Day of Our Lady of Fatima

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia.

Mary gave the children three secrets. Since Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta the following year, Lucia, who later became a Carmelite nun, revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell.

Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See's Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a 'bishop in white' who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him.

I heard this story several times on this day last year while in Spain. I love it. I love that she gave three secrets. She always gives such interesting and different gifts. Flowers, healing, secrets. I also heard accounts of that vision of hell. It made me feel bad for the children.

But warning, do not confuse this Lady of Fatima with the hand of Fatima found in many Muslim countries. I was laughed at pretty hard for suggesting such a thing when crossing the border to Morocco.