in my children, mJJch less will I overlook such a lie as this. When you return in the evening, I will force you to meet those whom you deceived, - confess to them that you have lied and you will ask for their forgi- veness.» Lucia went away with the sheep, and when her 'companions saw her coming, for they had been waiting for her, they noticed she was crying. They ran to meet her. She told them what had happened and asked for their advice «Mother wants me to say that I lied. How can I say that? What am I going to do?» «It's all your fault,» Francisco said to Ja- cinta. «What did you tell it for?» Jacinta fell on her knees crying, and stretch- ing out her arms, begged to be forgiven. «It's all my fault, but never again will I tell anybody else.» In the evening Lucia's mother sought again to obtain a confession, so she decided to take her to the Pastor. «When you get there,» she scowled at Lucia, «you fall on your knees before the priest, - tell him that you lied -and ask to be forgiven. Do you hear? I don't care what you think. Either you clear things up now, admit that you lied, or I will lock you in a room where you won't ever again see the light of day. I have always succeeded in having my children tell the truth before. Am I going to let a thing of this sort pass in my youngest child? If only it wasn't such an important matter!» But how could the child say that she had not seen what she did- see? The ~ords of the Lady were proving true; «You are going to suffer a great deal. But the grace of God will be your comfort.» IV. Second Apparition JUNE THE THIRTEENTH was approaching, tlle important day when the Lady from Heaven was to appear a second time. The news of the apparition had spread all through the country- side. Everyone had his own idea on the matter; some believed, most did not. In fact, both -the children and their parents were ridiculed by their neighbors. The parents were called sim- pleminded, unfit to bring up children or else too timid to punish them as they deserved. «I wish she were my daughter,» one man said, twisting his stocking hat in his hands. «A good thrashing would soon put an end to their vi- sions,» another said, swinging his staff. Even the other children jeered and scoffed when Lucia and her cousins passed them. Meanwhile, Lucia's mother, in her good faith, went to consult with the village Pastor, the Reverend Manuel Marques Ferreira. After hearLng th~ mother's version, he suggested that the children be allowed to return to the Cova da Iria on the following thirteenth and that they be brought to him afterwards. He would interrogate them individually. Going horne, Senhora Santos met Ti Marto and told him of the Pastor's advice. He thought it wise to go and talk "it over with the Pastor abo. When he reached the rectory, and was taken into the house, he said, «Senhor Prior, my sister-in-law has just told me that you want me to come here with the children after the next appari- tion, one at a time. I have come now to find out the best thing for us to do.» «What a mess this is,» the Pastor remarked; «sometimes it is white, sometimes it is black.» «But, Reverend Father, you seem more rea- dy to believe lies than facts,» Ti Marto answe- red calmly. «So far, I have never had to listen to any- thing of this sort,» the Pastor countered, noti- ceably vexed by the whole affair. (,Everybody knows things before me. If you want to bring the children to me, do it; if not, don't bring them.» «Senhor Prior, I have come with nothing but the best intentions in mind.» Ti Marto then got up to leave, but as he descended the stairs of the verand-a, he could still hear the Paster repeating, «Ti Marto, I le\lve it to, you. If you want to bring them, do it; if not, don't bring them.» . «Good Father, I have come only to find out what is best for us to do, not to cause any trouble.» _ Among those few who did believe, there is one who deserves special mention, Senhora Maria Carreira. Later, she came to be known as Maria da Capelinha (the Lady of the Little Chapel). In her room in the hospital at the Shrine of Fatima, she told the author all she knew about the great happenings at the Cova da Iria, of · which she had been a witness al- most from the very beginning. «I had always been sick,» she said, «and those seven years before the apparitions, the doctors gave me up completely. They said I had only a short time to live.» Two or there days after the first ap- parition, Senhora Carreira's husband had been working with Lucia's father, and Antonio dos Santos told him about his daughter. That night, Senhor Manuel Carreira said to Maria, his wife, «My dear, Antonio dos Santos told me that Our Lady appeared to one of his girls, the youngest one, and to two of the children of his sister, the one married to Fran- cisco Marto. Our Lady spoke to them and promised to return there every month through October.» . Maria da Capelinha's curiosity was aroused. «I'm going to find out if this is true. If it is, I want to go there. Where is the Cova da Iria?» Her husband told her, and although it was only a ten minyte walk from their house, she had never gone there before. One never spoke of the place before. Senhor Carreira tried to discourage her from going. «You must be a fool. Do you think you too will see Our Lady?» «I know I won't see her, but if we heard that the king was going there, we wouldn't stay at home. If they say that Our Lady is coming, why shOUldn't I go and at least try to see her?» Later this lady was to be a great comfort to the little children through her kind understanding and helpful assistance. The great feast of St. Anthony was ap- proaching. Excitement rode high in the parish; everyone, old and young, was preparing for the celebration of the feast which also fell on the thirteenth. While the bells rang, oxcarts trim- med with branches, flowers, flags and drape- ries, and laden with five hundred bread-rolls, would be led around the church a few times before stopping under the Pastor's balcony for the blessing of the gifts. Maria Rosa knew how her youngest daughter liked c;elebrations, and she hoped this festival would help her forget about the Couva da Iria. «How good that to- morrow is our feast day,» she said to her dau- ghters. «We will be talking of nothing but the feast. We ourselves are to blame , always re- minding Lucia of the Cova.» The family tried to avoid the problem of the apparition . When Lucia did bring it up, they changed the subject to divert her mind and make her forget her plans. Lucia took this for disdain and contempt on her family's part; she felt they had abandoned her. Lonely and sor- rowful, she became very quiet, but every once in a while she blurted out, «Tomorrow, I am going to the Cova da Iria. It is what the Lady wants.» In spite of the Pastor's advice to allow the children to go to the Cova on the thirteenth of Tune, both mothers wished to prevent their ~oing. Jacinta wished so very much to share with her mother the joy of the vision, but her mother would not believe it all. Overcome with enthusiasm for, the cause of Our Lady Jacinta pleaded «Mamma, coIpe with us to- morrow to see Our Lady.» «Our Lad! What do you mean, silly little girl? No! Tomorrow, we go to the feast. Don't you waht to get your roll? Besides, there is the band, and rockets and a special sern1on.» .,. The mother thought the mention of the band and the rolls would surely make the child for- get about the Cova; Httle did she realize that music and food no longer attracted her child. For a month now the little children had given . up singing and dancing, even their lunches, for the conversion of sinners. . «But mother, Our Lady does appear at the Cava da Iria.» ((Our Lady does not appear to you, so it is useless to go there,» Senhora Marto contradic- ted her child. . «Oh, but she does. Our Lady said that she would appear and she will,» Jacinta rejoined. «Don't you want to go to the. feast?» Senho- ra Marto tried to change the subject. «Saint Anthony is not beautiful.» «Why?» «Because the Lady is more, much more beautiful. I am going to the Cova da Iria. If the Lady tells us to go to the feast of Saint Anthony, then we'll go.» Jacinta's father, Ti Marto, was in the same predicament. He didn't know what to do on the feast day. Should he go to the Cova? But what if nothing appeared? It didn't seem right that he should go to . the celebration at the church and let the children go alone to the Cova. Finally he decided, since it was market day in Pedreira, he would go there instead, buy the oxen he wanted, and when he retur- ned, everything would have been settled. Yes, that's it; he would go to market. That would save him committing himself. He went to sleep in peace. As soon as Jacinta awakened in the morning she ran into her mother's room to invite her again to come to see the I!.ady. But her mo- ther's room was empty, and Jacinta was sorely disappointed. «Mother will not see Our Lady today,» she said. Then she thought to herself, «But at least now we can go in peace.» She awakened Francisco, and while he dressed, she let out the sheep. As soon as Francisco was ready, they ' hurried away to meet Lucia, nib- bling on some bread and cheese as they went. Lucia was already waiting for them at the Barreiro. So bitter did she feel at the lack of understanding and the cruel opposition of her mother and sisters that she was impatient to be alone with her cousins. Only with them did she feel joyful and happy. They alone under- stood and believed in her as she understood and believed in them. In her memoirs she writes, «I recalled the times · that were past and I asked myself, where was the affection which my family had for me only a short . while ago .» . But the Lady was coming, they had no time to lose. They must make sure to be at the Cova on time. «Today, let's go to Valinhos,;) Lucia decided. «There is plenty of grass there and the sheep will get through fast. ·Then we can go home and plit on our best clothes. I won't wait for you, because I want to go to Fatima to talk with some of the girls who made their First Communion with me.» Later, when Lucia's mother saw her child getting all dressed up, she rubbed her hands with satisfaction at the thought that Saint Anthony had answered her prayer that Lucia might forget the whole thing. They watched to see wh~re Lucia was going. To Fatima or the Cova da Iria. If Lucia went to the Cova, her mother decided that she had better follow her. She would hide herself so she could watch what went on and see if the girl were lying. Also she wanted to be there lest anyone try to harm the children. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt her Lucia, nor would she allow Lucia to fall into the bad habit of lying. All worried and excited, she decided she had better go to the church first. On the way, she met some strangers who, she presumed. were going to attend the feast. ' She called to them, «Look here, you're going the wrong way That's not the way to Fatima.» . «We just came from Fatima. We're going to see the children who saw Our Lady.» «Where are you from?» she inquired. From Carrascos. Where are the children?» «They are in Aljustrel, but they'll soon be coming to the feast.» Meanwhile, Lucia found her way to church, saw her First Communion friends and invited them to come to ' the Cava da Iria with her. Usually whenever LUcia suggested something her friends concurred, so altogether fourteen girls agreed to go along. While they were . walking towards the Cava, da lria Lucia's brother, Antonio, tried to stop them; he even offered a bribe of a few pennies. «t don't care for , you pennies,» Lucia cried out. «All I want is to go to the Cova da lria.» He followed the girls for a while, urging them to come back, but soon gave up the attempt. The fourteen girls were not alone at the Cava. A few people had joined them on the way and when they reached the place where the gate to the shrine is now situated, hey were met by a small group of women, among whom were Maria da Capelinha and her crip- pled seventeen year old son. Senhora da Ca- pelinha describes the happenings of this event- ful day. «Being determined to' go to the Cava on the thirteenth, I said to my daughters the evening before, 'Why don't we go to the Cava tomorrow instead of to the feast of Saint Anthony?' «'To the Cava da lria? What for? We would rather go to the feast.' «Turning to my crippled son, I said, 'and how about you? Do you want to go to the feast or will you go with me?' «'I'll go .with you, mother.' «The next day, even before the others, had left for the feast,» continues the lady, «I came here (to the Cova daIria) with my son John who had to use a staff to get along. There wasn't a soul around, so we went back to the road which we knew the children would take and sat dow. After a while, a woman came along from Loureira. She was very surprised to see me there, for she knew I was sick and had been confined to my bed. 'What are you here for? ' she said. «'For the same reason that you came here. Without another word, she sat down beside me. Then a man came along from Lomba da ~gua and we exchanged about the same words. Then a few women from Boleiros came along I asked them if they were running away from the feast. «One woman answered, 'Some people made fun of us, but who cares? We want to see what happens here and find out whether it is they or we who should be made fun' of.' «Still others came, some from as far away as Torres Novas, and around eleven o'clock, the children arrived. We followed them until they stopped near a little holmoak tree. I asked Lucia, 'Little girl, which is the holmoak over which Our Lady appears? ' «'See here? It was here that she stood.'» It was a small tree, about three feet high, being at the peak of its growth, with straight, beautiful branches. Lucia withdrew herself a little, turned towards Fatima, then walked over to a large holmoak and sat down against the trunk to get in the shade. The day was very hot. Francisco and Jacinta sat at her side. While eating lupini they talked and amused themselves with the other children. But as time went by, Lucia became more and more serious and apprehensive. Soon she said to Jacinta, who was still playing, «Quiet. Our Lady is coming.» It was near noon. Maria da Capelinha was feeling weak . «Will it be long before Our Lady comes?» she asked . «No, Senhora,» Lucia unhesitatingly res- ponded. They all began the Rosary, and as they finished, one girl began the Litany. But Lucia stopped her, «There's no time for it now.» Then she got up and shouted, «Jacinta, Jacin- ta, here comes Our Lady. I Just saw the flash.» The three of them ran over to the smaller holmoak. Everyone followed and knelt upon · the brush and furze. Lucia raised her eves towards the skies, as if in prayer, and was heard to say, «You told me to come here today. What do you want me to do?» The others heard something that sounded like a very gentle voice did not understand what was said. «It is like the gentle humming of a bee,» Maria da Capelinha whispered. Lucia in later years tells us as follows: «l want yoo to come here on the thir- t eenth of the next month. Say the Rosary? inserting between the mysterie$ the fol- lowing ejaculation - '0 My Jesus, forgive us. Sa.ve us from the fire of Hell. Bring all ·soul to Heaven, especially those in most need.' I want you to learn to read and write and later I will tell you what else I want. » Then Lilcia asked Our Lady to · cure a sick person who was recommended to her. Our Lady answered. «l f he is converted, he will be cured within the yr~ar.» «I would like to ask you also to take us to Heaven!» «Yes,» Our Lady answered; «l will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. . You, how- ever, are to stay here a longer time. Jesus wants to use you to make me know a,nd loved. He wants to establish-the Devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the World. I promise salvation to those who embrace it and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne. » «Am I going to stay here alone?» Lucia asked; full of sadness at the though of losing her beloved cousins. «No My Daughter. » Lucia's eyes filled with tears. «Does this cause you to suffer a great deal? I will never leave you, my Immacu- . late Heart will be your refuge and the . Wf1IJJ that will lead you to God.» «As she said these last words,» Lucia tells, ~(the Blessed Virgin opened her hands and communicated to us for the second time the reflex of the immense light that enveloped her. We saW ourselves in it, as if submerged in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be on the side that was ascending to Heaven, and I was on the side that was spreading over the earth. There was a Heart before the palm of the right hand of Our Lady, with thorns pierc- ing it. We understood that this was the Immac- ulate Heart of Mary, so offended by the sins of mankind, desiring reparation.» The crowd now saw Lucia · rise quickly to her feet. Stretching out her arm she cried, «Look, there she goes; there she goes!» Maria da Capelinha reports that when Our Lady left the tree, it was like the his~ing of a distant rocket. She continues: «As for us, we saw nothing but a slight cloud, just a few inches away from the foliage, rising slowly to- wards the East.» The children remained silent, their eyes fas- . tened in that direction, until a few minutes later, Lucia cried out, «There now!' It's all over. She has entered Heaven. The doors have closed.» The people turned their eyes back to the blessed holmoak and were surprised to see the highest branches, which before were standi1tg upright, now inclined towards the east, as if they had been tread upon. The onlookers then began to break of the branches and leaves from the. holmoak. Lucia asked that they take only the lower branches, as they had not been touched by Our Lady. Someone suggested that everybody say the Rosary before leaving, but because some had come such a long way, they said only the Litany at the Cova; then depar- ting in a group, they recited the Rosary toge- ther on their way home. When they reached the village of Fatima, even though the procession in honor of Saint Anthony was in progress, they were immedia- tely noticed. Of course they told everyone how happy they were for having gone to the Cova instead of remaining in the village for the feast, and many felt sorry for themselves, not having done the same. Maria da Capelinha recalls that evening being questioned by her daughters. «When I said · that I was sorry they had not been there also, they decided to go with me next Sunday, which they did. On that occasion, while we were saying the Rosary by the holmoak, we noticed two people going by and saying, 'Look, some people are already at the place where Our Lady appeared!' We hid behind some bushes then. The people placed carnations on the holinoak and knelt to say the Rosary. Since that day then, I began going every day to the Cova da lria. At home I always felt so weak and helpless, but as soon as I reached the Cova, I felt like a different person. I removed all the stones that were there and pulled out or cut away the thickets and furze. I gave the place the shape of a round thrashing floor. I also tied a silk ribbon on the branches of the holmoak and I was the first one to place flowers on it.» Not everyone who had been in the Cova da lria left immediately after the Litany. Some few remained to ask the children the details of the apparition. The little ones told what they were allowed to tell, but kept the rest to them- selves. About four o'clock they left for home, followed by this reverent little group of people. Passers-by made fun of them. The childr.endid not mind it for themselves, but it seemed the people were ridiculing Our Lady. Lucia, has the Lady come again for a walk over the holm- oaks?» «Jacinta, didn't the Lady tell you anything this time?» «What, you are still on earth! Haven't you gone to Heaven yet?» It was with a sigh of relief that Jacinta crossed the door into her house. There, however, the questioning continued. Her sisters asked all kinds of questions, but, made wise by past experience, Jacinta answer- ed very cautiously. How she longed to go to her mother and tell the whole story, and that Our Lady promised to take her soon to Hea- ven. Yet some mysterious force made her hold her tongue. All three children felt the same obligation to silence. Jacinta, however, did feel free to speak easilly about the entrancing beauty of the Lady. «Was the Lady as beautiful as so-and-so?» her sisters asked. " ,} Lucia said. «'When you want to eat, you can go now and ask that Lady!' and my sisters would say 'you should eat only what grows · in the Cova da Iria.'» This nagging became so distressing to the child, she hardly dared to pick up a slice of bread to eat. To make things worse, her old~r sisters who used to weave and sew to help support the home, now had to help tend , the sheep and they lost so m~ch time with visitors, they could not do their work. Finally the family had to sell the sheep. Lucia's life at home grew more unbearable every day. Misunderstanding and misinterpre- tations multiplied with the hours. Her older sister, Maria dos Anjos, recalled, «One day, an old lady came to mother and told her that she was not surprised any more at the children saying that th~ had seen· Our ,Lady. She had seen a lady give Lucia half a dollar. Mother immediately called Lucia and asked if that were true. Lucia said that she had been given only two pennies. Mother persisted, using the old lady's words against Lucia, «Once a liar, always a liar,' and she used the broomstick on Lucia. A few moments later Jacinta came in and showed us the half-dollar given her. But it was too late for Lucia; she had already got her thrashing.» Some neighbors were as bad in their unbe- lief. They were very mean to the little ten-year- -old girl, calling her evil names and, at times, even striking the child. No one dared to strike the Marto children, however; Ti Marto watch- ed them too closely. Little Jacinta, · in her eagerness to suffer ,for sinners, one day said to Lucia, «l wish my parents were like yours so that they would hit me. Then I would have more sacrifices to offer to Our Lord.» Senhora Marto did act rather harshly at times but only at first. «You are going to get it,» she would say, «for your cheating the people. Many go to the Cova da Iria just because of you.» «But we don't force anyone to go there,» Jacinta spoke up. «Whoever wants to go there goes. Whoever does not want to believe will be punished. And mother, you look out, for if you don't believe ... » Meanwhile, Jacinta's father was being pa- tient, mulling over the facts, trying to arrive at the truth. Like good Saint Joseph of old, Ti Marto was not going to judge hastily or do i ",:=In The Church of St. Anthony in Fatima, the parish church which the children attended and which played an important role in Lucia's life at the time of the apparitions . . anything rash or unjust; he was thinking and praying, waiting for God to direct his course of thought and action. Newspaper writers were not so considerate. The apparitions were reported in the papers, but the facts were placed in a wrong light, ridiculous details were invented and scorn was h$aped 'upon this new «factory of miracles that the priests were setting up in Fatima.» Trying to explain it away, the 'newspaper accounts accused the children and those who believed in them of being epileptics, the victims of fraud, greed or collective suggestions. The ridi- Gule and accusations of the newspapers served but to divide the people, stirring up the ene- mies of the Church on the one hand, yet also serving to stirp up the faith of the believers. VII. Fourth Apparition THE MAGISTRATE THE VILLAGE OF FATIMA belongs to the County of Ourem. At the time of the apparitions the Administrador of the county, or Chief Magis- trate, was Artur Oliveira S~ntos, a man of tremendous political power. All administra- tive, political and sometimes even judicial power was centered in his hands. Though he ,was a man of meagre education, a tinsmith by trade. 'he had been in politics since his youth. A baptised Catholic, he had abandoned the Church at the age of twenty to join the Maso- nic Lodge of Leiria. Later, he founded a lodge at Ourem of which he was the head. What ad- ded to his power was the fact that he pu- hlished a local newspaper by which he endea- vored to undermine the faith of the people in the Church and the priests. When he heard about the apparitions of Fatima, he realized the effects they might have among the people. He realized, too, that if he allowed the ' Church to rise to new life in his county, he would be laughed to scorn by his friends and Masonic brethren. He counted on his immense power and the cringing spirit of the people to destroy this new religious fad in the beginning. ' Although the citizenry of the county diu cringe in fear before this all-powerful magis- trate, there was one man who, when the good of his children and the good of the Church was threatened, had no fear. He would stand up boldly before any man in the interested of truth and justice. This man was Jacinta 's father. «My brother-in-law and I had both been summoned to appear at the County House, with Lucia, at twelve noon, August the elev- enth,» Ti Marto reported. «<;ompadre Antonio and his daughter arrived at my house early in the morning before I had finished my break- fast. Lucia's first question was. 'Aren't Jacinta and Francisco going too?» «Why should such little children go there?» Ti Marto replied. «No, 1 will answer for them.» Lucia ' ran to Jacinta's room to inform her cousin of the summons they had received and how she feared she would be killed. «If they kill you, tell them that Francisco and 1 are like you and that we want to die too,» Jacinta cried. Lucia and her father did not wait on Ti Marto, but went on ahead of him. Senhor Santos did not want to take a chance on being late and arousing the anger of the Magistrate. Lucia rode the donkey, and as she rode along, she thought how different her father was fro m Ti Marto and her other uncles. «They put themselves' in danger to defend their children bt,lt my parents turn me over with the greatest indifference so that they can do with me what~ ever they wish. But patience!» Lucia comfor- ted herself, «I expect to have to suffer more for Thy love, 0 my God, and it is for the con- version of sinners.» Ti Marto 'Walked to the County House alone. When he reached the square in front of the house, he saw 'Lucia and her father waiting there. «H;lS everything . been settled already?), he inquired, thinking they had finished their audience with the Magistrate. «No, the office was closed and no one was. there.» It was some while before they discov- ered that they had come to the wrong build- ing. Finally they came before the . Magistrate. «Where is the boy?» He shouted right away at Ti Marta. «What boy?» Ti Marta said. He continues to tell us what went on. «He did ,not know that there were three children involved, and as he had sent for only one, I pretended that I did not know what he meant. 'It's six miles from here to our village,' I told him, 'and the <:hildren can't walk that distance, They can't ,even stay on a donkey,' (Lucia had fallen from the donkey three times in the journey.) 1 had a mind to tell him some more things; imagine, the children so small wanted in court! «He flared up and gave me a piece of his mind. What did 1 care! Then he began to ques- tion Lucia, trying to pry the secret but of her. But she didn't say a word. Then he turned to her father, 'Do the people of Fatima believe in these things?'» «Not at all. All that "is just women's talk.» Then the Magistrate turned towards me to see what I would say. " «I am here at you orders and 1 agree with my children!» «You believe it is true?» he sneered at me. «Yes, sir, I believe what they say.» He laughed at me, but I didn't mind. The Magistrate then dismissed Lucia, at the same time 'warning her · that if he did not , learn her 'Secret, he would take her life.» The interview ended and they left for home. Ti Marta thought he was through with the Magistrate. It wasn't as easy as that. The Ma- gistrate had only begun the execution of his: plans. It was almost time for the next ap- parition and this all-powerful official determi- ned to prevent it at any cost. «Monday morning, the thirteenth of August,»- Ti Martq recalled, «I had just begun hoeing my land when I was called home. As I entered the house I saw a group of strangers standing there, but that no longer surprised me. What did surprise me was finding my wife in the kitchen looking so worried. She didn't say a word, only motioned me to go to the front room. 'Why- the hurry?' I said good and loud. But she kept waving me away. Still drying my hands, I went into the room, and who was. there but the Magistrate! 'So you are here!" I said.» «'Yes, of course, I want to see the miracle .. too.' «My heart warned me that something was: wrong. «Well let's go,' he said, 'I'll take the children with me in my carriage. As Thomas said .. «seeing is believing!'» He was uneasy and glanced about nervously. 'HavenVthe children come home yet? Time is passing. You had bet-- ter call thein! - «They don't have to be called. They know when they are supposed' -to bring back the sheep and get ready.» The children arrived almost at once and the Magistrate began urg- ing them to go in his carriage. The children kept insisting it was not necessary. «'It's much better,' he repeated, 'for we'll get there faster and no one will bother us on the way.' «'You all go to Fatima,' he capitulated, 'and stop at the rectory because I want to ask the .children a few questions.' As soon as we got to the rectory, he shouted to us from . the balcony, 'Send up the first!' «'The first? Which one?» I snapped right back. I was upset by the permonition of some evil. ' «'Lucia,' he said arrogantly. «'Go ahead, Lucia,' I said to her,» Ti Marto would remember this day well. The Pastor was waiting in his office. He had changed his mind towards the apparitions. Now he considered them not the work of the devil, but plain inventions He would call Lu- cia to ask, making sure that the Magistrate would realize he had no responsibility in these , events. «Who taught you to say the things that you are going about saying?» «The Lady whom I saw at the Cova da Iria.» «Anyone who goes around spreading such wicked lies as the lies you tell will be judged and will go to Hell if they are not true. More and more people are being deceived by you.» «If one who lies goes to Hell,» answered the little girl, «then I will not go to Hell for I don't lie and ' tell only what I have ' seen and what the Lady has said to me. And as for the crowd that goes there, they go only because they want to. We don't call anyone.» «Is it true that the Lady has confided a secret to you?» «Yes, but I can't tell it. But if Your Reve- rence wants to know it, I shall ask the Lady and if she gives me permission, I will tell you.» The Magistrate cut in as his plans would be spoiled if Lucia was allowed to return to the Cova to ask permission to tell the Pastor the secret. «But those are supernatural matters,» he said with finality. «The whole thing was a hoax and sheer treachery on the Magistrate's part,» Ti Marto continued. «When it came time for my children to go in, he said, «That's enough. You may go; or better, let's all go for it's getting late: «The children started down the stairs. Meanwhile, the carriage was brought right up to the last step without my noticing it,» Senhor Marto reported. dt was just perfect for him. for in a moment, he decoyed the children into it. Francisco sat in front and the two girls in the back. It was a cinch. The horse started trotting in the direction of the Cova da Iria. I relaxed. Upon reaching the road, the horse wheeled arotind, the whip cracking over him. and he bolted away like a flash. It was all so well planned and so well carried out. Nothing could be done now. In the carriage, Lucia spoke up first, though timidly, «This is not the way to the Cova da Iria.» The Magistrate tried to make the chil- dren believe that he was taking them first to see the Pastor of the church at Ourem to consult wJth him. As they rode away, the people along the road realized that he was stealing the children and stoned him. Im- mediately, he covered them with a robe. When he reached his house, gloating over his success, he grabbed the children out of tlJe carriage pushed them inside and locked them ina room. «You won't leave this room until you tell me the' secret,» he warned them. They did not answer him a word. «If they kill us, »Jacinta consoled the other two when they were alone, «it doesn't matter. We'll go straight to Heaven.» Instead of an executioner with axe in hand the wife of the Magistrate came and proved herself very kind to the three little children -- She took them from the room, gave them a good lunch and let them play with her chil- dren. She also gave them some picture books to look at. THE «HOAX» Meanwhile rumors had spread through the village that the devil would appear this time at the Cova da Iria to cause the earth to open up and · swallow all those who were there. In spite of the rumor, however, many persons travelled to the holy spot. Maria de Capelinha was among them. She gives an eye-witness ac- count of what went on. d was not afraid. I knew there was nothing evil about the apparitions because if there were, the people would not be praying at the Cova. My constant prayer as I walked along was, 'May Our Lady guide me according to God's Holly Will.' The crowd at the Cova on August thirteenth was even larger than in July. «About eleven o'clock, Lucia's sister, Maria dos Anjos, came with some candles to light to Our Lady. The people prayed and sang religious hymns around the bolmoak. The absence of the cQi1dren 'made them very restless. When it became know that the Magistrate had kidnapped them, a terrible resentment went through the crowd. There is no telling what it might have turned into, had it not thundered just then. Some thought the thunder came from the road; others thought that it came from the holmoak; but it seemed to me that it came from a distance. . It frightened us ' all and many began to cry fearing they were going to be killed. Of course, ' no one was killed. «Right aftet the thunder came a flash, and immediately, we all noticed' a little cloud, very , white, beautiful and bright, that came and stayed over the holmoak. It stayed a few min- utes, then rose towards the heavens where it disappeared. Looking about, we noticed a strange sight that we had already seen and would see again. Everyone's face glowed, rose, red, blue, all the colours of the rainbow. The trees seemed to have no branches or leaves but were all covered with flowers; every leaf was a flower. The ground was in little squares, each one a diferent colour. Our clothes seemed to be ' transformed also into the colours of the rainbow. The two vigil lanterns hanging from the arch over the holy spot appeared to be of gold . «When ,the signs disappeared, the -people seemed to realize that Our Lady had come and, not finding the children, had returned to Heaven. They felt that Our Lady was disap- pointed and hence they were exceedingly upset. Resentment grew in their hearts. They started towards the village, clamoring against the Magistrate, the Pastor and anyone they thought might haveh~d anything to do with the arrest of the children.» . Everything had been so beautiful but the sense of frustration at not having the children for the apparition made the people seethe with anger and roar out, «Let's go to Ourem to protest. Let's go and drench everything with blood. We'll get hold of the Pastor, for he is just as guilty... And the Regedor, we'l1 settle accounts with him.» Ti Marto, meanwhile, had gone to the Cova da Iria, and when this shouting of the people grew louder and louder, though he considered both the Pastor and 'the Magistrate guilty" he felt inspired to intervene in the tumult. , «Be calni, men, be calm.» He shouted with all his might. «Don't hurt anyone. Whoever deserves punishment will get it. All this is by the power of the One above.» Indeed, the One above also intervened to preserve for His Mother the name of Fatima forever gracious and unstained, as is evidenced by the letter which the Pastor . wrote the following day for the newspapers. It was published a few days later. «The rumor that I. was an accomplice to the sudden kidnapping of the children ... I repel as an unjust and . insidious calumny. . . The Mag- istrate did not confide the secret of his inten- tions to me ... «And if it was providential, for such it was, that the authority succeeded in taking the chil- dren away furtively and without resistance, no less providential was the /calming of the spirits, excited by this devili!?h' rumor. For o.therwise the parish would have been mourning her Pastor today. Certainly, it was through the Virgin Mother that this snare of the devil did not strike him dead . .. «The authority wanted the children to reveal a secret that they have told to no one .. . . Thousands of witnesses say that the children were not necessary for the Queen of the Angels to manifest her prower. They themselves will testify to the extraordinary occurrences which have now so deeply rooted their belief.. . The Virgin Mother does not need the presence of the pastor to show her kindness; and this itself should explain my absence and apparent indifference regarding a case so marvellous and sublime . .. » THE ORDEAL The children spent the night of the thirteenth in loneliness and prayer, beseeching Our Lady that they might have the strength to remain faithful to her always. When morning arrived, however, they were all taken to the County House where they were put through relentless questioning. The first to quiz them was art old lady, who used all her cunning and wiles to learn their secret. Later, the Magistrate tried bribes, offering them shiny gold coins; he made all kinds of promises to them and threat- ened them with every sort of punishment, bllt the children would not give in. · This kept up all morning, broken only by lunch. They were put through the same inhuman «third degree» .all afternoon. Finally, the Magistrate told them he was goiq.g to put them in jail · and have them throw into a tank of boiling oil. When they reached the jail, poor little Jacinta began to cry her eyes out. Lucia and Francisco tried to comfort her. «Why do you cry, Jacinta?» Lucia said. «Because we are going to die without ever again seeing our parents. None of them have come to see us, neither yours nor mine. They don't care for us anymore. I want to see my mother, at least.» «Don't cry, Jacinta,» Francisco interrupted, «we are offering this sacrifice for sinners.» Then the three raised thei r hands towardil Heaven, repeating together, «My Jesus, all this is for love of You and for sinners.» «And for the Holy Father,» Jacinta put in, not wishing to forget any request of Our Lady, «and in reparation for the offenses against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.» There were many men imprisoned in the jail at that same time, and not one of the them, no matter how hard a criminal he might have been, could remain unmoved at the sight of the three little children. Each of the men took his tum trying to console the children or to shake . them from their purpose of retaining the secret. «Why don't you tell it to him?» Why should you care?» «Never,» Jacinta said, «we would rather die.» The children did not seem to mind in the least their being imprisoned in jail. But ~even year old Jacinta could not accustom herself to the thought of dying without first seeing her mother. To distract her, the prisoners began singing, playing the accordion and dan- cing. They tried to get the children to dance with them, and one very tall man picked up Jacinta in his arms and danced around with her. The thought of Our Lady flashed through her mind; dancing was not the right prepara- tion for Heaven. So Jacinta made the man stop; she took the medal from around her neck, asked the man to hang it from a nail on the wall, then she knelt with Francisco and Lucia to say the Rosary. Embarrassed and ashamed, the prisoners also got on their knees. One man still kept his hat on. Francisco got up, went over to him and said, «When we pray, we take our hats off.» The man took it off and dropped 'it on the floor. Francisco picked it up and laid it on the bench. Soon, they heard steps outside. A guard entered, looking at the children, he barked, «Come with me.» Again they were taken to the County House and put through ' the third degree. Jacinta was called in first, «The oil is already boilng. Tell the secret... otherwise ... » Jacinta, like Our Lord before the judges, remained silent. «Take her away and throw her into the tank!» yelled the inquisitor. The guard grab- bed her arm, swung her around and locked her in another room. Outside the Magistrate's office, while avai~ ing their turn, Fraricisco confided to Lucia, «If they kill us, we shall soon be in Heaven. Nothing , else counts. I hope that Jacinta does not get scared. I should say a Hail Ma.ry for her.» He took off his cap and said a prayer. The guard, watching the children, was puz- zled at the boy's behavior. «What are you saying?» he demanded. «l am saying one Hail Mary for Jacinta, to give her courage.» The other guard came back, and led Fran- cisco into the Magistrate's office. Grabbing hold of the boy, he shouted, «Spit out the secret. The other one is already burned up; now it's your tum. Go ahead, out with it.» «I can't,» he replied, looking calmly into the eyes of this new Nero. «I can't tell it to anyone.» «You say you can't. That'~ your business. Take him away. He'll share his sister's lot.» The boy was taken into the next room, where he found Jacinta, safe and happy. Lucia was convinced that they had been kil- led and thinking that she was next to be thrown into the burning cauldron of oil, she trusted in her Heavenly Mother not to desert her, but to give her the courage to be loyal and courageous even as Francisco and Jacinta were. Though Lucia did tell the Magistrate some- thing of what happened in the visions, even as she had told her parentes and the Pastor, she kept the secret part to herself. It was -a solemn promise to Our Lady and she would rather die than break it. The Magistrate was not satisfied with this little bit. He wanted to know the secret. After her inquisition, Lucia too was locked in the room where the other two were and how happy they were for their unwavering fidelity to Our Lady. The Magistrate did not yet give up. The guard came in to remind them that soon they would be thrown into the burning oil. The thought of being able to die together for Our Lady made them all the happier. The Mag- istrate finally admitted, aftel" further fruitless questioning, that he could accomplish nothing. Then out of fear of what the enraged people might do, he himself took them in his carriage to Fatima, hardly realizing that the Church was celebrating on that day the Feast of the Assumption. THE. SECRET When the people filed out of Church, after attending Mass on the Holy Day, they con- gregated in the yard. The one topic on all lips was what had happened to the children. As - Ti Marto came out, they all asked, «Where are the children?» «How do I know,» he replied, «Maybe they took them to Santarem, the capital. The day they kidnapped them, my stepson, Antonio, went with some other boys to Ourem, and he saw the children playing on the veranda -of the Magistrate's house. That's the last. news 1 , heard.» He had hardly said these words, when someone shouted, «Look, Ti Marto, Look! The children are on the rectory balcony!» Ti Marto 'recalls his feelings.» «I can't say how quIckly 1 got there and swept Jacinta in my arms. 1 couldn't say a word. Tears ran down my face, wetting the child's face. Fran- cisco and Lucia both threw their arms around me, saying, 'Father your blessing! Uncle, your blessing!' (as the custom is in Portugal, when children return home after an absence). «A public official and underling of the Mag· istrate approached me. He shook, from head to foot. 1 never saw the like before. 'Here you have the children!' he said. 1 wanted to speak my mind but 1 restrained myself and remarked, 'This might hav~ come to a sorry end. They wanted the children to contradict themselves, but they failed. Even if they succeeded, 1 would always say they spoke the truth.'» The people in the church·yard were in an uproar, shaking their fists, swinging their staffs. Everyone was restless. The Pastor left the Church immediately, and started up the stairs into the rectory. Suspecting that Ti Marto was stirring up the people against him, he said in rebuke, «Senhor Manuel, you scandalize me.» «I knew how to answer him then,» recalls Ti Marto, and the Pastor went into the house. Ti Marto, could not at the time realize the noble role the Pastor was playing that day. Ti Marto then turned to the crowd in the yard and, still holding his little Jacinta in his arms, he shouted, «Boys, behave yourselves! Some of you are shouting against the Senhor Prior; others against the Administrador, and still some against the Regedoi'. No one is to blame. The blame lies with lack of faith and all has been allowed by the One above.» The Pastor heard this and was very pleased, so he said from the window, «Senhoi' Manuel speaks very well; he spt::aks very well.» The Magistrate had gone to the inn, and when he returned, seeing the crowd and Ti Marto in the balcony of'the rectory, he shouted at him, «Stop that, Senhor Marto!» «All right; all right. There is nothing wrong.» The Magistrate then went into the Pastor's office and called Ti Marto in. The rage of the people had subsided. The generous Pastor was allowing the people to believe that he had shared in the abduction of the children in order to save the Magistrate. The prudent words of a man of faith had the power to keep the crowd · below under control. It was a fine proof' of the power of religion, and the Pastor did not miss his chance to point out the fact to the Magistrate. «You must realize, Senhor Administrador, that religion is a necessity also.» As Ti Marto was leaving, the Magistrate turned to him, saying «Senhor Marto, come and have a glass of wine with me.» «Don't bother now, thanks.» However, he noticed a group of young men on the street, armed with staffs. It made him fear that they might clash with the Magistrate. It was better that everything end in peace, so he stood at the Magistrate's side, thinking within himself that it might be the wise thing to acept his invita- . tion. «I am grateful,» the Magistrate said, realiz- ing what he was doing. He felt safe. «You ask the children if I did not treat them right.» «All right. All right... There's no hard feelings. The people think more of asking questions than I do.» Just then the children came down the stairs, and headed for the Cova da Iria without losing a moment. The people began to go home and the Magistrate and Ti Marto went to an inn. Of their conversation over the wine Ti Marto later recalled, «The whole thing bored me very much,' for he was trying to convince me that the children had told him the secret. 'Very well, very well,' I said, 'They did not tell it to their father or mother, but they did tell it to you! '» With that the matter ended for the time being. It is important to note, however, that the interrogation of the children served one pur- pose that · was providential. Since everything became a matter of official record, the Mag- istrate unwittingly made the existence of a secret revelation undeniable. THE NINETEENTH OF AUGUST On the follow ing Sunday, the 19th of August, the children, according to their custom, went to the Cova da lria after Mass. There they said the Rosary, then returned to Aljl.lstrel. After lunch, Lucia, together with Francisco and his elder brother John, left for a place called Valinhos, not far away, whcre they intended to spend the afternoon. The afternoon passed quickly, but towards four o'clock, Lucia became aware of the signs that always immediately preceded the appari- tions of Our Lady: the sudden cooling of the air, the paHng of the sun, and the typical flash. The children had already been having a wonderful premonition_ that they were to experience the supernatural again. Now Our Lady was about to come and Jacinta was not there! Lucia called out to John, «Go quickly and get Jacinta, Our Lady is coming!» The boy did not want to go. He too wanted to see Our Lady. «Go fast,» Lucia insisted, «and I will give you four pennies, if you bring Jacinta back with you. Here's two now and I'll keep the other two for you when you return.» John took the pennies and started running home. When he reached his house, he called in, «Mother, mother, Lucia wants Jacinta!» «Aren't the three of you enough for your games? Can't you leave her alone for a minute?» the mother answered back. «Let her come, little mother, th~ want her there now. See, Lucia gave me two pennies to make sure I would bring her.» Two pennies! That was a lot of money for little children to give away so easily. «What does she want Jacinta for now?» John wriggling like an eel, burst out, «Be- cause Lucia has already seen · the signs in the skies and she wants Jacinta there in a hurry.» «God be with you; Jacinta is at her god- mother's house.» John bolted off to get her. There, he whispered the news to Jacinta, and together, hand in hand, they raced over to Valinhos so as not to miss Our Lady. Just as John and Jacinta reached the field, a second flash rent the air. A few moments, later, the brilliant Lady appeared over a holmoak, a slightly tal- ler one than that at the Cova da Iria. The Lady was rewarding the children for their fidelity. «What do you want of me?» Lucia asked. «1 want you to continue to come to the Oova da [ria on the thirteenth and to continue to say the Rosary every day.» Lucia then · old Our Lady of her anguish at the unbelief of so many in the reality of her presence. She asked Our Lady if she would be willing to perform a miracle that all might see and believe. «Yes,» Our Lady answered, «In the last month, .in October, I shall perfolfm a miracle so that all may believe in my ap- paritions. If they had not taken you to the village, . the miracle would have been greater. Saint Jcseph will come with the Baby J eS'U8 to [Jive peace to the world. Our Lord also will come to bless the peCYple. Besides, Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Sorrows will come.» Lucia remembered Senhora da Capelinha's request and said: «What do you wish us to do with the money and the offerings that the people leave at the Cova da Iria?» «Two litters should be made; you and Shrine at Valinhos Jacinta are to carry on with two other girls dressed in white; Francisco is to carry the other with three bO'!J$ also dres- 8ed in white robes. The money placed on the litters is for the Feast of Our Lady of the · Rosary.» Lucia then spoke to Our Lady of the sick who had been recommended to her. «Yes, 1 shall cure some of them within the year.» But she went on teaching them to pray rather for the health of souls than of bodies, «Pray! P1'ay a great deal ana, make sacrifices for sinners, for many sools go to Hell for not having someone to pray and make sacrifices for them. The Lady took leave of her little friends and began to rise towards the East, as before, John was . disappointed. He tried hard to see Our Lady but had seennothiI?g. However, he heard something like the hissing of. a rocket, when Lucia said, «Jacinta, see Our Lady is going away.» It gave John sma:!l consdlation. The . three child~en who had stood by help- lessly at the Cova da Iria when the older people stripped the holtnoak of its foliage. broke off the small branch which the resplen- dent robe of Our Lady had touched. John and Lucia stayed at the Valinhos with the sheep while Francisco and Jacinta rushed home with the precious branch to tell their parents of the unexpected visit of Our Lady. As they passed Lucia's house, her mother and sister were at the door with some neigh- bors. «Aunt Maria Rosa,» Jacinta cried out with joy, «We saw Our Lady again! It was at the Valinhos!» «My, what little liars you turned out to be! As if Our Lady would appear to you wherever you go!» ,< But we did see her,» Jacinta insisted. «See here, Our Lady had one foot on this twig and the other on that one.» «Give it to me. Let me see.» Jacinta gave the branch to Lucia's mother. The mother's face showed great surprise as she put the branch to her nose. «What does this swell of!» she said, continuing to smell it. «I,t is not perfume, it's not incense nor perfumed soap; it's not the smell of roses nor anything I know but it is a good smell.» The whole family gathered and each wanted to hold the branch and smell the beautiful odor. «Leave it here, Jacinta. Someone will come along who will be able to tell what kind of an odor it is.» From that moment, Lucia's mother and her whole family began to modify their opposition towards the apparitions. Jacinta then took the branch and hurried home to show it to her own mother and father. Ti Marto tells of the occasion in his own words . «.I had taken a round of my properties on that day. After sunset, as I was drawing near my house, a friend of mine met me and said, 'Ti Marto, the miracle is becoming clearer. «'What do you niean?' I said, not knowing anything about the apparition at Valinhos or the branch. «'You know, Our Lady appeared again, just a little while ago, to your children and Lucia at Valinhos. You can believe it is true. I want to tell you that your Jacinta · has something special. She had not gone with the others and a boy ,came to call her. Our Lady did not appear until she arrived!' I shrugged my shoul- ders. I didn't know what to answer, but I was thinking about what my friend said . as I reached the yard of my house. My wife was . not at home.' I went into the kitchen and sat down. Jacinta came right in with a big smile on her face and a little branch in her hand. «'Look, father, Our Lady appeared to us again at the Valinhos!' «As sh~ came in I sensed a magnificent fra- grance which I could not explain. I stretched out my hands towards the branch saying, 'What are you bringing in, Jacinta?' «'It is the little branch on which Our Lady placed her feet.' I smel led it but the odor' had gone.» Our Lady did not have to perform a miracle to prove her case to him. 6 • Wh~n Lucia's sister, 'I1eresa, and her hus- 'b3iD.d were 'coanmg IlIltothe IviiBa;ge of Fa.tima. they noticed the cool!ing of the ail', the pali.n.g of the sun and :tbie pattern of diifierent colors ov'er everythmg, the saane as ha;pjpenoo at the Cova da Iria six days /Pl'evious, when 1lhe children were preventoo f.rom going to tiJ:e Cova because of theJ.r 8JlTest and imprisonment. This was the very hour of the a.ppaIition at VaJmhos. VIII. Fifth Apparition' THE WORDS that most deeply embedded them- selves on the minds of the children were the last words spoken by Our Lady at Valinhos, «Pray', pray a great deal, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell for not having someone to pray and make sacrifices for them.» These words awakened in the chil- dren an even stronger desire for mortification, prayer and suffering. Their one longing was to' close that terrifying furnace of Hell so that no more souls could go there. When alone in the fields with their sheep, the three youngsters spent hour after hour in the gully of the Cabe<;:o where the Angel had appeared, prostrate upon the ground, repeating the prayer the Angel had taught them. «My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. ' I beg pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not lov~ You ... Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son ,and Holy Ghost, I adore You profoundly and I , offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jt he said. «Can't I at least give your son John some- thing?» . «It is not necessary,» the father answered, «but if you wish, you may.» As they were going, the priest turned to SeIihor Marto and said, « You have played your role well.» «Well or not, I don't know. But here in my house, this is the way we do things. You did not succeed in making the children contradict themselves. Even if you did, I would ha\'e stuck to my belief that they have been speak- ing the truth.» Senhor Marto was a good father, loyal always to his children even as they were loyal to him, because they all believed implicitly in God and His Holy Mother Mary. . . On the morning of October 13,' 1917, fear and panic prevailed in Fatima. Rain was pour- ing from the heavens, a sad beginning for the glorious day promised by Our Lady and the children. The rain, however, did not dampen the. spirits ·of the many thousands of people who came from every section of Portugal to witness the miracle promised. Even the daily newspapers, until now so inimical to the hap-. penings at Fatima, sent reporters to the scene, and since for days afterwards they carried long articles on the unusual events, we will use excerpts from the newspaper accounts to give an authentic history of the occasion. «Nearby communities, towns and villages, emptied of people,» said the reporter for «0 Dia,'» a Lisbon newspaper. «For days prior to the thirteenth, groups of pilgrims travelled towards Fatima. They came on foot, buskins on their brawny legs, food bags on their heads, across the pine groves, where the crowberries seem like drops of dew upon the verdure, along the sands, where the windmills rotate. A slow and swaying gait SWllng the hems of their skirts from side to side and waved orange kerchiefs upon which sat their black hats. «Workers from Marinha, farmers . from Monte Real, Cortes and Marrazes, . women from distant hills, the hills of Soubio, Minde and Louri~al, people from everywhere whom the voice of the mir~cle had reached, left their homes and fields and came on foot, by horse or by carriage. They travelled the higways and the roads, between hills and pine groves. For two days these came to life with the rolling of the carriages, the trot of the donkeyes and the voices of the pilgrims. «Fall gave tints of red to the vineyards. A chilly and piercing northeaster, forerunner of winter; waved the transparent poplars along the margins of the rivers. «Over the sands, the I white sails of the wind- mills rotated. In the woods, the green tops of the pines bowed to the , wind. Clouds slowly closed the skies, while the fog rolled in with light, soft puffs. In the vast beach of Vieira, the sea foamed, roared and coiled in high waves, as the sinister howl of its voice travel- led over the fields. «All · night long and into early morning, a light persistent rain fell. It soaked the field saddened the air, and chilled to the bone the men, women and children and the beasts plod- ding their way towards the hill of the miracle. The rain kept falling, a soft, unending drizzle. Drops trickled down the women's skirts of coarse wool or striped cotton, making them as w~ighty as lead. Water dripped from the caps and broad-brimmed hats onto the new jackets of their suits for seeing God. The bare feet of the women and the hobnailed shoes of the men sloshed in the wide pools of the muddy roads. They seemed not to notice the rain. They went up the hills without stopping, illu- minated by ,faith, anxious for the miracle promised by Our Lady to the pure and simple children who watched sheep, for the thirteenth at one o'clock, the hour of the sun. «A murmut drifting down from the hills reached us. It was a murmur like the distant voice of the sea lowered faintly before the silence of the fields. It was the religious songs, now becoming clear, intoned by thousands of voices. On the plateau, over a hill, or filling a valley, there was a wide and shuffling mass of thousands upon thousands of souls in prayer.» «0 Beculo,» another Lisbon newspaper carried an extensive article on the oc~urrences of the day. . Their reporter chose for his observation point the road between Chao de Ma~as and Ourem. «Along the road, we met the first groups going to the holy place, many walking more than ten miles, men and women, most of them barefoot, with the women carrying bags on their heads, topped with their heavy shoes, while the men leaned on their sturdy staffs and carried their umbrellas . as a precaution. They seemed unaware of all that happened around them, disinterested . in either the land- scape or the other wayfarers, saying the Rosary in a sad rhythm, as if immersed in a dream. A woman broke out with the first part of the Hail Mary, the hailing; her companions took up in chorus the second part, the suplication. With slow cadenced steps, they threaded along the dusty road, among pine groves and olive orchards, so that they might arrive before nightfall at the place of the apparition. There in the open, under the cold light of the stars, they planned to sleep and get the best places near the blessed holmoak to enable them to have a better view. «As they entered the town, some women, already infected by the environment with the virus of atheism, joked about the great event. 'Aren't you going tomorrow to see the saint?' one asked. 'Me? No! Not unless she comes to see me!' They laughed heartily . but the devout went on iridifferent to anything which was not the motive of their ·pilgrimage. All night long, the most varied vehicles moved into the town square carrying the faithful and the curious, and 'also old ladies, somberly dressed, weighted by the years. The ardent fire of faith shining in their eyes gave them heart to leave for a day the little corner in. the home from which they were inseparable, «At dawn, new groups surged undauntedly and crossed through the villages, without stop- ping for a moment, breaking the early morning silence with their beautiful religious hyms. The delicate harmony of the women's voices made violent contrast with their rustic ap- - pearance. «The sufi was rising, though the skies presaged a storm. Dark clouds loomed directly over Fatima. Nothing would . stop the crowd converging from every road on towards the holy place. Though some came in luxurious automobile~, gliding swiftly along the road, continually sounding their horns, oxcarts drag· ged slowly alongside them. There were car- riages of all types, victoria chaises, landaus, and wagons fitted out for the occasion with seats, and crowded to the limit. «Almost all brought besides food, a bundle of straw for the animals, which the poor man ·of Assisi called our brothers, and which car- ried out their tasks so bravely. Once in a while, one could see a small wagon trimmed with ornaments, small bells jingiing softly as it moved along, yet the festive mood was discreet, manners were reserved, and the order perfect. Though little donkeys trotted along the side of the road, there were great numbers of cyclists who had to perform real feast to , keep from tumbling. «About ten in the morning, the skies became overcast. Soon it had turned to rain. Sheets of rain, driven by a chilly fall wind, whipped the faces of the pilgrims, drenched the roads, and chilled the people to the bone. While sorhe sought shelter under the trees, against the walls or in scattered houses, others continued their march with impressive endurance. «The road to Leiria dominates to a great extent the wastes of Fatima where it is said the Virgin appeared to the little shepherds. Parked along this road were the carriages of the pilgrims and the sightseers. The 'majority of the pilgrims, the thousands that came from many miles around and from the provinces, gathered about the small holmoak, which, in the words of the children, the Vision chose for her pedestal. This was ' the center of a great . circle around which the devout and other spectators ranged themselves.» Some estimated the crowd at the Cova da Iria this day to be at least seventy thousand persons. . A professor of the University of Coimbra, Dr. Almeida Garret, after careful consideration, placed the number at over one hundred thousand. «There were so many people there even on the twelfth,» said Senhora da Capylinha, «that the din could be heard even in our _ hamlet. The people spent the whole night in the open since there was no shelter for them. Before the sun rose they were ~lready up, praying. weeping and singing. I came very early and was able to get close to the holmoak. The trunk was the only thing left of it but I had adorned it the night before with flowers- and ribbons.» Away at Lucia's home, everyone was dis- turbed. Senhora Santos was sad as she never had been before. She feared that this was Lucia's last day on earth. Tears running down her face, she looked at her daughter who tried to cheer her. . «Don't fear, maezinka, little mother,» Lu- cia said with a caress, «for nothing will happen to us. Our Lady shall do what she promised.» When Lucia was ready, Senhora Santos de- cided to go also, «for if my daughter dies, I want to be at her side.» Accompanied by her husband, she took Lucia to Jacinta's house. The house overflowed with people; scores upon scores pressed outside, waiting for the children. «The curious and the devout filled the house to the limit,» Ti Marto recalls. «It rained hard and the road was a mire; it was all thick slime. My wife was worried. There were people over the beds and the trunks, soiling everything. 'My dear, don't let it bother you,' I calmed her. 'When the house is full no one else can come in.' When the time came for me to leave after the children, a neighbor took me aside and said in my ear: 'Marto, you'd better not go for you may be mistreated. The children, as they are only children, no one will hurt them. But you are in danger of being harmed.' 'As to me,' I replied, 'I'm going in my good faith. I'm not afraid at all. I've no doubt as to the good outcome.' My Olimpia was very frightened, practically at her wit's end, recommending herself to Our Lady. She awaited the worst, as priests and many others presaged only evil. «The children were as much at ease as they could be. Francisco and Jacinta hadn't a care in the world. 'Look' said Jacinta, 'if they hurt us, we'll go to Heaven, but pity them, for they shall go to Hell.' «A lady from Pombalinho, no less than the Baroness of Almeirim, had brought two dresses for the girls, a blue one for Lucia and a white one for Jacinta. She dressed them herself and placed garlands of artificial .flowers on their heads. It made them look like little angels. We left the house under torrents of rain. The road was oozing mud but it did not keep the women and everi the fine ladies from kneeling before the children. 'Don't do that, women!' I had to repeat. They believed that the children had the power of the saints. «After many struggles and interruptions, we came at last to the Cova da Iria. The crowds were so thick, that it was difficult to pierce through them. It was then that a chauffeur took my Jacinta in his arms and, pushing along opened a way to the posts with the lanterns, continually shouting, 'make way for the chil- dren who have seen ' Our Lady.' «I followed them close, but Jacinta seeing me pressed among the people, feared for me. 'Don't pu!>h my father,' she broke out, 'don't push my father.' «The man set Jacinta on the ground near the holmoak, but the crush there was so great that the child began to cry. Francisco and Lucia placed ·her between themselves. «My Olimpia was on the other side, I don't know where, but my comadre, Maria Rosa Santos, was close by the children. I was a little distance away and suddenly became aware of a fiendish looking man bearing down on my shoulder with his staff. 'The trouble begins,' I said to myself. The multitude swayed back and forth until the moment came when every- one stood still and quiet. The time had come for the apparitions; it was noon by the sun.» «There was a priest close by,» Senhora da Capelinha tells, «who had spent the night near the holmoak and he 'was saying his breviary. When the children arrived, dressed as if for First Communion, he asked them about the time of the apparition. 'At noon,' Lucia re- sponded . . The pi-iest took out his watch and said, 'Look, it is already noon. Our Lady never lies. Let us wait.' A few minutes went by. He looked at his watch again. 'Noon is gone. Everyone out of here! The whole thing is an illusion!' «Lucia did not want to leave so the priest began pushing the three children away. Lucia, almost in tears, said, 'Whoever wants may go away, I'm not going. I'm on my own property. Our Lady said she was coming. She always came before and so must be coming again.' Just then, she glanced towards the east and said to Jacinta, 'Jacinta, kneel down; OJ.1r Lady is coming. I've seen the flash.' The priest was ' silenced. I never saw him again.» The hour of the apparition had arrived; the miracle that was promised had begun to take place. x. Sixth ' Apparition (continued) cSILENCB silence, Our Lady is coming,» Lucia cried out as she saw the flash. The rain having ceased, the sun began gradually to appear, and Our Lady came. Her snow white feet rested upon the beautiful flowers' and ribbons with which Senhora da Capelinha had adorned the tree. The faces of the three children assumed an unworldly expression, their features becom- ing more delicate, their color mellow, their eyes intent upon the Lady. They did not hear Lucia's mother warning her to look closely so as not to be deceived. «What do you want of me?» Lucia inquired of the Queen of Heaven. «1 want tot.ell you that they must build a chapel here in my honor,' that 1 am the Lady of .the Rosary; that they continue to say the Rosary every. day. The war will end and the soldiers will return to their homes soon,,» Our Lady resp'onded. «I have many favors to ask. Do you wish to grant them or not?» . «Some 1 will! Others 1 will not! They must mend their lives, ask forgiveness for their sins. Offend not Our Lord arvy more,» Our Lady continued, her face becom- ing very grave, . «For He is already much offended;» . Lucia, knowing this was to be the last in- terview with Our Lady, wanted to make sure that she received all the comands Mary wished to give her. She hoped to spend the rest of her life on earth fulfilling the desires of Our Lady. «Do you want anything else from me?» the girl asked. «1 desire nothing e18e.» As Our Lady took leave of the children, she opened . her hands which emitted a flood of light. While she was rising, she pointed towards the sun and the light gleaming from her hands brightened the sun itself. «There she goes; there she goes!» shouted Lucia, without for a moment taking her eyes from the beautiful Queen of Heaven. Lueia did not afterwards remember having said these words, though FranCisco and Jacinta and many others distinctly heard her. Lucia said later that she had no recollection of it. «I was not even aware of the presence of the people. My purpose was not to call the attention of the people to it; 1 did it, carried away by an interior movement which impelled me to it.» The echo of Lucia's shout came back in a hurne, immense cry of wonder and astonish· ment from the multitude. The sun was now pale as the moon . To the left of the sun, Saint Joseph appeared holding in his left arm the Child Jesus. Saint Joseph emerged from the bright clouds only to his chest, sufficient to al- low him to raise his right hand and make, togetQer with the Child Jesus, the Sign of the Cross three times over the world. As Saint Joseph did this, Our Lady stood in all her brilliancy to the right of the sun, dressed in the blue and white robes of Our Lady of the Rosary. Meanwhile, Francisco and Jacinta were bathed in the marvellous colours and signs of the sun, and Lucia was privileged to gaze upon Our Lord dressed in red as the Divine Redeemer, blessing the world, as Our Lady had foretold. Like Saint Joseph, He was seen only from His chest up. Beside Him stood Our Lady, dressed now in the purple robes of Our Lady of Sorrows, but without the sword . Final- ly, the Blessed Virgin appeared again to Lucia in all her ethereal brightness, clothed in the simple brown robes of Mount Carmel. 7 As the children stared enraptured by these most beautiful heavenly visions, the countless thousands of people were amazed and over- powered by other miracles in the skies. The sun had taken on an extraordinary colour. The words of eye-witnesses best describe these stu- pendous signs. «We could look at the sun with ease,» Ti Marto testified; «it did not bother at all. It seemed to be continually fading and glowing in one fashion, then another. It threw shafts of light one way and another painting everything in different colours, the people, the trees, the earth, even the air. But the greatest proof of the miracle was the fact that the sun did not bother the eyes.» A man like Ti Marto who spent all of his days in the open fields with his flocks and tended his garden under the hot sun of the Portuguese hills, marvelled at this fact. «Everybody stood still and quiet, , «1 cannot give details of this apparition; it took place on the thirteenth of OCtober, at the height of the sun and ·in a change of light that gave us the understanding that . she showed her- self as such: Or Lady of C8;rnrel.~ (Lucia, March, 194.) gazing at the sun,» he went on. «At a certain point, the sun stopped its play of light and then started dancing. It stopped once more and again started dancing until it seemed to loosen itself from the skies and fall upon the people. It was a moment of terrible suspense.» Maria da Capelinha gave the author her impressions of this tremendous miracle. «The sun cast different colours, yellow, blue and white. It trembled constantly. It looked like a revolving ball of fire falling upon the people.» As the sun hurled itself towards the earth in a mighty zigzag motion, the multitude cried out in terror, «Ai Jesus, we are all going to die here; Ai Jesus, we are all going to die here.» Some begged for 'mercy, «Our Lady save US;)) many others made acts of contrition. One lady was even confessing her sins aloud. At last the sun swerved back to its orbit and rested in the sky. «Everyone gave a sigh of relief; we were still alive, and the miracle promised by the children had come to pass.» Our Lord already so much offended by the sins of mankind [l ad particularly · by the mis- treatment of the c:lildren by the - Imlcio Lourenc;o was a boy nine years old at the time, living ' in tl;1e village of Alburitel, ten miles away from Fatima. He is now a priest and he remembers this day vividly. He was in school. «About noon,» he said, «we were startled by the cries and exclamations of the people going by the school. The teacher was the first to run outside to the street with all the children following her. The people cried and wept on the street; they were all pointing towards the sun. It was 'The Miracle' promised by Our Lady. I feel unable to describe it as I saw it and felt it at the time. I was gazing at the sun; it looked so pale to me, it did not blind. It was like a ball qf snow rotating upon itself. All of a sudden. it seemed to be falling, zigzag, threatening the earth. Seized with fear, I hid myself amidst the people: Everyone was - crying, waiting for' the end of the world. Fatima, noon, Oct. 13, 1917. 8efore (above) and during (below) '''e great miracle. «Nearby, there was a' godless man who had spent the morning making fun of the simple- tons who had gone to Fatima just to see a girl. I looked at him and he was numbed, his eyes riveted on the sun. I saw him tremble from head to foot. Then he raised his hands towards Heaven, as he was kneeling there in the mud, and cried out, 'Our Lady, Our Lady.' Everyone was crying and weeping, asking God to forgive them their sins. After this was over, we ran to the chapels, some to one, others to the other one in our village. They were soon filled. «During the minutes that the miracle lasted, everything around us reflected all the colours of the rainbow. We looked at each other and one seemed blue, another yellow, red and so on. If increased the terror of the people. After ten minutes, the sun resumed its place, as 'pale, and without splendor. When everyone realized the danger was over, there was an outburst of joy. Everyone broke out in a hymn of praise to Our Lady.» As the miracle came to its end and the people arose from the muddy ground, another surprise awaited them~ A few minutes before, they had been standing in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin. Now they noticed that their clothes were perfectly dry. How kind was Our Lady to her friends who had braved rain and mud, and put on their very best clothes for her visit. The Bishop of Leiria wrote in his Pastoral Letter that those who witnessed the events of The three children are shown standing under the arch erected on the site of the apparitions in this photo taken shortly after October 13th. this great day were fortunate indeed. «The children long before set the day and hour at which it was to take place,» he said. «The news spread quickly over the whole of Portugal and although the , day was chil .. ly and pouring rain, many thousands of people gathered... They saw the different manifestations of the sun paying homage to the Queen of Heaven and Earth, who is more radiant than the sun in all its splendor. This phenomenon which no astronomical observatory registered was. not natural. It was seen by people of all classes, members of the Church and non-Catholics. It was seen by reporters of the principal newspapers and by people many miles away,» These are his of- ficial words, spoken after long study and careful interrogations of many witness 'of the apparition. There is no possibility of error or illusion when close to a hundred thousand ' people concur in their testimony. God in Heaven had called the people of the world to jein with the heavens in praying honor and glory to His Blessed Mother, Mary. XI. Francisco Leads the Way WHAT IS OFTE,N OVERLOOKED by those who read of Fatima now is the fact that for years nothing was revealed of the content of the revelations as given in the foregoing pages. Only the ur- gency to pray and do penance, and the promise of a miracle, were mentioned by the children. After the first apparition of Our Lady the children pledged one anoter to secrecy for fear of being ridiculed. But since the message of Fatima was intended by Our Lady not merely for the , children but for the whole world, God used Jacinta's enthusiasm to make know the fact of tbe apparition to the world. After the second apparition, however, that of June 13 th, theil; secrecy was of a different order. As Lucia says in her Memoirs, «When we said (before the apparition of July the 13th) that Our Lady had revealed 'a secret to us, we referred to this (reparation to the Im- maculate Heart) . Our Lady did not tell us at this time to keep (this revelation) secret, but we felt that God moved us to it.» (Memoirs, Dec. 8, 1941) This inclination of the children to silence was confirmed by Our Lady when, on July the 13th, she told them what Lucia calls, and what is know as , the Secret proper. I t was only after many years thaI any of the substance of this secret revelation was made know by Lucia; and even to this date there are important words of Our Lady yet un- disclosed. After the last apparition on October 13th, 1917, the three children tried to return to their ordinary routine life; Francisco and Jacinta to await ; the day when Mary would · come to take them to Heaven; Lucia hoping soon to begin her work of spreading devotion and love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary . Henceforth, however, they were marked children, marked , by men as well as by God. People flocked to see and speak with them, the poor; the rich, even priests came. They asked a thousand dif- ferent questions, but the answers were always the same. The innocence, seriousness and sim- plicity of the three were solid proof to both learned and unlearned alike of their utter truthfulness. To see them was to believe in them. Francisco testified that he saw Our Lady, that her radiant beauty was blinding to the eyes, but that he never heard her speak. Jacinta, • could tell more, but she candidly admitted' that sometimes she had not heard Our Lady very well and had forgotten many things. If the people wanted to know more, they should ask Lucia. Lucia would repeat the story word for word every time; but sometimes and in fact very often people would try to make her reveal the secret of the revelations. Then JaCinta and Lucia kept silence sometimes to the point of being impolite. What saddened them and con- fused them terribly was when priests came and tried to pry the secret out of them. They did not want to be rude with God's priests, yet they felt had to keep the secret. Mary helped them in their dilemma. The Reyerend Faustino Ferreira, pastor of the neighboring village and dean of the district, met them on one of his official visitations; and thenceforth seized every opportunity of speaking with them. The children were very much drawn to this priest since they were free to ask him all the questions they wanted to ask. They loved him for his kind ways and they followed his counsels faithfully. He was never too busy for them and would put their minds at ease about everything. He well realized that it was not so much his words that were influencing the children as the Mother of God. She was the artist, gently though firmly moulding their souls . to the model of her First Born, the Child .Jesus. Our Lady had instructed F,rancisco, through Lucia, that she would take him to heaven soon, but- that he must say many Rosaries. He never forgot these words and like 'Saint Dominic he became a real apostle of the Rosary. He had no other interest in life than to fulfill these words of Our Lady of the Rosary. One day, two fine ladies came to his house and asked him what he wouid like to be when he grew up. «Do you want to be a carpenter?» «No,ma'am.» «A soldier?» «No.» «A doctor? Wouldn't you like to be a good doctor?» . «No.» «l know what you would like to be, a priest! You would like to say Mass, hear confessions, and give sermons. Is that it?» «No, ma'am, I don't want to be a priest either.» «Then what do you want to be?» «I don't want to 'be anything. I just want to die and go to Heaven.» Francisco's father, who was listening to this conversation, said. «That is really his heart's de,sire.» Francisco took to separating himself from Lucia and Jacinta after they reached the hills. More and more he appeared to want t~ meditate on all that Our Lady had told the children. He would say afterwards: «I liked to see the Angel so much, but I liked Our Lady much more. What I liked best about the apparitions was seeing Our Lord in' that light that the Blessed Virgin put into our hearts. I love God very much. He is so sad because of so many sins. We must not commit even the smallest sin.» The children gradually gave up all thoughts of play. ' Sometimes in the company of the others they would sihg and dance as usual. but only so as not to appear singular. Jacinta and Francisco, knowing they were soon to die. gave themselves more and more to mortifica- tion and prayer. They could not get interested in school because to them it served no purpose. It was but time wasted, when they could be spending it more profitably it the, presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. Both of them had made their first Confes- sion in the year of the apparitions, but their First Communion was deferred {'Or another year. When the time came for tl}em to receive the Eucarist, Francisco failed to pass the catechism test, and ho he had to wait longer. So heartbroken was the poor boy when his sister approached the altar rail that he could . not enter the church. He remained outside. leaning against the stones of the church sob- bing his eyes out. Although the public apparitions ended with that of October 12th, Our Lady by no means abandoned the three chosen ones after that. We have it on Jacinta's testimony to her pastor that three times in the following year she ap- peared to the little girl; and as we shall see later OR, she continued to appear to Lucia, long after her childhood. Moreover, the power of Our Lady of Fatima was manifest in the favors granted through the special intercession of the children. To cite but one instance, there was the man for whose safe return home Jacinta was asked to p.ray. The man, who had just escaped from jail and was tramping aimlessly about, found himself quite hopelessly lost in the hills and in great distress at the time of Jacinta's intercessi.on. Kneeling down on the ground to pray, he saw Jacinta standing before him. The little child led him safely to the road home and then vanished from his sight. Jacinta, however, had no knowledge of the remarkable incident until the man returned to report it. Of Lucia's power little is known since she is reluctant to discuss herself in that way. But it is an established fact that her mother was brought remarkably through a grave illness through Lucia's faith in Our Lady . . The requests placed before the children for prayers were. endless, and the wondedul answers to their prayers attest to the favor in which they stood before the Mother of God. . Towards the end of October, . 1918, the whole Marto family came down with influenza; The father alone escaped, so he was able to take care of the rest. He could not do his ordinary work for he had to take care of the house, cook the meals, and watch over each one of his large family. «I was ' bowed down with heavy burdens,» he said, «but the finger of God was in this. He helped me. I never had to borrow money. There was always enough.». Francisco was in :\ very serious condition. He could not move out of bed. At this time, Our Lady . appeared to · Francisco and Jacinta, telling them that she would come for Francisco very soon and that Jacinta would follow him not along after. They were so happy at this good news that Jacinta confided in her cousin, «Look, Lucia, Our Lady came to see us and said that she was coming soon for Francisco. She asked me if I still wanted to convert more sinners. I said yes. ' Our Lady wants me to go to two hospitals but it is not to cure me. It is to suffer more for the love of God, the conver- sion of sinners and in reparation for the of- fenses . committed . against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She told · me that you would not go with me. My mother will take me there and afterwards I am to be left there alone.» How courageous was this little girl to offer herself as a victim of love and reparation to God and Mary. Francisco had this selfsame spirit of love and sacrifice. He was a very sick boy and some of the medicines he had to take were not particularly agreeable. «Yet he would take any medicine we gave him,» his mother said. «He never fussed. I could never find out what he liked. If I gave him a glass of milk, he took it; and when I gave him an egg, he sucked it. Poor child! He took any bitter medicine without making a face. This gave us hope that he would recover, but he always repeated that it was useless since Our Lady was going to come for him. He knew well what was in store for him.» Francisco improved enough to allow him to take short walks, and he always turned his .steps towards the Covu da Iria. Once there, he would kneel near the stump of the holmoak, his eyes seeking the blue sky beyond which dwelt Our Lady. His eyes sparkled with new life as he thought of the joy that would soon be . his when Our Lady ' came to take him up to Heaven. He would return from the Cova da Iria somewhat refreshed; so much so that his father said, «You are going to get better. You are going to grow up to be a fine big man.» «Our Lady will come soon for me,» he replied with utter certitude. Tired and saddened by the long vigils of caring for his sick family, the father would reply. «God's will be done.» And tears would burst from his eyes. Francisco's godmother once said, «If Our Lady will cure you, I promise to offer your weight in wheat.» «That is useless. Our Lady will not do you this favor.» Francisco was right. As the days went on, he lost the strenght to get up from his bed. He was sinking very fast under the weight of a persistently high fever. However, his ready smile and continual cheerfulness misled everyone as to his true condition. The influenza epidemic did not by-pass Lucia's family. Most of them were taken sick though Lucia was spared. She helpel nurse the sick in her family and every chance she had, she ran over to the Marto house to see if she could help them, but especially she wanted to be with Francisco and Jacinta. She knew they would leave her soon. She divided her time between t'heir two rooms. Sitting on a footstool next to their beds, she excanged . with them the confidences of their hearts. «Have you made any sacrifices today?» Lucia asked Jacinta. «I have made a lot. My mother went out and many times I wanted to get out of bed and go to 'Francisco's room but 1 didn't.» Lucia told Jacinta what she herself was able to do to prove her love for Our Lady. She told about her little prayers and sacrifices. «I did that too,~ little Jacinta spoke up. «I love Our Lord and Our Lady and I never get tired of telling Them that I love- Them. When I tell that to Them, it seems sometimes that" I have a fire burning in my breast, a fire that does not consume... Oh, how I would like to be able to go again to the hills to say the Rosary in the Cave. But I can't any more. When you go to the Cova da Iria, pray for me, Lucia! I'm sure I'll never go there again. Now YOlt go to Fraucisco's room because I want to make the sacrifice of being alone.» As she sat next to Francisco's bed, Lucia. gently whispered to him, «Francisco, are you suffering a great deal?» Yes, I am. i suffer it all for the love of Our Lord and Our Lady. I want to suffer more and I can't.»' He lifted himself up a little to see if the door was closed tight. He fumbled under the pillow for his rope of penance and handed it to Lucia. «You keep it for me. I'm afraid 'mother will see it. If I get up again, I want it back.» Our Lady had told them that God did not want them wearring the rope in bed but they kept it nearby just in case they ever got up. Francisco knew well that he would not recover. «Look, Lucia, I'm going soon to Heaven. Jacinta is going to pray a great deal for sinners and for the Holy Father and for you. You're going to stay here below because Our Lady wants you to. Do whatever she wants.» «J acinta seemed to be interested only in the conversion of sinners; she wanted to save peo- ple from Hell,» Lucia said later, «but Fran- cisco's only desire was to console Our Lord and Our Lady Who seemed to him so sor- rowful.» «I feel very sick,» he confided to Lucia, «but I'll be in Heaven soon.» «Then make sure you pray very much for sinners and for the Holy Father, Jacinta and me.» «Yes, I'll pray. But you should rather .ask Jacinta for that. I'm afraid I'll forget everything when I see Our Lord. After all, I would rather console Jesus and Mary.» Lucia's visits seemed to lighten the sorrows of sickness in the Marto home. «It made me sorry to watch Jacinta in bed, covering her face with her hands and not moving for hours at a time,» said her mother. «She said she was thinking. When I asked her what she was thinking about, she smiled and said, 'Nothing, mother.' She kept no secrets, however, from her cousin Lucia. Lucia brought joy and hap- piness to everyone. When · the two girls were alone, they talked continually and in such a way that · none of us could catch a word of what they said no matter how hard we tried. When anyone went near them, they lowered their heads and kept quiet. No one could pen- etrate their mysterious confidences.» «What did Jacinta tell you?» Senhora Olim- pia once asked Lucia, as she was leaving for her home. Lucia smiled and sped away. «But I do know that they used to say Rosary after Ros~ry, at least severt or .eight every day and there was no end to their short prayers.» Francisco, however, in his last days, was not able to recite his prayers. «Mother, I can't say the Rosary, I can't even say the Hail Mary . without being distracted.» «If you can't pray with your lips, do it with your heart. It will make Our Lord happy just the same.)} He understood and felt better. As his fever rose and his appetite failed, he realized the end was near. «Father,» he said to his dad, «before I die, I want to receive Our Lord.» He had not yet received his First Holy ' Communion. Francisco's words were a sword in the heart of his loving Father. He hated the thought of losing his little boy, but with manly courage he spoke up, «I'll take care of that right away. I'll go right now to see the priest.» The father remembered so well that sad journey. He tells how he took saine of the other children with him and on the . way back, they said their Rosary together, but because he forgot his beads, he had to count them on .his fingers. Meanwhile, Francisco called his sister Tere- sa and asked her to call Lucia right away. When Lucia came, he asked his mother and brothers to leave his room because he wanted to talk to Lucia alone. When they went out he said, «Lucia, I'm going to make my Confession now and die. I want you to tell me if you ever saw me commit any sins.» «Sometimes you disobeyed your mother when she wanted you to stay home. You sneaked away to be with me or to hide yourself.» \ «It's true. I committed that sin. Now go and ask Jacinta if she remembers any.» Lucia went to ask her. After some thought Jacinta answered, «Yes, look. Tell him that before Our Lady appeared to us, he stole _ten cents. And when the boys threw stones at the boys from Boleiros, he helped them.» Lucia told this to Francisco and he said, «I have confessed those already, but I'll confess them again. Maybe they are the reason why Our Lord is so sad. As for me, even if I were not to die, I wouldn't do it again. I'm sorry. My Jesus, forgive us,» he began to pray, joining his hands, «forgive us; save us from the fire of Hell.» Then turning to Lucia again, «Look, Lucia, you too ask Our Lord to forgive me my sins.» «I will, don't worry. If Our Lord had not forgiven you, Our Lady would not have told Jacinta that she was coming for you soon. I'm going to go to Mass to pray for you.» «That afternoon, the priest came to · hear Francisco's Confession and promised to bring him his First Holy Communion in the morning. He was so happy and he asked his mother to be sure not to give him anything to eat or drink after midnight. He ,wanted to fast like, everyone else. The next morning, when he heard the tinkling of the bell announcing the coming of Our Lord, he tried to sit up in bed but his strenght failed him and he fell back on the pillow. He received Jesus into his heart. olosed his eyes in prayer, abiding in Jesus as He abode in him. As the feeling of the presence of God pervaded him, he recalled that other day when the Angel . came and together they adored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. This faithful boy had given his life to make reparation to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the sins of men. He had spent hours, whole days, oreaming of his loved Ones, Jesus and Mary, scorning the absorbing pleasures of childhood to comfort their loving Hearts. With Christ within him, Francisco offered himself again and again as a victim of love, consolation and reparation. He finally opened his eyes and saw his mother tearfully looking upon him. H~ ' said, «Mother, will the priest bring me Communion again tomorrow?» But this was his first and last Communion; tomorrow he would be with Jesus and Mary in Heaven. Lucia came to attend Francisco's First Com- munion. Jacinta also was allowed to get up and visit with her brother. «I can't pray any- more,» he ct;mfided to them, «you pray for ·me.» The two girls knelt and prayed. «Lucia, maybe I'm going to miss you very much. I'd like Our Lord to take you to. Heaven very soon.» «You're going to miss me? Oh no! As if it ~ were possible when you are . near Our Lord l!nd Our Lady Who are so good.» 'f I ' !( You are right. Maybe I won't remember you.» Francisco lingerep on until evening, failing faster every minute. He was extremely thirsty. Lucia and his mother, staying faithfully with him, tried occasionally to give him a spoonful of water, but he was too weak even to swallow. They asked him how he felt. To spare his mother worry and grief, he managed to say. ~ Pm fine. I've got no pains.» But when he was alone with Lucia and Jacinta, they realized what he was' going through; it gave him mu.ch relief to open up his heart to them. «I'm going to go to Heaven, and I'm going to ask Our Lord and Our Lady to take you there soon.» «Give my best wishes, my very best wishes to Our Lord and to Our Lady,» Jacinta inter- rupted, «and tell Them that I'll suffer all that They want me to, for the conversion of sinners and in rl!paration for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.» His mother came in to watch over her little boy. Though her constant prayer was «God's will be done,» it did not lessen the sorrow of her heart as she watched little Frandsco die before her eyes. All was darkness on the hills and in the Marto home. Suddenly Francisco aroused himself to speak, ' «Mother. look! What a beautiful light - by the door!» His eyes opened wide . with n.ew life. «Now it's gone; I can't see it alJ.yrnore.» Morning came; the end would come any moment. He asked them all to bless him, pray for him and to please forgive him all his faults. Their eyes filled with ' tears as they said they would. About ten, as the morning sun shone brightly into the room, his face brightened, an angelic smile parted his lips as he breathed his last breath. Without imy agony, with utmost peace, he made his exit from this world. This boy had finished the work God had given him to do. Friday morning, the fourth day of April, in the year 1919, Our Lady came to claim him for her own. The following day, his mortal remains were taken to the cemetery in prayerful procession. First there was the crucifix, followed by a group of men dressed in green robes, then the priest, while behind the priest, four boys in white robes carried the body. Lucia and the Marto family with many friends walked along, tears streaming from their saddened eyes. Little Jacinta was so sick she had to stay at home in bed. A simple wooden cross was placed over his grave. As long as Lucia remained in the village, never a day went by , without her going to visit the grave of her beloved Francisco. She knew he was happy with Jesus and Mary in Heaven and that he would not forget his promise always to pray for Jacinta and herself. Nothing could separate them on earth and nothing would separate them in death. Above: On March 13, 1952 Ihe remains of III- tIe Francisco were car· rled from Ihe Fallma cemetery to be interred In Ihe Iransepl of Ihe greal Fallma baslIlca. Three of his brolhers were pallbearers. Right : When Ihe lomb of Ja· cinta was opened in 1951 her body was fonnd pracllcally Incor· rupt. Her remains are also entombed In the Iransepl of Ihe bulIlea at the Cova da Irla. June 11 , 1908 April 4, 1919 March 11, 1910 XII. Jacinta's death FRANCISCO'S DEATH left Lucia and Jacinta ut- terly heartbroken. Though they realized he was happy in Heaven with Our Lord and Our Lady, they missed him. Their three hearts were as one and in losing him, they felt they lost part of their heart. Jacinta particularly was lonely for her brother. She would sit up in bed, her head burning with fever, and remain motionless for hours, her face showing her awful dejection. «What are you thinking about, Jacinta? » her mother asked. «I'm thinking of Francisco. How much I would love to see him.» Jacinta could not tell everything that was in her ' thoughts to her mother, though she did confide in Lucia. «I' think of Francisco and how I'd love to see him. But I think also of the war that is going to come. So many people will die and so many will go to Hell. Many cities shall be burned to the ground and many priests will be killed. Look, Lucia, I'm going to Heaven. But when you see that night lightened by that strange light, you also run away to Heaven.» «Don't you see it's impossible to run away to Heaven?» «Yes, you can't 'do that. But don't be afraid. I'll pray a lot for you in Heaven, and for the Holy Father also, and for Portugal, for the war not to come here and for all the priests.» Jacinta not only . prayed, she suffered. The influenza from which she suffered grew worse ' daily an4 an abscess formed on her chest. Her mother felt so sad to see her dear little child in such pain but Jacinta always came back with a consoling word. «Don't worry, mother, for I'm going to Heaven. I'll pray a lot for you there. Don't cry. I'm all right.» Little soldier that she was, she tried hard to forget her sickness and pains so that she might console her family and offer everything for the con- version of sinners. «We must make many, many sacrifices and pray a lot for sinners,» she confided to Lucia, «so that no one shall ever again have to go to that prison of fire where people suffer so much.» Jacinta did not let one moment of suffering go to waste. One twinge of pain was of more value to her than all the gold in the world. , A doctor came to her house and advised her parents to take her to the hospital at Ourem where she could get the best professional treat- ment. Jacinta knew that the best doctors in the world. could not cure her. She was willing to go, however, in obedience to Our Lady, because it would give her a greater opportunity to sacrifice herself. Jacinta tried very hard to be courageous about going, .but to go to a hospital and live among strangers, without her mother or father or her brothers and sisters was no easy sacrifice. The hardest thing of all, however, would be to say good-bye to Lucia. How could she live without her! «Lucia,» she whispered with tears in her eyes, «if . only you could come with me! The hardest thing to me is to have to go without you. Maybe the hospital is a house that is very dark, where we can't see a thing! And I'll be there suffering all alone.» It had to be. Early in June, her good father lifted her frail body out of bed and placed her, as comfortably as pqssible, upon his little don- key. Together, they set out for the hospital in the town of Ourem. 'f Jacinta ,stayed in the hospital for two months, under rigorous treatment. Once only did she, have visitors, her mother and Lucia. LuCi~t tells about this visit. «I found her as happy 'as always to suffer for the love of God and the, Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Father. That was her ideal. That was all she spoke about.» They remained with Jacinta two days. Senhora Marto had to return to her family and Lucia to hers though it tore their hearts to have to leave Jacinta in this distant hospital alone and among strangers'. What made it even worse was the futility of it all. She was not improving, no matter how much the doctors did. The wound on her chest was large, open and continually running. Finally, the doctors agreed she niight just as well be at home with her family and they discharged her towards the latter part of August. «She was all bones,» Father Formigao said, who visited her at home; «it was a shock to see how thin her arms were. She was running a fever all the time. Pneumonia, then tuber- dilosis and pleurisy ate away her strenght. I remembered, as I saw her, that Our Lady had promised Bernadette of Lourdes that she too would not be happy in this world but in the next. I wondered if Our Lady made the same promise to Jacinta.» One day Jacinta confided to Lucia, «When I'm alone, I get out of bed to say the Angel's prayer. Now I can't bow my head to the floor ~y more because I fall. I say it on my knees.» When Lucia heard this, she thought she should talk it over with the Pastor of Olival. He advised Lucia to tell Jacinta to say her prayers in bed. «But will Our Lord like it?» Jacinta asked, still doubtful. . «Yes, He will. Our Lord wants us to do what the priest says.» . «Then it's all right. I won't get up again for my prayers.» Jacinta would do w~at the priest of God advised. Though she could not kneel to say her prayers, somehow or other, at times, Jacinta had enough strength to take a trip to the Cova da Iria. When winter came, her parents would not hear of ' her going to the Cova but she pre- vailed upon them to' allow her to go to Mass. She wanted to go every morning, as Lucia did. «Don't CODle to Mass,» Lucia tried to counsel her, «it is too much for you. Besides, today isn't Sunday.» «That doesn't matter. I want to go in place of the sinners who don't go even on Sundays, .. Look, Lucia, do you know? Our Lord 'is so sad and Our Lady told us that He must not . be offended any more. He is already offended very much and no one pays any attention to it. They keep committing the same sins.» «Have you performed any other sacrifices, Jacinta?» .. «Yes, Lucia. Last night, I was very thirsty, but I did not drink anything. I felt a lot of . pain and I offered Our Lord the sacrifice o(~ not turning in bed. This is why I couldn't' sleep. And you, Lucia, have you performeq any sacrifices today?» Lucia's sacrifices were': only for Jacinta's ears. . Lucia tells another story about Jacinta. One day, Jacinta'S mother brought her a glass of milk. «You drink this down, Jacinta; it is good for you.» . «I don't want it, mother,» she replied, pushing the glass away. Senhora Marto insisted but J acintawould not give in. «I don't how how I am going to make- . her take anything,» her mother said, as she walked away. When Senhora Marto had gone, Lucia remonstrated with Jacinta. «How does it hap- pen that you disobey your mother! Aren't you going offer that sacrifice to Our Lord?» Hearing this, Jacinta's eyes filled with tears . of sorrow. She called for her mother and asked to be' forgiven. «I'll take anything you want me to take, mother.» Her mother brought back the glass of milk and Jacinta took it without ,showing any sign of revulsion. Afterwards, as Lucia was wiping away Jacinta's tears, the little girl confessed, «If you only knew how hard it was for me to drink it!» From that time on, though Jacinta felt it increasingly difficult to drink milk or broth or . to eat, she never flinched but tried bravely to / take anything her mother gave her. One day, her mother brought in to her with the milk