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| News > Commentary - Portuguese to celebrate 95th anniversary of the miracle of Fatima |
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Portuguese to celebrate 95th anniversary of the miracle of Fatima
Posted 5/11/2012 Updated 5/11/2012
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Commentary by Eduardo Lima
65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
5/11/2012 - LAJES FIELD, Portugal -- The alleged miracle of Fatima happened May 13, 1917, when the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared before three little Portuguese shepherds, named Lucia de Jesus, Francisco and his sister Jacinta Marto, while they were tending a flock of sheep.
The appearance took place in the Cova da Iria, in the parish of Fatima, on mainland Portugal, therefore, the Mother of Jesus is mostly referred to by the Portuguese as Our Lady of Fatima.
According to the three shepherds, Our Lady of Fatima told them in her first visitation it was necessary for them to pray the rosary everyday to achieve peace in the world and the end of the ongoing war at the time (World War I). She also asked the shepherds to go back to the same site at the same time on the 13th day of the following next five months. The children did so and on the 13th day of June, July, August, September and October, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to them and repeated not only the previous messages, but also told them about a secret that only a few people in the world, including the deceased Pope John Paul II, knew about.
The last appearance occurred in October of that year with about 70,000 people present, but only the three children could see and hear the Virgin Mary, although the people could perceive there was a strange phenomenon going on.
Since 1917, thousands of barefoot pilgrims travel to Fatima on foot to participate in the "procession of the candles" on the evening of the 12th of May, where the statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried on a wooden framework followed by the devotees carrying a lit candle. The pilgrims also participate in other religious ceremonies and a special mass on the following morning.
Many Catholic parishes throughout the country also observe this religious celebration with a special mass followed by a "procession of the candles" similar to the one held in Fatima.
At the site of the 1917 vision, there now stands the Sanctuary of Fatima, a large complex that includes the Chapel of Apparitions, the Basilica and the Holy Trinity Church. The Chapel of Apparitions was the first building to be constructed in Cova da Iria. The exact spot of the first appearance is marked by a marble pillar inside the chapel on which the Statue of Our Lady is placed.
The Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário is an impressive cathedral whose construction began in 1928 and was consecrated in October of 1953. The painting above the high altar depicts the Message of Our Lady to the little shepherds.
The best way to reach Fatima from Terceira Island is to fly to Lisbon and then take the bus from the capital to Fatima. This city is located approximately 120 kilometers north of Lisbon and has many hotels, bed and breakfast places as well as restaurants and souvenir shops. The bus ride takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes depending on traffic conditions.
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