3. 13 May 1917

‹…› Then Our Lady spoke to us:

“Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm.”

“Where are you from?”

“I am from Heaven.”

“What do you want of me?”

“I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession, on the 13th day, at this same hour. Later on, I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here yet a seventh time.”

“Shall I go to Heaven too?”

“Yes, you will”

“And Jacinta?”

“She will go also.”

“And Francisco?”

“He will go there too, but he must say many Rosaries.”

Then I remembered to ask about two girls who had died recently. They were friends of mine and used to come to my home to learn weaving with my eldest sister.

“Is Maria das Neves in Heaven?”

“Yes, she is.”

(I think she was about 16 years old).

“And Amélia?”

“She will be in purgatory until the end of the world.”

(It seems to me that she was between 18 and 20 years of age).

“Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?”

“Yes, we are willing.”

“Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

As she pronounced these last words “...the grace of God will be your comfort”, Our Lady opened her hands for the first time, communicating to us a light so intense that, as it streamed from her hands, its rays penetrated our hearts and the innermost depths of our souls, making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more clearly than we see ourselves in the best of mirrors. Then, moved by an interior impulse that was also communicated to us, we fell on our knees, repeating in our hearts:

“O most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!”

After a few moments, Our Lady spoke again:

“Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war.”

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

4. 13 June 1917

… Our Lady was there on the holmoak, exactly the same as in May.

“What do you want of me?” I asked.

“I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want.”

I asked for the cure of a sick person.

“lf he is converted, he will be cured during the year.”

“I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.”

“Yes. I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”

“Am I to stay here alone?” I asked, sadly.

“No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

4. Apparitions of Our Lady

… After having promised to take us to Heaven, She [Our Lady] asked:

— “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?”

“Yes, we are willing,” was our reply.

… all around me the atmosphere was one of utter scorn and contempt.

Then I would remember the old days, and ask myself: “Where is all that affection now, that my family had for me just such a short while ago?” …Our Lady, as though guessing what was going on, said to me:

— Don’t cry. Surely, these are the sacrifices which the Angel said that God was going to send us. That’s why you are suffering, so that you can make reparation to Him and convert sinners.

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Second Memoir. The Apparitions

5. 13 July 1917

A few moments after arriving at the Cova da Iria, near the holmoak, where a large number of people were praying the Rosary, we saw the flash of light once more, and a moment later Our Lady appeared on the holmoak.

— Your Grace, what do you want of me? — I asked.

— I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to continue to pray the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only she can help you.

— I would like to ask you to tell us who you are, and to work a miracle so that everybody will believe that you are appearing to us.

— Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see and believe.

I then made some requests, but I cannot recall now just what they were. What I do remember is that Our Lady said it was necessary for such people to pray the Rosary in order to obtain these graces during the year. And She continued:

— Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation (порт. reparação) for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands once more, as she had done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. Terrified and as if to plead for succour, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly:

— You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion (port. a devoção) to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.

— To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation (port. a Comunhão reparadora) on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved; etc… Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.

— When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.

After this, there was a moment of silence, and then I asked:

— Your Grace, is there anything more that you want of me?

— No, I do not want anything more of you today.

Then, as before Our Lady began to ascend towards the east, until she finally disappeared in the immense distance of the firmament.

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

6. August 13, 1917

… we saw Our Lady on a holmoak tree.

“What do you want of me?”

“I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”

“What do you want done with the money that the people leave in the Cova da Iria?”

“Have two litters made. One is to be carried by you and Jacinta and two other girls dressed in white; the other one is to be carried by Francisco and three other boys. The money from the litters is for the “festa” of Our Lady of the Rosary, and what is left over will help towards the construction of a chapel that is to be built here.”

“I would like to ask you to cure some sick persons.”

“Yes, I will cure some of them during the year.”

Then, looking very sad, Our Lady said:

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them.”

And She began to ascend as usual towards the east.

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

7. September 13, 1917

… then Our Lady appeared on the holmoak.

— Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Dolours and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the daytime.

— I was told to ask you many things, the cure of some sick people, of a deaf-mute…

— Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.

Then Our Lady began to rise as usual, and disappeared.

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

8. October 13, 1917

… Our Lady appeared on the holmoak.

— Your Grace, what do you want of me?

— I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honour. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.

— I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things…

— Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.

Looking very sad, Our Lady said:

— Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended.

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun. …

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Fourth Memoir. The Story of the Apparitions

On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to her, and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested Her hand on her shoulder, and as She did so, She showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which She was holding in Her other hand.

At the same time, the Child said:

— Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.”

Then the Most Holy Virgin said:

— Look My daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me.

So, on February 15, coming back as usual (to empty a garbage can outside the garden), I found a child there who seemed to be the same one as before, and I asked him:

— Did you ask our Heavenly Mother for the Child Jesus?

The child turned to me and said:

— And you, have you revealed to the world what the Heavenly Mother asked you?

And, having said that, he turned into a resplendent child.

Then recognizing that it was Jesus, I said to Him:

— My Jesus! You know what my confessor said to me in the letter I read You. He said that this vision had to be repeated, there had to be facts permitting us to believe it, and that the Mother Superior alone could not spread this devotion.

— It is true that the Mother Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace, she can do anything. It is enough that your confessor gives you permission, and that your superior announce this for it to be believed by the people, even if they do not know who it was revealed to.

— But my confessor said in his letter that this devotion already exists in the world, because many souls receive You every first Saturday of the month, in honour of Our Lady and the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.

— It is true, My daughter, that many souls begin, but few persevere to the very end, and those who persevere do it to receive the graces promised. The souls who make the five First Saturdays with fervour and to make reparation to the Heart of your Heavenly Mother, please Me more than those who make fifteen, but are lukewarm and indifferent.

— My Jesus! Many souls find it difficult to confess on Saturday. Will You allow a confession within eight days to be valid?

— Yes. It can even be made later on, provided that the souls are in the state of grace when they receive Me on the first Saturday, and that they had the intention of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Mary.

— My Jesus! And those who forget to form this intention?

— They can form it at the next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to confession.

Right after that He disappeared, without me finding out anything more about Heaven’s desires, up to the present.

On December 17, 1927, she approached the tabernacle and asked Jesus how to satisfy the request made of her, if the origin of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was included in the Secret which the Most Holy Virgin had entrusted to her.

Jesus, in a distinct voice, made her hear these words:

— My daughter, write everything that is asked of you; also write everything the Most Holy Virgin revealed to you in the apparition when She spoke to you of this devotion; as for the rest of the Secret, keep silence.

… Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as if of crystal clear water which ran down upon the altar, formed these words: «Grace and Mercy».

I understood that it was the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity which was shown to me, and I received lights about this mystery which I am not permitted to reveal.

Our Lady then said to me:

— The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.

… Later, in an intimate communication, Our Lady complained to me, saying:

— They did not wish to heed my request!… Like the King of France, they will repent and do it, but it will be late. Russia will have already spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars, and persecutions of the Church: the Holy Father will have much to suffer.

Sister Lucia's Memoirs. [pdf]
Text of the request for the consecration of Russia

22-10-1940 — I received a letter from Father J. B. G. and the Bishop of Gurza telling me to write to His Holiness … With this purpose in view, I spent two hours on my knees before Our Lord exposed in the Blessed Sacrament: “Pray for the Holy Father, sacrifice yourself so that his courage does not succumb under the bitterness that oppresses him. The tribulation will continue and augment. I will punish the nations for their crimes by war, famine and persecution of My Church and this will weigh especially upon My Vicar on earth. His Holiness will obtain an abbreviation of these days of tribulation if he takes heed of My wishes by promulgating the Act of Consecration of the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a special mention of Russia.”

But in spite of this, the Hearts of Our Good Lord and Our Good Heavenly Mother are sad and grieved. Portugal in its majority does not correspond either to Their graces or love. They (the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary) frequently complain about the sinful life of the majority of the people, even of those who call themselves practising Catholics.

But above all, He complains very much about the lukewarm, indifferent and extremely comfortable life of the majority of the priests and members of religious congregations. The number of souls He meets through sacrifice and the inner life of love is extremely small and limited.

These confidences lacerate my heart mainly because I am one of those unfaithful souls. Our Lord never ceases to show me the mountain of my imperfections, which I recognize with immense confusion…

Nevertheless, Our Lord goes on communicating with my soul. He seems concerned about the destiny of some countries and wishes to save Portugal, but she is guilty too.

Your Eminence Cardinal Patriarch,

… Our Lord is dissatisfied and grieved with the sins of the world and of Portugal. He complains about the lack of correspondence, the sinful life of the people, and especially about the lukewarmness, indifference and extremely comfortable life of the majority of the priests and members of religious organizations. The number of souls He meets through prayer and sacrifice is extremely small.

In reparation for itself and for the other nations, Our Lord wants the profane festivities of carnival to be abolished in Portugal and be substituted by prayers and sacrifices, with public prayers said on the streets. I ask Your Eminence therefore to promote them in union with all the Portuguese bishops.[*]

It would be good at this time not to forget that, when Our Lord promised a special protection over our nation, He said that it was guilty as well, and announced that it too would suffer something. This something will consist of consequences of foreign wars, which could become more or less serious, according to our correspondence to the wishes of Our Lord. Our Lord wants us to attract peace in this way not only over Portugal, but also over other nations.

I ask you with the deepest respect to bless Your Eminence’s most humble servant.