FATIMA

September 2010

Today, we headed up for Fatima, south of Porto, approximately one hundred twenty three kilometers north of Lisbon to visit the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary. This time we had a new driver, Juan (Joao in Portuguese). For Ron and me, the visit to Fatima was one of the highlights of the trip, in fact, one of the reasons for including Portugal in the tour. It sufficed that we were not going to Fatima as pilgrims but as tourists. We wanted to see the place and to walk on the very ground that was sanctified by the Blessed Virgin when she appeared to the children ninety-two years ago.

On our drive to the Basilica, we stopped at a religious souvenir shop. Ron and I bought rosaries and a small statue of the Lady of Fatima.

As we resumed our drive to the basilica, Tania distributed religious medals to each of us. She also raffled off a souvenir. I was the lucky winner. It was a colorful wooden carving of a rooster, a memento of the legend of Santiago de Compostela.

As Juan continued to drive, we passed by the place where the three children, Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia used to live. In a few minutes, we reached the Basilica. I did not expect to see that the grounds leading to the basilica was considerably spacious. There was a concrete lane where the devotees walked on their knees towards the shrine. There was a chapel by the tree where the Blessed Virgin appeared to the children. A celebration of the Eucharist was going on at the chapel when we arrived, so Ron and I attended it. After the service, we entered the Basilica, lighted votive candles, and silently said our intentions.

From what I read, I learned that Fatima, a town that used to be a small village, whose main product was olive oil, got its name after the Moorish princess who was converted to Catholicism during the Reconquista. It was in Fatima that Our Lady appeared to the three sheepherders, Jacinta, age seven, Francisco, age 9, and Lucia, age 10. According to church records, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the children on 13 May in 1917 and again on each thirteenth day of the month until October of the same year. During the appearances, a supernatural phenomenon occurred, the sun dazzling radiantly in different colors and seemed to be dancing and even zigzagging towards the people that witnessed the occasion. According to the children, during all the appearances, Our Lady had consistently urged them to pray the rosary, to pray for world peace, do penance, and pray for the repentance of sins. She also told the children three secrets, two of which one of the children revealed later, the last secret revealed by the Vatican during Pope John Paul's time. The townspeople and the authorities did not believe what the children related. They said the children were crazy, liars, or dupes. Fearing the authorities, the parents were not supportive of the children. Yet, the Blessed Mother provided the path to truth and faith. Today pilgrims travel from all over the world to Fatima, either to ask for favors or to give thanks for favors granted.

We spent about an hour or so in Fatima and we proceeded to Porto, the region where Port wine originated. As we drove on to Porto, I thought deeply about Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia. If I were a parent in their time with the same economic and social class as the children's parents, would I react the same way the children's parents did? Most likely, I'd also be in fear of the authorities and I would most likely tell the children to hush up. It was the mood of the time. I am thankful that I live in a place and a time where freedom is in the heart of the country.