On Sunday May 13th 1917 Lucia Abóbora, Francisco & Jacinta
Marto were pasturing their flock at the Cova da Iria…They were
playing when suddenly a bright shaft of light pierced the air.
They described it as a flash of lightning. It was not really
lightning, but rather the reflection of a light that approached
little by little. No breeze stirred, the sun was strong, and there
was no hint anywhere of a storm that might be responsible for a
flash of lightning. The children, however, thought that they had
better head home. As they descended the hill, another flash of
lightning took them by surprise. Panicky with fear, they took a
few steps and looked towards the right. There, standing over the
foliage of a small Holm oak, “a lady dressed all in white, more
brilliant then the sun, shedding rays of light, clear and stronger
than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water, pierced
by the burning rays of the sun”. The lady spoke to them and
said: “Fear not! I will not harm you.” “Where are you from?”
the children asked. “I am from heaven.” the beautiful lady
replied, gently raising her hand towards the distant horizon.
“What do you want of me?” Lucia asked. “I came to ask you to
come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day,
at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I
want. And I shall return here again a seventh time.” Lucia
said, “Do you come from heaven…and will I go to heaven ?”
“Yes, you’ll go”. “And Jacinta? “Yes, she will go too.” And
Francisco?” “Francisco, too, my dear, but he will have many
Rosaries to say.” In the end Our Lady asked: “Do you wish to
offer yourselves to God, to endure all the suffering that He
may please to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins
by which He is offended, and to ask for the conversion of
sinners?” “Yes, we do.” said the children. “You will have to
suffer a lot, but the grace of God will be your comfort.” Then
she opened her hands with a loving gesture of a mother who
offers her heart. From it an intense light departed that seemed to
go through them. The vision vanished telling them, “Recite the
Rosary every day to obtain the peace for the world and the
end of the war.” And she disappeared.