May 13th is the day we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, a very important date in the Catholic Church and the most special day at the Sanctuary. On this day we commemorate the apparition of Our Lady to the Three Shepherds children while they were tending sheep at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, back in 1917.

Our Lady of Fatima is how we name the Blessed Virgin Mary who appeared 6 times to the three children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. The first apparition occurred on the 13th May and continued on the 13th of each month until her last apparition in October 1917.

The children reported seeing a woman surrounded by light who asked them to pray the rosary for world peace. The woman identified herself as the Lady of the Rosary, assuring God would concede peace in the world if humanity would pray for peace and obey her requests.

Our Lady of Fatima gave three secrets to the children and informed them of what is now known as “the Miracle of the Sun”, an event that is considered a miracle and took place on her last apparition day, on the 13th October 1917, witnessed by 70,000 pilgrims.

The first secret of Fatima was a vision of the souls in hell, the second was the confirmation that World War I would end but World War II would begin as well as a request for Russian people to devote to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The first two secrets of Fatima were revealed by Sister Lucia in 1940 in her memoirs.

The third secret was a vision of the pope, priests, and members of the Catholic Church being persecuted and killed. Lucia describes the attack of a “Bishop dressed in white” who it is believed to be Pope John Paul II and his assassination attempt in Saint Peter’s Square in 1981 on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima day.

The third secret was revealed in 2000, as per request of the Bishop of Leiria to Lucia dos Santos. On the same date Francisco and Jacinta Marto were beatified.

The apparitions and visions of the three children were approved by the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima in October 1930 as the Catholic Church declared them “worthy of belief”.

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary was built in 1928 to commemorate these extraordinary events; and the Vatican officially recognised the children’s visions in 1939, when papal indulgences were granted to pilgrims travelling to Fatima.

The 13th of each month is still today an important date of pilgrimage to Fatima.