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Published: March 9th 2024
Dear All
Praise the Lord! What an absolutely wonderful day I had today! I spent it on a Pilgrimage in Fátima, one of Catholicism's holiest sites in the world and visited by around five million pilgrims each year. On this day in February, I was one of them. As I believe I mentioned in my last blog, my arrival in Fátima the evening before was just ethereal. The sun was setting and darkness encroaching, as a thick drizzly fog had also settled in this high plateau, bringing a kind of hushed peace to the place. The atmosphere felt instantly spiritual, as I made my way to my accommodation a short walk away from the bus station through the back alleys of this special town.
I had booked myself into a Convent, the Sisters of the Church, and was welcomed upon arrival by a lovely Italian nun. I'm honestly not sure whether the language we communicated in was Italian or Portuguese, but it was probably a mix of the two! Sometimes when I'm speaking Portuguese, Italian words just pop in there and I'm not sure why! She showed me to my accommodation, which was as expected, spartan and austere, but
Crown of the Virgin of Fátima
Museum of the Sanctuary of Fátimacomfortable, with everything I needed including an attached bathroom. There was also a view out of my window through an adjacent olive grove and onto the Sanctuary of Fátima Basilica in the distance. The single bed was one of the smallest I've slept in though, with my feet overhanging the bottom of the bed - this is saying something, as at 5'10" I'm not particularly tall! Turning over in the night was a bit of a chore. It was also really cold there at night, with the heating on for only a few hours each day. I slept with four blankets on during the night, and still felt cold! But I slept well at least, and the austerity was actually perfect for my little Pilgrimage there. And at €17 a night, who's complaining?!
So as mentioned, my full day in Fátima was just wonderful. I felt spiritually blessed, and heard many messages on my journey. I felt rejuvenated. I started first with mass in the small Chapel of the Apparitions on the edge of the vast main square called Cova da Iria, located on the exact same spot in 1917 where the Virgin appeared to the Three Little Shepherds,
Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, aged 10, 8 and 7 years old respectively. It was their job to bring their sheep up to this high plateau from their village of Aljustrel, around two miles downhill from there. On 13th May 1917, the children apparently experienced a bright flash of light. They were at first understandably very afraid, thinking it was lightning, and started heading down the hill. The bright light happened again, and the Virgin Mary is then said to have appeared to them. They were told to return on the 13th of every month for the next six months, to hear various messages meant for mankind. Their family, the villagers, and their Parish Priest didn't believe them - understandably, as let's be honest, who would? They did not believe until they were all told to gather in the same spot on the day of the final apparition, on the 13th October of that year, when the children were told that a great miracle would be shown to them. Thus they gathered, and apparently before many of them the sun appeared to rotate like a wheel in the sky, before spinning towards the ground. This miraculous sight convinced the villagers, and
Me, Francisco and Jacinta's House
The same wall where the famous photo of the Three Little Shepherds was taken the popularity of the place grew. The children were told to build a chapel on the place, within which I myself that very morning was celebrating mass with around 200 other people.
The children were also told three secret messages, known as the Three Secrets of Fátima, which have been gradually revealed over the years. The first secret refers to a vision of hell, the second predicted the end of World War I and the start of World War II, and the third secret which was only revealed in 2000 is believed to have predicted the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and the persecution of Christians. The secrets also make reference to the conversion of Russia as being important to human salvation. Perhaps this was in relation to the increase in anti-religious communism in Portugal, and the world, at the time. I personally wonder myself if this message is not more for the modern day, when Russia could seriously play a part in global affairs right now. It would be good to continue to pray for the salvation of Russia I think.
After mass, I explored the huge open space called Cova da Iria
My Accommodation
Filhas da Igreja Convent, Fátima between the two gigantic churches at either end - the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima at one end, and the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity at the other. There is a marble Penitential Path between the two, upon which some pilgrims travel on their knees in penance, supplication or praise. This looked seriously arduous, and I chose not to do this myself - dodgy knees and all that! I did see a young couple doing it together hand-in-hand, a lady doing it carrying a new-born baby, and a group of three Asian nuns doing it. I took in the latter 1996-built Basilica first, admiring its seriously massive interior which can house up to 9000 worshippers at a time, before heading to the former. The original Sanctuary was built in 1953, with seating capacity at a mere 600 people - no wonder the second Basilica was built to house the increasing numbers of pilgrims and visitors. In the Sanctuary I visited the tombs of the Three Little Shepherds, who have all since been made Saints. Very tragically, Francisco died in 1919 at just 10 years old, while Jacinta died in 1920 at only 9. Both were victims of the
My Accommodation
Filhas da Igreja Convent, Fátima Spanish Flu which took a heavy toll all over the world following the end of World War I. Lucia grew to old age though, joining a Convent in 1921 at just 14 years of age. She lived in a number of Convents until she died in 2005 at the grand age of 97.
During my time in the Cova da Iria, I also took in the astounding candle lighting area. This was a great metal stand of fireproof sheeting, filled with the roaring sound not so much of the candles, but of some serious flames that were rising up from the depths below the candle stands. Candles don't really burn delicately there, but are rather melted down into a massive liquid pulp within a matter of minutes. It is this liquid pulp below the candle stands that gives rise to such massive flames rising up above head height there. It all looked rather dangerous if I'm honest. I bought and lit a candle myself, and while trying to avoid the monster flames coming up from below, misjudged my placement of it and it fell straight down into the burning liquid below - ah well, I still had my candle
My Accommodation
Filhas da Igreja Convent, Fátima lit at Fátima, even if it was in a massive flame. I've never seen anything quite like it!
After buying a small bottle of Fátima holy water as a souvenir from one of the plethora of small religious souvenir shops just outside the square, and a sandwich from a nearby Pingo Doce branch (Portugal's main supermarket chain) for lunch, I headed off to begin the Via Sacra Stations of the Cross journey along the Caminho dos Pastorinhos (Way of the Little Shepherds) to Aljustrel village below the plateau, birthplace of the Three Little Shepherds. This was actually my first sunny, rain-free day in Portugal, and while still chilly, there were some moments of lovely sunshine which very much warmed the cockles. I loved this spiritual path, through olive groves, birdsong and glorious sunshine and warmth. The Stations of the Cross is a 15-stop journey that Catholics make, often simply around a church but sometimes on longer routes like this one. It follows the time from Jesus's sentence, through his crucifixion, and finally on to his Resurrection, which was here close to a final chapel called Hungarian Calvary. This place was inaugurated in 1964 by Hungarian priests Father Elias Kardos
My Accommodation
Filhas da Igreja Convent, Fátima and Father Luis Kondor, dedicated to Hungary which was at the time suffering under anti-religious communist authoritarianism. I arrived just after a thousand-strong group of Spanish pilgrims had arrived ahead of me, and they made their celebrations known to the world, particularly on the final station of the Resurrection, with singing, guitar-playing, whooping, and all other forms of jubilation. They were mostly a few stations ahead of me, so I was still able to continue my own procession in peace. The way also passed through some important Fátima Pilgrimage locations, including another apparition location of the Virgin Mary in a place called Valinhos, and also the place where the Angel of Portugal is also said to have appeared to the children, at a place called Loca do Cabeço. I love the belief that Portugal has its very own angel watching over it. I would like to think we in England also have our own angel watching over us, particularly in these dark times...
Finally, the path through the Stations ended up in Aljustrel village itself, where I visited another apparition site called Poço do Arneiro, followed by the house of Lucia, and that of Francisco and Jacinta. Nothing much
View from my Room
Filhas da Igreja Convent, Fátima had changed since when they lived there, and the furniture and decorations were all authentic. There was also the wall outside, in front of which the three children had their very famous photo taken in October 1917, after the apparitions had started. I of course had to have my photo taken there too, and comparing where my height reached on the wall to where the children's height reached really brought it home to me how young these kids were!
After a lovely time in Aljustrel, I headed back the way I came and back to the central Cova da Iria vast square again. I was heading to the Museum of the Sanctuary of Fátima for an English language tour of the place at 4.30pm. On it, I met and got talking to two very friendly Irish chaps I had encountered back at the Stations, living in Essex, and both called Patrick (I shall say nothing further...). It felt a pleasure to meet them, as with everyone I had met and greeted on this day. Fátima has a very special aura about it, and in knowing that most other people were also there for spiritual purposes, there were very many
friendly faces around. What I was really looking forward to most in visiting this museum was seeing the Crown of the Virgin of Fátima, which is placed on top of the statue situated at the front of the first Basilica only on special occasions. All other times though, it is kept in a glass case in this museum.
On 13th May 1982, Pope John Paul II visited Fátima, and famously put a bullet in the Crown. This was the very same bullet that had been used against him in an assassination attempt on his life by a Turkish nutcase called Mehmet Ali Ağca, exactly a year before on 13th May 1981. The Pope miraculously survived being shot twice after celebrating mass in St Peter's Square, and it is believed he was saved by the Virgin of Fátima, who as mentioned had apparently predicted this event. The assassination attempt, unbeknownst to Ali Ağca, was on the very same day, 64 years previously, that the Virgin had first appeared to the Three Little Shepherds. I find this quite an amazing story, and felt blessed to have seen the Crown, with its very unusual appendage attached inside and hanging down. A true
victory of good over evil I feel.
I then spent a bit of time on a bench in the square, just drinking in the wonder of this special place all around me. I actually felt inspired to do something next year, and the next day I booked a three-day trip to Santiago de Compostela in Spain over New Year, as another intended Pilgrimage-journey. I am sure I'll be writing up about my time there on here in due course. After a truly spiritually refreshing day, I took a takeaway meal from another nearby Pingo Doce supermarket, to enjoy that evening back in the Convent, contemplating the wonders of this very special day for me.
The next day I was heading to Lisbon, and I was very excited to be continuing my Portuguese adventures in the country's very capital itself.
But of course, more on that next time. Until then, thanks for reading, and all the very best for now 😊
Alex
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Pilgrimages can be such a blessing...
I'm pleased to see that you are planning one to Santiago de Compostela, which was such a blessing for me in 2016.