Today is the feast day of Sts Jacinta and Francisco! The 2 Fatima seers (the shepherd children).
Basilica of the Holy Rosary
Our group got the very first mass of the day at 6am next to their tombs. This is on the hill where the children were playing when Mary first appeared.
Just down the hill is where Mary did appear which has an outdoor chapel now called the Capelinha. The place with the bright lights in the photo.
There are reports some documented and some not about miraculous healings. Fatima converts and heals the heart.
St Anthony Parish
This is the home parish of the children where they were baptized. We renew our baptismal vows today as well!
The original church was from 1500s.
This is my kind of church. Small. Intimate. Beautiful. And get a load of these stories.
Our Lady of Joy
In 1808 Napoleon invasions were happening. The parishioners hid this statue in the wall to save it. But then it was forgotten. In 1919 they found her again during a remodel.
Our Lady with 15 decade rosary
When any woman in the parish was to give birth they’d take this very rosary down for her to pray on for a healthy delivery.
Then! when Lucia was 6 she was sad that she still had to wait two more years for first communion. There was a visiting priest there for confessions that day for the group about to make their first communion. He spoke with little Lucia to learn she knew the catechism very well. He approved her to receive her first communion that year. After receiving she went to pray in front of this statue asking Our Lady to make her heart just for God. The statue came to life smiling at Lucia. She didn’t tell anyone until years later in her memoirs.
The children’s school was nearby. Our Lady had told the children Francisco and Jacinta would go to heaven soon. Francisco decided being with Jesus in the Blessrd Sacrament at church was most important. So he skipped schoola f. Spend hours in front of this very tabernacle praying.
After school Lucia would pop in and snap her fingers so he knew it was time to go home.
The children’s fame spread and they were being sought out constantly. Fransico was shy and didn’t like the attention. If people came to find him in the church he’d hide in this pulpit.
The parish cemetery includes:
Jacinta Bob
This is the American who pushed for beatification of Jacinta. Born in PA. Orphaned at 15. Joined navy as soon as he could. After the navy he came to Fatima and spent his life sharing the message of Fatima and passing out prayer cards for the beatification of Jacinta.
Castle of Ourem
When the commissioner/administrator of police(not mayor) captured the children he took them here and threatened to boil them in oil.
He wanted to know the secret Our Lady told them (remember this was atheistic communist rule. Religion is outlawed.) The children held strong though and were finally let go.
This place dates back father to before Roman Empire!
My notes missed some details so you’ll have to read a history book for details. Here are the highlights I found interesting:
Strategically built here. During 100 years war you Could see fires by night and dust from horses during the day if Spanish troops were advancing.
Some new Conservation treaty says they can’t restore old buildings back to the original. Our guide didn’t sound very happy about that. And he’s a history guy.
The most notable tenant was St Nuno (statue is him). He became a General at age 16. Won every battle fought because he attributed all victories to Our Lady.
On August 13, 1385 The troops horses all stopped to kneel in a certain place. Now they think it’s where Our Lady appeared in the Cova de Iria. This is Another reason they think why she appeared in Fatima in 1917.
He was an amazing military man and worth reading up on for his strategies in battle. And his mercy. He didn’t want to kill anyone but he also wanted to defend his country. He had his page get every name of the men he killed. Most guys kept a list for bragging rights. Nuno would instead take care of the widows and orphans of the men he killed in battle.
Nuno was the Wealthiest Guy in Portugal then denounced all he had and entered Carmelite monastery to clean the latrines. An entire giving of self to God.
Our guide’s mom was miraculously healed in 2000 leading to canonization of St Nuno!
Watch tower:
When the king went to battle they left all valuables, Queen and kids in this tower that could only be accessed by ladder or rope. (Or very long hair perhaps 🤔). Access would be removed if an enemy came thus keeping all the treasures safe.
One King planted this forest that would eventually be harvested to build the ships that found the new world. He was thinking ahead of the kingdoms’s fleet!
Just down the hill from the castle is the chapel of relics. Inside are tens of thousands of relics of saints. It’s a Sacred repository of relics no longer in use collected over past 35 years. It’s Not a museum.
It’s said to be insured for 4x the economy of France. I don’t know what that number is. But guessing it’s a lot.
Portal of the Resurrection.
This door will only be opened when Christ comes again. Literally. Not symbolically, from what I understand.
Lunch is at the medieval themed culinary school next door.
The deer head looks like their version of a jackalope except it’s like half wild boar half deer.
…
A quick visit with the Dominicans nuns of the Perpetual Rosary. There are 9 nuns in this convent and they have someone praying the rosary 24/7. What do they pray for? Us and the entire world!
How to summarize Fatima Message from Sister Jacinta at Perpetual Rosary:
Love: love our Lord and one another
Gratitude: thank God for everything
Reparation: when we love God we can repair the hurt that He is not loved by others.
Consolation: We can console Him and Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
Joy: that doesn’t mean everything is nice all the time. It’s serenity that I am secure knowing I’m loved by God.
Love and joy bookend the message. They will last forever. In between is suffering.
These sisters are praying the rosary perpetually (continuously) for the world. They get letters from people a lot.
How can we pray for them? ask the Holy Spirit for them to be holy, and for priests to be holy, and for each of us to be holy. Pray for vocations to the consecrated life.
Another thing to note:
Without order there’s chaos.
There’s no need to be afraid. Trust in the Lord.
…
Then another talk from Sr Angela on the spiritual lives of the children. Jacinta went from a spoiled selfish 6 year old to praying the rosary and offering sacrifices. Francisco went from not caring much of anything to spiritually contemplative wanting to “make company to the hidden Jesus.”
Both showing us how we can be close to God in so many different ways.
…
Tia Alice
This was a highlight for me last year. The shrimp salad 🤩 is definitely something to write home about! It includes all kinds of fruit, cabbage, nuts, mayo maybe? And giant shrimps.
For the main course we have veal 🤤 and roasted potatoes. The herbed butter hits the spot as well.
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