Our Lady of Fatima

Location: Fatima, Portugal
Date: 1917

Summary:
 Three shepherd children (Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco) saw a ball of light appear near a tree.  Upon closer examination they realized it was a beautiful lady.  She told them she was from Heaven and that she wished for the children to come to that same place (the "Cova") on the 13 (beginning June 13^th 1917) of the month for the next 6 months.  Over the next six months Our Blessed Mother revealed “secrets” to the children.  She told the now thousands of onlookers to have a devotion to her Immaculate Heart as well as to practice penance.  During the September apparition, more than 30,000 witnessed the sun dim and white roses falling from the sky.  Our Lady reminded the onlookers of the importance of praying the Rosary to end the war (WWI).  On her sixth apparition, Our Lady identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary”.  It was on this occasion that most famous miracle of Fatima occurred: before a crowd of 70,000 witnesses, the sun danced.

Interesting Facts:
- First Secret: “The vision of hell”
-Second Secret: “The future role of Russia and how to prevent it,” “Consecrate Russia”
- Third Secret: “A lengthy descriptive vision of what some speculate to be the end times”.
-In November of 1921 a spring began to flow at the apparition site.
- The famous sun miracle was described as the rains stopping and blue sky appearing, followed by the sun spinning and radiating many colors.  The surrounding area seemed to be enveloped by these colors.  It did this two additional times, but moving in a zigzag pattern and seemingly descending to the earth.