OUR LADY OF FATIMA Portugal (1917) Lucia Santos (9) and cousins, Jacinta (8) and Francisco (7) Marto,

Fatima, Portugal (1917) Title: Our Lady of Fatima; Our Lady of the Rosar.y Investigated: 1919 First Apparition: may 13, 1917 Approved: october 13, 1930 Last Apparition: october 13, 1917 Visionaries: Lucia dos Santos (9), Jacinta Marto (8), Francisco Marto (7) Number of Apparitions: 6 Miracles & signs: dancing sun, healings, conversion of Russia, incorruptible body of Jacinta. Summary: while tending sheep, Lucia de Santos and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported six apparitions of Mary, who identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Mary urged prayer of the Rosary, penance for the conversion of sinners and Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.

The three secrets On july 13, the Virgin is said to have revealed the three secrets of Fatima to the children. The secrets consist of prophecies about the future and have been the focus of much interest ever since. The secrets were not written down until 1941, when Lucia was asked to compose memoirs about Fatima and her cousins so their canonization proceedings could begin. The first secret described a horrific vision of Hell. The second secret foretold the end of world war I and the beginning of world war II and called for the “Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Many believe Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request in 1984 by giving a blessing over the world, including Russia, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. There is some confusion as to whether Sister Lúcia believed this fulfilled the request of Mary.

The Vatican kept the third secret under wraps until Easter 2000 - despite Lucia's declaration that it could be released to the public after 1960. The officially released text of the third secret was unspecific in nature, leaving it open to various interpretations. The secret speaks of a pope being killed by soldiers at the foot of a cross on top of a mountain, along with many other bishops and priests. The Church's interpretation is that this predicts the may 13, 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca in Saint Peter's Square. John Paul himself credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life, saying he saw her intervening to deflect the gunman's arm and he maintained consciousness on the ride to the hospital by keeping his mind focused on her.