Enveloped in a thick fog that hung over Fatima in the silence of dawn, we celebrated mass at 6:30 AM on Monday morning in the Chapel of Apparitions. As the sun arose behind the Basilica, the fog took on pink hues like an impressionist painting forming before our eyes. Father Russ led the mass at the beginning of which he reminded us that it was Memorial Day. He dedicated the service to the Virgin if Fatima and to all those who have fought and who are currently fighting in the service of our country. It seemed appropriate to end the celebration by singing “America the Beautiful.”
After the bountiful breakfast buffet at the Hotel Fatima, a Portuguese woman took us on a three-hour tour of the Fatima compound, or sanctuary, as well as a visit to the small town where the three children lived called Aljustrel. Like the word Fatima, which is Arabic in origin, so is the name of this place. Spanish words that begin with the letters “AL” come from the Arabic language. In other words, Muslims were in control of this area between 700 and 1000. As we toured I wondered about the impact of Fatima on the identity and economy of Portugal and I asked myself why here? Why did the apparitions occur here? As I write this blog entry, I wonder whether it has anything to do with what happened during the time that Moors controlled this area or even during the Reconquest by Christians?
Why did the Virgin appear to these three poor children, who from the early age of six were working as shepherds to help feed their family? Hopefully the book Fatima: In Her Own Words will shed some light on this question. The book tells the story of Sister Lucia who lived well into her nineties. The other two children -- her cousins -- died from tuberculosis before they reached adolescence. In 2000, Jacinta and Francisco were canonized and Lucia was there to witness it.
As I have mentioned previously, the Blessed Mother appeared to these children on six occasions in 1917. “A lady more brilliant than the sun” with a white rosary hanging from her hands came to the children and transmitted a series of messages to them at each appearance. Before these apparitions, the Angel of Peace revealed itself three times to prepare the children for the apparition of Mary. In the classic photograph of the children, their faces are filled with fright. I don’t blame them. I would have been terrified too. The fact that no one believed them only added to their fear. We visited all the places where these multiple apparitions occurred.
Many of the pilgrims in our group mentioned that they particularly enjoyed visiting the town where the children were born and raised. Seeing the real sheep, tiny bedrooms, water well, cabbage patches, olives trees seemed to make it all more real. Fatima to some seemed “cold” and “commercial”. It’s enormous and rich, while Aljustrel is humble and poor.
Our visit to Fatima ended in a medieval palace, next to the parish church of Fatima, that has been refurbished to accommodate large groups. We were served typical Portuguese fare including a green soup and green stuffing made of the collard greens grown in the garden right outside. After we ate and drank to our hearts’ delight, we were graced with the performance of Deolinda Bernardo who sang classic Fado songs. In true diva fashion, she had every single man in the hall – even the priests – kiss her as she sang “Besame mucho.”
The Spaniards stayed to dance the night away, while we left to get some much-needed sleep.
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