Lucia dos Santos describes Our Lady of Fatima: “A Lady dressed all in white, more brilliant than the sun, shedding a light that was clearer and more intense than that of a crystal goblet filled with crystalline water and struck by the rays of the most brilliant sun. Her face, indescribably beautiful, was neither sad nor happy, but serious, with an air of mild reproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were praying, were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand. Her clothes seemed to be made of light. The tunic was white. The veil, white and edged with gold, covered the head of the Virgin and descended to her feet. Neither her hair nor her ears could be seen.”
On May 13, 1917, Lucia dos Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto were,
respectively, ten, nine, and seven years old. The three children lived
in Aljustrel, a hamlet of the township of Fatima.
After three apparitions of the Angel of Portugal in 1916, the
children began to receive visits from a luminous Lady who later
identified herself as “The Lady of the Rosary.” In Catholic language,
“Our Lady of the Rosary” is the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God made
man.
The apparitions took place on a small property belonging to Lucia's
parents called Cova da Iria, about a mile and a half from Fatima.
First Apparition of Our Lady
May 13, 1917
The three children were playing at Cova da Iria on May 13, 1917 when
they saw two flashes like lightning, after which they saw the Mother of
God above a holm oak. She was, according to the description of Lucia, "a
Lady dressed in white, more brilliant than the sun…" Her face,
indescribably beautiful, was "neither sad nor happy, but serious," with
an air of mild reproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were
praying, were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung
from her right hand.
"Pray the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war."
The seers were so close to Our Lady – about a yard and a half away – that they stood within the light that radiated from her.
The conversation developed in the following manner:
Our Lady: Do not be afraid; I will not harm you.
Lucia: Where is Your Grace from?
Our Lady: I am from heaven–pointing to the sky.
Lucia: And what does Your Grace wish of me?
Our Lady: I have come to ask you to come here for
six months in succession on the thirteenth day of each month at this
same hour. Later I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterward, I
will return here a seventh time.
Our Lady: She will be in purgatory until the end of
the world. Do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the
sufferings that He may be pleased to send you, as both an act of
reparation for the sins with which He is offended and an act of
supplication for the conversion of sinners?
Lucia: Yes, we do.
Our Lady: Well then, you will have much to suffer. But the grace of God will be your comfort.
"It was upon saying these last words, 'the grace of God...' that for
the first time she opened her hands, which emitted a most intense light
that penetrated our breasts, reaching the innermost part of our souls
and making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more clearly
than we can see ourselves in the best of mirrors.
Then, driven by a deep inspiration, we knelt down and repeated
inwardly: 'O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love
Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.'”
"A moment later, Our Lady added, 'Pray the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.'
She immediately began to rise serenely toward the east until she disappeared far into the distance.
The light that surrounded her was, so to speak, opening her way through the starry firmament."
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