What if you got up one morning and turned on the
Weather Channel and heard this forecast:
Heavy Rain, Followed by Miracle!
Well, that was the forecast for the little mountain village of Fatima, Portugal. Back in 1917 the
people had been promised a miracle! Mary, the Mother of God, had been appearing to three
children of the village each month since May of that year. And she had promised to perform a
miracle for them on October 13, 1917. And she kept her promise!
So they gathered in the cove to witness the promised event. It had been pouring rain for a day
or more and all the roads were muddy and slippery, but yet they came. They came from all
over Portugal and beyond: the faithful, the skeptics, the atheistic socialists, and the members
of the press. It was the first time in the history of the world that a miracle was scheduled and
announced weeks in advance. The Mother of God had named the date, place and time. They
would not be disappointed.
A little before noon the children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their older cousin Lucia
Santos, arrived and took their positions at the base of the little holm oak tree, the customary
place where the apparitions had taken place once a month since May. Already there and
waiting for them and apparition and the “scheduled” miracle were more than 70,000 people.
What follows below are several narratives, written at the time of the actual event by members
of the press and others who witnessed the miracle. The source of these reports is the book,
Fatima, The Great Sign, by Francis Johnson, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, IL, 1980,
pages 53-66, www.tanbooks.com, 1-800- 437-5876.
Personal Note: I have always known the Communists had brought on the revolution in Russia
at the end of World War One, and from that base had launched their efforts to take over the
world, spreading communism into Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and into Central and South
America. What I didn't know was that three little uneducated shepherd children in the
mountains of Portugal had told the world this would happen BEFORE it happened. And how
did they know this? They said the Mother of God told them. To me, that is even more
significant than the miracle that occurred and is described below. Learning of these events that
happened at Fatima in 1917 really opened my eyes to the Catholic faith. I have since received
instruction in the traditional Catholic faith and have converted. - Richard J. Frase
Read on and Enjoy! Sursum corda!
THE SOLAR MIRACLE
(from the book, Fatima, The Great Sign, by Francis Johnson)
THE miracle of the sun on 13 October 1917 was the great heavenly sign given by God to
confirm the reality of the Divine intervention at Fatima and the seriousness of His message for
mankind. Since the implications of the stupendous phenomenon are so profound and far-
reaching, it is imperative that we examine it in some detail.
The preliminary manifestations seen in the earlier apparitions were impressive enough: the
multitude of colours flooding the sky and landscape, the luminous flashes and roars of
thunder, the bending of the shrub (13 June), the celestial fragrance (19 August), the luminous
globe and rain of vanishing roses (13 September) and the abating of the sunlight and cooling of
the air (in all the apparitions). But now, to climax everything, there occurred a firmament
cracking spectacle of unprecedented magnitude.
Three times, as we have seen, Our Lady had promised to perform a miracle so that "everyone
may believe" in the reality of her appearances. The children duly announced the news, which
spread through Portugal like a prairie fire and flared across the pages of the anti-clerical press.
As far as is known, for the very first time in recorded history, a prophet or seer was asking all
the people to assemble at a certain place and time to witness a public miracle to prove that the
message which had been received came from God. The prediction created intense controversy
everywhere. The revolutionary Government, which had vowed to stamp out religion in two
generations, were taking no chances with what they regarded as sheer religious fanaticism.
Armed soldiers were sent to the Cova da Iria on the morning of 13 October to prevent people
gathering there. The press lampooned the whole affair and loudly predicted that a non-
occurring miracle would finally explode the myth of religion.
But word of the extraordinary happenings in the Cova da Iria on the 13th of previous months
had gripped the attention of vast numbers of believers. Tens of thousands converged on
Fatima on the morning of 13 October, despite appalling weather conditions and the armed
guards at the Cova da Iria. The latter were posterity, reporters of the anti-clerical press turned
up in force, fully expecting to record a colossal fiasco.
The word miracle as used by the Mother of God, must be understood in its absolute sense-an
extraordinary event either above, contrary to, or outside nature. "Those effects are rightly to
be termed miracles," says St. Thomas Aquinas, "which are wrought by divine power apart
from the order usually observed in nature." (Contra Gent., III. cii). In the case of the solar
miracle of 13 October 1917, we have seen how a ball of fire resembling the sun whirled in the
sky amid a multitude of wavering colours which flooded the sky and landscape, as if the scene
was being viewed through the stained glass windows of some beautiful cathedral. At the
climax the fire fell earthwards, causing the screaming multitude to hurl themselves into the
mud in imminent expectation of the end of the world.
This was only the third time in history that God had used the sun to perform a miracle - the
other two occasions being the prolongation of daylight at the prayer of Joshua (Joshua 10),
and the sign given to the King of Judah in 714 B.C. by the prophet Ezekiel in which the
shadow of a sundial retraced its path by ten hours. (Kings 4:20). But what made the Fatima
miracle unique was that its exact time and location were publicly announced months in
advance. To gain an accurate appreciation of all that happened that day, it is necessary to rely
on the testimonies of those who were present -believers and agnostics. Because of the
exceptional importance of this evidence, it is recounted in some detail to give the reader a
glimpse of the same spectacle from varying angles. The cumulative evidence cited here should
help to bring home to us not only the searing actuality of this event, but the crucial importance
of the message that the miracle was meant to project.
We will begin by quoting two rather lengthy reports carried by the leading anti-clerical
newspapers of the time, since they convey a graphic description of the scene on that
memorable day. The first is from the Diario de Noticias (Daily News) of 15 October 1917.
This newspaper commanded the largest circulation in Portugal at the time. The headline read:
"The 'Miracle' of Fatima. More than fifty thousand people gather at the place of the
apparitions."
"Vila Nova de Ourem, 13 October. In spite of the fitful, drizzling rain that began to fall early in
the morning, an extraordinary gathering of people assembled in the parish of Fatima to witness
the unusual happening of an apparition that ever since Ascension Thursday had claimed the
attention of the people and attracted thousands of pilgrims of all classes of society, age and
sex, to the locality. The day before yesterday, groups of people began to pass through this little
town, men and women who went their way singing hymns and praying the rosary with great
faith and devotion, in the direction of the place where the 'miracle' which, according to the
declarations of the three little shepherds to whom Our Lady deigned to appear several times as
they say, on each 13th of the month, would occur. The air of expectancy was evident as the
noontime encounter approached. Although the rain continued to pour down, not one of all that
multitude moved a step from that favoured spot. Precisely at that same moment, the three little
shepherds, whose names are Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, arrived at the exact spot, falling
immediately to their knees beneath an arch erected for the occasion, with an altar close by.
"A wave of emotion seemed to take hold of those many thousands of believers and curious
alike. As a great number of people had their umbrellas open, the little ones asked the people to
shut them. Then an extraordinary thing happened. According to the testimony of thousands
and thousands present there, the sun appeared like a dull silver plate spinning round in a
circular movement as if it were moved by electricity, according to the _expression used by
knowledgeable people who witnessed the fact.
"Then thousands of people, swayed by emotion and who knows, even dazzled by the light of
the sun that had appeared for the first time that day, fell to the ground, weeping and raising
their hands, joined instinctively in prayer. On their faces an _expression of ecstatic rapture
could be observed, denoting absolute alienation from life. Their simple hearts prayed and wept
in the presence of this strange sensation of a fact that for them, at the moment, was
miraculous. According to what we heard, there were people who seemed to see the sun leave
its supposed orbit, break through the clouds and descend to the horizon. The impression of
these seers spread to others, in a common effort to explain the phenomenon, many crying out
in fear that the giant orb would precipitate itself to the earth on top of them, and imploring the
protection of the Holy Virgin. The 'miraculous hour' passed. "Then the children rose up
smiling, and explained to their anxious listeners that the Lady had said that peace would come
soon and it would not be long before our brave soldiers would return from France where they
were fighting so courageously . . . After these moments of anxiety, the pilgrims returned to
their homes, longing to tell those who hadn't the good fortune to journey to the holy place, of
what their eyes and above all their believing souls had so astoundingly witnessed."
While the writer of this account was careful not to involve himself personally in the
recognition of the miracle lest he compromise himself before his anti-religious superiors in
Lisbon, the editor of another Government newspaper O Seculo (The Century) was not so
restrained. On 15 October the headline on the front page read: "Terrifying Event! How the sun
danced at midday in the sky of Fatima." The account continued:
"Along the road from the Chao de Macas station, we met the first groups going to the holy
place, a distance of more than ten miles. Men and women walked along barefoot, with the
women carrying their bags on their heads, topped with their heavy shoes, while the men leaned
on their sturdy staffs and carried umbrellas as a precaution. They seemed unaware of all that
happened around them, disinterested in either the landscape or the other wayfarers, saying the
rosary in a sad rhythm, as if immersed in a dream . . . With slow, cadenced steps, they
threaded their way 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 next day near the blessed holm
oak, and thus have a better view.
"As they entered the town of Vila Nova de Ourem, some women, already infected with the
germ 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, while the devout
passed on, indifferent to anything that was not the motive of their pilgrimage.
"Only by a sheer stroke of luck or kindness could lodging be found in Ourem. All night long,
the most varied type of vehicles moved into the town square, carrying the faithful and the
curious, besides the old ladies somberly dressed, weighed down by the years, but with the
ardent fire of faith shining in their eyes, which gave them heart to leave for a day the little
corner in the home from which they were inseparable.
"At dawn, new groups surged, undaunted, and crossed through the village without stopping
for a moment, breaking the early morning silence with their beautiful hymns, the delicate
harmony of the women's voices making a violent contrast with their rustic appearance. The
sun was rising, though the skies presaged a storm. Dark clouds loomed directly over Fatima.
Nothing would stop the crowd converging from every direction on towards the holy place,
utilising every means of transport. Luxurious automobiles glided swiftly along the road, their
horns sounding continually, while oxcarts dragged slowly alongside them. There were
carriages of all types, victoria chaises, landaus, and wagons fitted out with seats for the
occasion and crowded to the limit . . . Donkeys trotted along the side of the road, and the
countless cyclists performed real feats to keep from colliding with the vehicles.
"By ten o'clock the sky was completely hidden behind the clouds, and the rain began to fall in
earnest. Swept by a strong wind and beating upon the faces of the people, it soaked the road
way and the pilgrims to the marrow of their bones . . . But no one complained or turned back,
and if some took shelter under trees or walls, the great majority continued on their journey
with remarkable indifference to the rain . . . The place where the Virgin was alleged to have
appeared is fronted to a large extent by the road which leads to Leiria, along which the vehicles
bringing the pilgrims were parked. More than a hundred cars could be counted, more than a
hundred bicycles, and countless numbers of other types of conveyance, among which was a
bus from Torres Novas bringing a group of people of every social condition. But the great
mass of the people coming from great distances, the Minho and Beira in the north, Alentejo
and Algarve in the south, congregated round the holm oak tree, which, according to the
children, was the pedestal chosen by the Virgin. It could be considered the centre of a large
circle round which the spectators gathered to watch events.
"Seen from the road, the general effect was picturesque. The peasants sheltering under their
huge umbrellas, accompanied the unloading of their provisions with the singing of hymns and
the recitation of the decades of the rosary in a matter-of-fact way. People plodded through the
sticky clay in order to see the famous holm oak with its wooden arch and hanging lanterns, at
closer quarters . . . Where were the little shepherds? Lucia, 10 years old, and her little
companions, Francisco, aged 9, and Jacinta, aged 7, had not yet arrived. Finally, about half an
hour before the time when the apparition would take place, their presence was noted. The girls
wore wreaths of flowers and looked like angels as they moved towards the arch. The rain fell
unceasingly, but nobody minded.
"Latecomers were still arriving in cars. Groups of people were kneeling in the mud, quite
unconcerned. Moved by an interior guidance, Lucia asked the people to shut their umbrellas,
and in spite of the rain, she was promptly obeyed. There were so many people there, praying
in such earnestness, almost in ecstasy as if their dry lips could no longer move, their hands
joined, their eyes wide with wonder, people who seemed to be overpowered by the
supernatural. The child asserted that the Lady had spoken to her once more, and then the sky,
still overcast, began to clear overhead. The rain ceased, and the sunlight illuminated the whole
landscape with all the sombre effects of a wintry morning . . .
"From the road where the vehicles were parked and where hundreds of people who had not
dared to brave the mud were congregated, one could see the immense throng turn towards the
sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its zenith. It looked like a plaque of dull silver,
and it was possible to look at it without the least discomfort. It neither burned nor blinded the
eyes . . . At that moment, a great shout went up and one could hear the spectators nearest at
hand shouting: 'A miracle! A miracle!'
"Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they stood bareheaded,
pale with fright, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible
movements outside all cosmic laws-the sun 'danced' according to the typical _expression of
the people. Standing at the step of the Torres Novas bus was an old man, whose appearance in
face and figure reminded one of Paul Deroulede. With his face turned towards the sun he
recited the Creed in a loud voice . . . Afterwards, I saw him going up to those around him who
still had their hats on, and vehemently imploring them to uncover their heads before such an
extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God. Identical scenes were repeated
elsewhere, and in one place, a woman cried out in a gasp of surprise: 'How dreadful that there
are some men who do not even bare their heads before such a stupendous miracle!' People
then began to ask each other what they had seen. The great majority admitted to having seen
the trembling and the dancing of the sun. Others affirmed that they saw the face of the Blessed
Virgin, while others swore that the sun whirled on itself like a giant catherine wheel and that it
lowered itself to the earth as if to burn it with its rays. Some said they saw it change colours
successively.
"It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. The sky was swept clear of clouds and the sun
followed its course in its usual splendour, so that no one ventured to gaze at it directly. What
about the little shepherds? Lucia, who had spoken to Our Lady, was announcing with
expressive gestures, as she was carried along shoulder-high by a man and passed from group
to group, that the war would end and that the soldiers would return . . . But news like that,
however, did nothing to increase the jubilation of those who heard it. The heavenly sign was
sufficient for them: it was everything.
"Intense curiosity prevailed to see the two little girls in their wreaths of roses, and to kiss the
hands of these 'little saints', one of whom, Jacinta, seemed nearer to fainting than dancing.
They had so longed to see the sign from Heaven: they had seen and were satisfied and radiated
their burning faith . . . The crowd dispersed rapidly, without any difficulty, without any sign
of disorder, without any need for policemen to regulate them. Those who were the first to
arrive were also the first to depart, running out on the roadway, travelling on foot with their
footwear in a bundle on their heads or strung from their staffs. They went, with hearts
overflowing with joy, to bring the good news to their hamlets that had not been wholly
depopulated for the time being." And what of the priests? Some turned up at the place,
mingling more among the curious spectators rather than among the pilgrims avid for heavenly
signs and favours. Perhaps neither one nor the other succeeded in concealing their happiness,
which so often transpired in triumphant guise . . . It only remains for those competent to do
justice to the bewildering dance of the sun which on this day in Fatima, caused Hosannas to
resound from the hearts of all the faithful present, and naturally made a great impression, as
people worthy of belief assured me, on the freethinkers and others without any religious
conviction who had come to this now famous spot located on the poor pastureland high up on
the serra.
Avelino de Almeida." (reporter)
This report created a considerable reaction among the atheist authorities in Lisbon and Sr.
Almeida was bitterly attacked for daring to admit that there had been a supernatural
manifestation. But his impartiality had been demonstrated by the fact that on the morning of
the miracle, he had published an article on the front page of O Seculo in which he had quietly
dismissed the reported visions and the possibility of a miracle. Later, at the request of a friend,
he wrote another account of what happened that day which was published in the Illustracao
Portuguesa of 29 October 1917.
"You write and ask me to tell you, sincerely and minutely, what I saw and heard in the barren
pastureland of Fatima, when the fame of the heavenly apparitions had congregated in that
desolate wilderness tens of thousands of people . . . Members of your family dragged you with
them to Fatima among that immense ocean of people who gathered there on 13 October. Your
reasoning suffered a formidable blow, and you want to form a secure opinion, enlisting the aid
of unbiased evidence such as mine. For I was there only in the discharge of a very difficult
mission: that of relating impartially for the notable daily paper O Seculo, the facts that occurred
before me, and all the surrounding unusual and elucidating details connected with them . . .
What was it that I heard and that brought me to Fatima? I heard that the Virgin Mary had
appeared after the feast of the Ascension to three little shepherds who were pasturing their
flock, two little girls and a lad. She recommended them to pray, and promised to appear there
on the holm oak on the 13th day of each month until October, when she would give them
some sign of the power of God and would make revelations. This news was spread all round
for many miles, then flew like wildfire from place to place throughout Portugal. The number
of believers increased month by month, coming on pilgrimage to this poor barren spot, so that
by 13 October, about 50,000 people at least had gathered there, according to the calculations
of some impartial individuals .. .. . "I saw the multitude, densely massed around the little
miraculous holm oak and plucking its branches to keep as relics, or overflowing through the
immense pastureland, traversed and dominated by the road from Leiria, and which now
presented the most picturesque and varied concourse of cars and people that thronged it on
that never-to-be-forgotten day, all awaiting in orderly fashion the supernatural manifestations,
without fearing that the wintry weather would do any harm or diminish their splendour or
magnificence .. . . At the hour foretold, the rain ceased to fall, the dense mass of clouds
parted, and the sun-like a shining disc of dull silver-appeared at its full zenith, and began to
whirl around in a wild and violent dance, that a large number of people likened to a carnival
display, with such lovely glowing colours passing successively over the sun's surface. A
miracle, as the crowd cried out; or a natural phenomenon, as the learned say? It is not
important for me to know the answer now, but only to tell you and confirm what I saw . .. .
The rest we leave to science and the Church."
That many intellectuals postulated a natural explanation for the solar phenomenon was due to
their refusal to recognise the possibility of a supernatural origin. One of them, Professor
Frederico Oom of the faculty of sciences and director of the Lisbon Observatory stated in O
Seculo shortly afterwards: "If it were a cosmic phenomenon, astronomical and meteorological
observatories would not have failed to record it. And this is precisely what is missing: that
inevitable recording of all the disturbances in the world system, no matter how small they may
be . . .". The scientist added that the phenomenon might have been of a psychological nature
"but is completely foreign to the branch of science that I cultivate." However, the theory of
auto-suggestion which other intellectuals also advanced, was found to be wanting when it was
discovered that the miracle had been seen over a 600 square mile area by people not at all
interested in the happenings at Fatima.. And there were impartial intellectuals in the Cova da
Iria that day who were honest enough to admit the reality of the miracle. Among them was Dr.
Joseph Garrett1, Professor of Natural Sciences at Coimbra University, who wrote the
following account in December 1917:
"I am going to relate to you in a brief and concise manner, without any statements which
would conceal the truth, what I saw in Fatima on 13 October 1917 . . . I arrived at midday.
The rain which had fallen persistently all morning, combined with a blustery wind, continued
fretfully, as if threatening to drown everyone. The dull and heavy sky, its dark-grey clouds
waterladen, predicted abundant rain for a long time to come.
"I remained on the road in the shelter of the hood of my car, looking rather disdainfully
towards the place where they said the apparition would be seen, not daring to step on to the
sodden and muddy earth of the freshly-ploughed field. I was a little more than a hundred
metres from the high wooden posts mounted by a rough cross, seeing distinctly the wide
circle of people who, with their umbrellas open, seemed like a vast arena of mushrooms. A
little after one o'clock, 2 the children to whom Our Lady, as they declare, appeared and
appointed the place, day and hour of the apparition, arrived at the site.. Hymns were intoned
and sung by the people who gathered about them. At a certain moment, this immense mass of
people, so varied and compact, closed their umbrellas and uncovered their heads in a gesture
that could have been one of humility or respect, but which left me surprised and bewildered,
because now the rain, with a blind persistency, poured down on their heads and drenched
them through.
"Later, I was told that this crowd, who finished up by kneeling in the mud, had obeyed the
voice of a child. It must have been about half past one when there rose up, on the precise spot
where the children were, a pillar of smoke, a delicate, slender, bluish column that went straight
up to about two metres, perhaps above their heads and then evaporated. The phenomenon
lasted for some seconds and was perfectly visible to the naked eye . . . It was repeated yet a
second and third time. On these three occasions, and especially on the last one, the slender
posts stood out distinctly in the dull grey atmosphere.
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