Place of Pilgrimage: Fátima Experienced

Copyright © 2019 by Michael Ignatius.

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Rev. date: 11/20/2019

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 Panorama Of Pilgrimage

Chapter 2 Children Of The Hamlet

Chapter 3 Angel Of Peace

Chapter 4 Lady In The Light

Chapter 5 October Thirteenth

Chapter 6 Miracles

Chapter 7 Walk

Chapter 8 Devil In The Details

Chapter 9 Time

Chapter 10 Carmel

Chapter 11 To Garabandal

Chapter 12 Camino

Chapter 13 Conclusions

Chapter 14 Secrets

Chapter 15 Prayers

Cited Works

To My Blessed Oldest Daughter Kaitlyn,

a true inspiration to me

and a woman totally

in sync with the Holy Spirit.

PREFACE

How do I begin to relate the nature of the Portuguese people? Over the many years I have brought groups to Fátima, the constant refrain regarding our hosts has always been how wonderful the Portuguese are. Yet a word like wonderful is just too simple and too common and too narrow of a way to describe what these blessed people are truly like.

During one of my stays in Fátima while doing research and consulting with Father John de Marchi, I.M.C. at his residence in the Missões Cosolata (commonly referred to as the Consolate), I was looking through some of the collection of books in the general study area. There was one there that the Consolat Missionaries had produced as sort of a tour guide of Portugal. On the third page was a Portuguese word, Saudade. It was followed by a rather poetic definition and was written by António Lopes Pires Nunes at Castelo Branco on December 30, 1986. It was, and still remains the best description of the Portuguese people I have ever come upon. It far and away exceeds what the word wonderful can do to describe them:

Saudade.

Under a thin mantle of apparent roughness, reserved spirit and a sprinkling of pride, the Portuguese hide the qualities of their true character: openness to loving anyone who is around them, deep religious feelings and a simple, modest way of life with more emotional than rational tones.

Because they love, they give themselves disinterestedly, but their emotional heart continuously craves for the presence of the object of their love.

Their religiosity deepens the giving of self, yes, but their simplicity turns into naiveté and throws their soul into a multitude of heartfelt longings and external attitudes.

Strong experiences mark their way of being, forever, and because often they cannot materially prolong or revive these same situations, their life is invaded by melancholy, and their minds and hearts continue to dwell on the emotions of the past.

These tender, melancholic feelings which invade their whole being become, at the same time, deep pain and tender longing. They often try to rekindle them in order to find spiritual pleasure. Such emotions are constant of the Portuguese and they are called SAUDADE.

SAUDADE, that which affects those who depart and those who stay.

SAUDADE, that which fills the heart with bitter-sweet torture.

SAUDADE, that which erases the sadness of the past with a fleeting moment of present joy.

SAUDADE, that which forces the Portuguese emigrant to always feel a stranger whenever he is away from home.

SAUDADE, that which is sung by the whole people and by all its poets.

SAUDADE, that which is not sorrow and heaviness of heart alone, sadness or joy, or an empty taste of what is gone—rather it is all of these together.

SAUDADE, that which is really an array of feelings contradicting one another but which one loves to savor alone and which one would love to run away from at the same time.

SAUDADE, that truly characterizes the spirit of the people of the land, which goes by the name of Portugal.

In all my years of pilgrimage to Fátima, Portugal this aptly describes the kind of people who are the hosts. We come as pilgrims to a place that is foreign and perhaps a bit intimidating to us, and rather than see us as invaders to their comfortable little town, they welcome us into their homeland as if we were family. These are not just beautiful words describing some altruistic view of human beings who happen to reside in Portugal. They do, in fact accurately describe the experience that I, and so many others who have joined me over the years, have experienced. Perhaps a concrete example will help serve to illustrate.

One of the families in Fátima who have literally welcomed me and the many groups I have brought on pilgrimage over the years, are the owners of a popular hotel. It is called the Lux Mundi. Like so many of the other hotels and shops in Fátima it has a religious meaning, Light of the World. Of course, the Light of the World is Christ. The Gonçalves family, who own and run the Lux Mundi, have always made the stay there for us much more than accommodating, particularly since many of the groups have been composed of teenagers, and though they arrive in Fátima with a religious purpose, the energy and enthusiasm does occasionally spill over into, let’s just say, the patience testing zone.

Whether it be Antonio, the man in charge, requesting that I try to remind the young people to quiet down in the rooms late at night because there are other guests, or Claudio at the front desk, who is always quick with a warm and welcoming smile as she arranges a wake-up call change for the third time, this family runs their hotel more like a family vacation home than a business. They and others like them are just one of the reasons that a pilgrimage to Fátima touches on more than just the pilgrim’s quest to see the sites and reflect on the message. The people of the place, particularly the Portuguese people, enhance that quest often in much deeper ways than even the visits to the numerous holy places themselves.

Sometimes, one of the hosts is only part Portuguese, yet can profoundly affect the experience of so many. Another living example of this would be Hélio. Hélio is of Canadian-Portuguese decent and has been a longtime employee at the Lux Mundi. His primary responsibilities as waiter are greatly overshadowed by his role as cultural ambassador to the American students who have come to the commercial lodging establishment that keeps him employed. There are many Hélio stories to relate, as they have collected in the hearts and minds of the many American pilgrims that have met him over the years. But perhaps the most important role that he has embodied is that of translator, particularly in communicating that the type of cuisine that may be readily acceptable to the practiced Portuguese palate may border on dreadful to the American. His flair is to accomplish this without insulting anyone; the young guests, who may be politely trying to understand and swallow the combination spaghetti with tomato sauce laced with tuna, and the chef, imagining that he has creatively bridged the divide of the two nations by offering a truly Yankee pizza, a flat bread covered in sauce and hotdogs due to the lack of readily available pepperoni.

In the midst of two sides trying to be cordial with each other and both ending up miserable as a result (the after effects of tuna tomato sauce challenged the sanitation control system of the hotel that night), Hélio brings a smile to everyone and the realization that it is the experience and not the expectation that makes pilgrimage different in even such ordinary ways.

This is the common experience in every small café, souvenir shop, or religious goods shop along the esplanade leading to the shrine. Each has their own unique way to welcome the sojourning guests to their little village of monumental spiritual history. It is the Portuguese people who make Fátima come alive with a spirit of warm welcome to a new place to call home.

What has been formulated into words here is a rather poor attempt to take that which is beyond words—since it is from the essence of experience—and make it somewhat intellectually comprehensible. The focus on experience too, is most likely a futile effort, since the realm of the experience, which is the basis for this writing, is much more than just an exercise of the mind. Even the use of the term experience is lacking, since it implies causes and effects of a certain defined dimension. Perhaps a better way to approach and to introduce what you are about to read would be to ask a question. The right question would allow not only a healthy challenge to the mind in the search for an answer, but also appeal to the heart, and soul, in that quest as well.

For the past few years, I have been trying to find a way to relate certain instances of God’s real and tangible presence in a way that begins to open up a means to a deeper relationship, a more readily recognizable presence of the Almighty One in the ordinary events of daily life. I know that finding God in the ordinary is no great insight or some new and fertile ground yet to be discovered. There has probably been a legion of sermons written and delivered on this very subject in every denomination of faith on the planet by now. We also have the example of countless saints through the ages that have made this their operative as well. But in the midst of grappling with this insight, remains overtly cloaked, a concept—a profound view of life, one that I have not found to be so prevalent in our modern social milieu.

I kept asking myself why we were so clueless about it. Why does the Christian culture in Europe have such a clear and decisive advantage over those of us in North America? They apparently do get it while we do not. Why do Muslims throughout the world understand it so well that it has become an integrated part of the tenets of faith professed in Islam? The Jewish people have it so ingrained into the history of their lives that mere mention of it will cause tears to well up from the deep recesses of the heart. Yet, why do we (I am questioning from a North American perspective here) simply have no concept of it?

What is it? Of course, the title gives it away. Why do we have such a poor collective understanding of pilgrimage? The question. But one may argue, What do you mean we have no concept of pilgrimage? We live in a land that was founded by Pilgrims! Exactly. We are the descendants of our ancestors who understood the great purpose of pilgrimage.

I have lived for most of my life in the state of Connecticut in the United States of America. Connecticut’s state motto is Qui transtulit sustinet, which is Latin for: He that transplants us sustains us. The He is obviously God who transplanted us from the soil of our European roots to the fertile ground in which he now sustains us. What were the tools that God used to transplant us from his garden in Europe to the Eden of the New World? They were his people, the Pilgrims. What was it that gave them their energy, their drive, and their grace? Pilgrimage. Courageous pilgrimage.

What has engulfed me from the moment I first realized this concept of pilgrimage, at about one o’clock in the morning, while winding my way down a mountainside in my overly abused subcompact rental car near Fátima, Portugal, was the menacing desire to get the word out on that word. The word, pilgrimage, says so much to those who have had the experience, yet seems like dusty, old, hackneyed, history flak to those who have not. It was not only the true, living definition of the word pilgrimage that began to nag at me in that instant of revelation. I also realized in that same moment that the purpose of pilgrimage does not have to be some grandiose, hyper emotional, preternatural conversion experience in order to have meaning manifest itself right here, right now.

Of course, it will take the rest of this work to explain how, while on a pilgrimage to Fátima in Portugal I came to the realization that you don’t necessarily have to go on a pilgrimage to experience one. Yes, there is something to be said about all the preparation and effort in making an actual pilgrimage, but there is something much more about where the pilgrimage is actually made—the destination and the journey.

As it is with many facets of growing in one’s faith, the more I continued to understand the significance of pilgrimage, the more I discovered. It is like noticing the intricacy of a waterfall for the first time. The beauty, power and grace of the water’s cascade commands our attention. Yet looking more closely at a waterfall you can see tiny water droplets, opposing the massive rush of the mainstream as it is falling over the side of a cliff. The droplets seem to defy gravity and spiral upward. They are almost invisible against the backdrop of the whole deluge, but if you view the glimmering sparkles with the sunlight illuminating them in just the right way, they reveal the full spectrum of the rainbow projecting outward.

When you delve even deeper, you realize that the mainstream water is not actually falling at all, but is really in just a mad dash seeking its own level as science teaches us. Vary the height of the cliff’s drop, or the temperature of the water, and the physics of the larger process may change, but the droplets continue to defy the way of the whole, perhaps becoming tiny spears of ice or rising vapors of steam depending on the cold or warm influence of the air.

Our real and most personal pilgrimage is the journey that takes us through this life. We are on our way to a place, according to Saint Paul, (echoing the great prophet Isaiah) that …eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him… (1Corinthians 2:9). Like the waterfall, that place which Paul describes contains much more than that which at first meets the eye. That is why it is so difficult to put into words something that is so meaningful, so symbolic, and so real.

Still, pilgrimage is not just about the destination either. It also takes into account all that impacts us along the way. In this sense, the perspective and dynamic of pilgrimage changes as we move along on our journey. Along the way there are the droplets: the people, places, events, and revelations that stand out in such a way that they do not even need an explanation. We all have been privy to those spiritual moments in our lives that can be recalled in an instant, not necessarily in our minds, but in our hearts. They are the particles of the rainbow, in a trice, which we are a part of, that promises us that we too, are much more than what meets the eye.

All that I have surmised thus far has come from simply taking notice of what should be obvious, that life itself is a pilgrimage. What I hope to present through these pages are some of the individual droplets of the pilgrimage experience as they each add a different hue to the spectrum of life that the light of Christ has caused. I can only hope that as you journey together with me through the chapters of this multifarious collection of true stories and reflections, that we can appreciate, as others have, the importance of pilgrimage in our lives.

When I first noticed the stirring within to explore the significance of what a pilgrimage actually would be like, I did what probably most of us would do. I read about it, I talked to people who had been on pilgrimages themselves, looked at their pictures, watched their slides, and even prayed along with them hoping to connect in a more substantial way. Through all of the research though, there needed to be a reference point, a base of refuge that I could return to for processing the meaning of it all. I realized what I needed to do was to go out and live through a pilgrimage for myself. Go actually do one. Then there was the question of where. There are so many places to go. I knew, for myself anyway, it needed to be a place that was authentic. Wherever I would go, it had to have the approval of and be accepted by the authority of the Catholic Church. In other words, nothing but a real, honest to goodness, bona fide pilgrimage site would suffice.

I am no historical expert, nor am I an accomplished writer of any significance, but through Providence I have been blessed with the privilege to experience not just one, but several opportunities of going on pilgrimage to authentic holy places. This work uses one of them, Fátima, as the grounding point or basis for offering a solid historical and experiential reference point for reflection. Surrounding Fátima are several others that I have experienced offering a variety of hues to add significant color to the composition. Within each chapter, at least between the lines if not directly, is the continuing story of Fátima. This approach is meant to first consider some aspect of pilgrimage as it relates to our daily lives, and then to focus in on the story of Fátima in order to offer real substance for spiritual growth. I hope that you also will find in these reflections, an attempt at seeing the waterfall of pilgrimage, in its entire splendor, and the reality of Fátima as the fall’s rainbow leading to the pure light of Christ.

We know that Jesus is constantly calling us to himself. If pilgrimage is but another way to him, then perhaps the question he asks each of us is, What is the place of pilgrimage in my life? Maybe the pages ahead offer an attempt at considering an answer.

INTRODUCTION

While in Fátima preparing for this project in 1997, I came upon a most remarkable man that I can only say is much of the reason for what you are about to read even exists. Father John de Marchi was, and remains my mentor in all things Fátima related. Although he has passed on to be with Our Lord and undoubtedly Our Lady whom he so much revered, his written word was a beginning and a cornerstone for all things Fátima.

Father de Marchi spent many long years conducting research into the events of the apparitions of the angels and Our Lady in 1917. His is, by most authorities the first and foremost account of events related by eyewitnesses. Being Italian, yet well versed in many languages, including English and Portuguese, he is to this day, the source of sources for anyone seriously investigating the message and events of Fátima.

My encounter with Father de Marchi was surly one of Divine Providence (chance for those who are less religiously inclined) having met him due entirely to a happenstance friendship which proved to be a link to much of the research material I was able to obtain in relating the events of Fátima in this humble work.

How did I come to meet such a wealth of knowledge?

It all happened as I was at the chapel for Rosary one evening and saw a man there with a full-size American flag. That’s how I met John Collins who I introduced myself to as a fellow American. That touched off a five-hour conversation and started a new friendship between us. John suggested that we meet the next morning for Mass with the Holy Cross sisters. It was there I first met de Marchi, who was the celebrant of the Mass. Afterward, when I told him I was researching for a book on Fátima, he engaged in an hour-long discussion with me. We met several more times similarly after Mass over the next few days all the while discussing Fátima and the fact that I was writing a book based on pilgrimage highlighting Fátima. Eventually he handed me his manuscripts amid mutual tears telling me to pass the message on.

There can be no other source on Fátima more reputable than Father de Marchi. After all, he had already completed exhaustive research and developed genuine friendships with all the key personalities involved. Being a close personal friend of Sister Lucia, there could be no better contact for true and accurate relating of the story. By the time Father de Marchi had finished his exhaustive work and published the complete story, I had not even been born.

As I began to research for myself, through many credible accounts, all of them lacked the personal perspective that Father de Marchi’s had. He got to know the people, lived among them and was, due to his missionary nature, able to connect in not only a human way but also on a deeper spiritual level. This energized me in my own research and quest for an authentic, accurate, and genuinely human account of events. So, Father de Marchi is as much to credit for accounts of the story of Fátima presented here as am I. For that part I am merely an editor, the work is his and the credit for that part of the story (which is the heart of this effort after all) belongs to him.

So that is why I cannot take full credit for relating the details of the story of Fátima in this work without acknowledging Father de Marchi. He is my primary source, and as was mentioned earlier, mentor in this endeavor. In fact, it was he who encouraged me to get the story out by any means possible. This book is but one, albeit a real project, to do just that, be it in a more subtle way than most.

After we had spent considerable time together discussing what I was trying to accomplish, which was more on the level of simple exposure to an audience that really has no understanding of pilgrimage nor of the events of Fátima, and hearing his intimate connection to the actual events and persons of the story, he offered me his manuscript.

For a most accurate account that goes far deeper than is presented here, since it goes beyond the scope of my effort, that manuscript is readily available in the form of a book. After several revisions and adaptations to accommodate the limitations of the English language, the book, Fátima From the Beginning is de Marchi’s crowning achievement and primary source for all things concerning the events of the apparitions and their impact on the three little visionaries presented here.

When Father de Marchi handed me his masterpiece he simply said, Please tell the story, do whatever you want with what I have here, just let Our Lady’s message be told. With tears in his eyes he handed me his book, inscribed on it Get the Message out!

We had just finished celebrating the Mass in the simple accommodations of the Holy Cross sisters where my good new friend John Collins had introduced me. The Mass was a marvelous celebration. Even though there were not many sisters in the order, perhaps six or seven, their deep reverence and piety was apparent. All of the prayers were sung whenever possible, their angelic voices and talented instrumental accompaniment adding to the celebration. By the end of the Mass, I had the feeling I had truly touched Heaven’s gate and remember thinking at the time that this was how Mass was intended to be! There was no feeling of obligation, of rush, of distraction what-so-ever. It was a truly deep communion with the Almighty.

After the Mass, as the two of us sat there, in the little dining room table of the Holy Cross sisters’ home, I suddenly realized that what I was making an effort to relate to you, the reader through this work, was not from me at all. I am merely a most unworthy intermediary, the ultimate credit for what is written here goes to the one who uttered the message to the three children in the first place. And any recalling of those events, belong to her true servant, Father de Marchi. I am just relating, hopefully, that same message, tainted by my own inadequacies, to another culture, another generation. If anything, my accounting of those events should be considered nothing more than a translation (and direct paraphrasing) from the original English account of Father de Marchi to a more modern adaptation. It would be a problem if one couldn’t readily see a direct connection between Father de Marchi’s work and that section presented here. So, in the interest of avoiding even the appearance of improper annotation for the sections relating the details of events of Fátima (chapters two through six), though I may have expounded on the accounts, full credit should still go to Father de Marchi for those details. My only hope and prayer is that what you may relate to in this work fosters a greater appreciation for what is really important—that being what and why Mary appeared in the first place—for us to get closer to her son.

The message of Fátima is one for all ages and for all people. Sure, Roman Catholics will especially be intrigued, but the message itself transcends just a Catholic interpretation. That is why the overall context of this work is to simply use the Fátima message and story as an example of a much wider perspective of faith expressed through pilgrimage.

This is not meant to be a pious sentiment. It is not meant to be a travelogue, nor a history nor a theological treatise on how to interpret personal or general revelations in light of Church teaching. But, each of those aspects will be a part of what is presented here. The piety is not presented to represent anything other than what should be a normal living of one’s life in faith. Not separate from it, or compartmentalizing it so that during this time I am religious and during that time I am not. It is intended to show how the two can only be integrated and that there is simply no other better way.

The personal stories and experiences that I relate here are not intended to project any inside advantage or special significance due to anything that I may have done. They are included for two reasons. The obvious reason is true life experiences shed light on and give credibility to the point one is trying to make. That is why the events that I have chosen to relate are real and did, in fact happen and real (first) names are used.

The second reason is that I hope to form a relationship with the reader, at least one on a conversational level. I know that this gives me great advantage, as I get to do all the talking! At the same time though, it is always easier to relate with another when life experiences are shared. Stories always add a deeper dimension of humanity to the point one is trying to make. Throughout the process of trying to formulate this work, experiences just seemed to happen, unanticipated for the most part, and upon later reflection, I saw the hand of Providence in many of those, so they are included to help make a point when necessary. Not because of anything that I have done, but because upon reflection, the credit goes to God for causing the realization of their significance in the first place.

The basic story of Fátima begins with three Portuguese children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta who had a series of visions of an angel in 1916 and of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the thirteenth of each month from May to October in 1917. The supernatural events took place in a pasture used primarily for grazing sheep in the village of Fátima. Some claim Fátima is the geographical center of Portugal. While a map may not support this claim in terms of longitude and latitude, perhaps the center has to do with more than just geography. At any rate, the village is located just over a hundred kilometers northeast of Lisbon and is easily accessible from all directions.

The children were given messages from the Virgin, which were intended not just for them personally, but for all mankind. The messages centered on the need for prayer and penance in order to make reparation for the countless sins of the world. This was essential if the world was to be saved or else Divine Justice would come upon the world through severe punishments namely; a second world war would break out, there would be a global spread of Communism in which entire nations would be annihilated unless Russia was converted. The most notable event took place on October 13, 1917 when what has since been called The Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by crowds numbering upwards of seventy-thousand. The solar phenomenon was also accompanied by many other supernatural manifestations and were recorded by the major newspapers throughout Portugal and elsewhere.

Theologically speaking, the event was particularly significant since it was the first time that God performed a public miracle at a pre-announced time and place since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many eyewitness affirmations of events as well as the most convincing testimony of all—that which comes from the three visionaries. The entire story will be presented in what I am convinced is its purest form in five of the chapters of this work.

The apparitions at Fátima are part of what the Roman Catholic Church terms private revelation and is best explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraphs 66-67 as follows:

66. The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new revelation is expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (see also Dei Verbum, 1 Timothy 6:14, Titus 2:13). Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith to gradually grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

67. Throughout the ages, there have been so-called private revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faithful cannot accept revelations that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in recent sects which base themselves on modern revelations.

Does the Church say that there is still the possibility of some sort of new revelation to be made known before Christ returns? It does not. Does the Church say the faithful must fully accept, as an article of faith, any private revelation that has been approved by the magisterium. It does not. The Church does say that approved private revelations may be worthy of belief in that they can assist the faithful live the revelation that we have already received. But there is one more point here.

There is an error in thinking that has gained momentum in the years since the formal approval of the Fátima apparitions. It asserts that since Fátima is a private revelation, it can be safely ignored. Many leading theologians since have responded to this issue of private revelation and will hopefully clear up any misunderstanding. Cardinal Luciani, better known as Pope John Paul I wrote in the Italian Blue Army magazine Il Cuore della Madre, in January 1978 just over six months prior to his election as pope:

Someone may ask: so the cardinal is interested in private revelations. Does he not know that everything is contained in the gospel, that even approved revelations are not articles of faith? I know all that perfectly well. But the following is also an article of faith contained in the gospel: ‘Signs will accompany those who have professed their faith.’ (Mark 16:17). If it is the fashion today to examine the signs of the times…I think I may lawfully be allowed to refer to the sign of October 13, 1917, a sign to which even unbelievers and anti-clericals bore witness. And behind the sign itself, it is important to be attentive to the elements which this sign contains…

At the Fátima Congress at Freiberg, Germany on September 23, 1973 one of the Church’s leading theologians, Dr. Rudolf Graber expounded in considerable detail on the issue:

"Frequently objections are made to Fátima as being a sort of magic word in theology. Fátima they say, is after all only a private revelation and is therefore not binding in conscience, except for the person to whom it was given. We only accept the great revelation of God which ended definitively with Christ and the Apostles. Why then such an outcry because of Fátima?

"It is to be noted that this objection comes principally from those who neither respect the great revelation of God, nor of Christ, and who even want to eliminate some fundamental truths of faith, such as the virgin birth of Jesus, His Resurrection, His miracles, and even His very Divinity… It is absolutely certain that revelation as such was completed with Christ and His Apostles. What happens then if these private revelations confirm and emphasize certain truths that are found in this great revelation? This is exactly what happens with Fátima. Fátima confirms the existence of angels and demons that Modernists try to eliminate. Fátima confirms the existence of the Eucharist, which Modernists have stripped of all meaning. Fátima confirms the existence of Hell, which is simply denied today. Fátima requires prayer and penance, values to which people today feel themselves far superior and from which they consequently dispense themselves. Nevertheless, all through the Old and New Testament, this penance is spoken of… Today, much is spoken about fraternity, which naturally is not understood so much on a supernatural level, but almost exclusively in the social field and in technical developments.

"Once again we affirm that revelation proper ended with Christ and His Apostles. But does that mean that God has to remain silent, that He can no longer speak to His elect? Does it mean, as some believers think, that He should remain apart and leave the world abandoned to itself? Would not this be a very strange kind of God indeed! Did He not expressly say through His prophet that He would ‘pour forth of His Spirit on all flesh, that sons and daughters would prophesy, that old men would have visions in dreams. Even upon servants and handmaids He would pour forth of His Spirit.’ (Acts 2:17; John 3:1-5). Is such prophecy to be limited only to the first Pentecost? Certainly not. Wherefore hear the word of the prophet Amos: ‘The trumpet sounds in the street, men do well to be afraid: if peril is afoot in the city, doubt not it is of the Lord’s sending. Never does He act, but His servants, the prophets, are in the secret.’ (Amos 3:6). Should we not thank God with our whole heart, Who even today speaks to us, especially when any danger is approaching?

…Fátima represents… the great eschatological sign, the answer of God to the errors of the present time. The world finds itself on the eve of tremendous happenings breaking forth from the East. Hell seems to be let loose. The maternal Heart of Mary offers to save the world… May this depreciatory allegation, ‘these are only private revelations,’ not become the norm for dismissing the subject. Naturally Mary’s words at Lourdes and Fátima are not on the same level as the general revelation… But this does not mean that God and Mary are prohibited from speaking again. God speaks once more today and in a manner all the more intelligible as His second coming draws nearer, and this is precisely what Fátima seems to indicate.

On November 10, 1963, just days before the first Catholic president of the United States, John F. Kennedy was assassinated, in a letter to the North American Voice of Fatima, Father William A. Hinnebusch, O.P., of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. wrote that the simple logical process of accepting reliable evidence support the Fátima apparitions:

To resist evidence is obstinately anti-intellectual. Furthermore, when reliable witnesses testify to an event or fact which seems incontrovertible, a reasonable man must give assent. To say he may refuse assent without blame is a questionable position. When a person of such outstanding authority as the late Pope Pius XII says ‘the time for doubting Fátima is past; it is now time for action’, then reasonable men must stop and question whether good evidence offered by reliable witnesses is behind the conviction. For a Catholic to deliberately close his mind to such a statement can hardly be without blame. If the evidence guaranteeing the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima is examined with an open mind, the conclusion is reached that these apparitions can be accepted reasonably…A reasonable man accepts the evidence of reliable witnesses. When he refuses to do so, he does violence to his own reason.

Our Lady of Fátima came with a message of hope. It contains no new general revelation that her son hadn’t already made. As the Handmaiden of the Lord, she hasn’t stopped calling the world to simply pay attention to the truth that has already been revealed. Her message is to Pray, do penance for your sins, amend your lives or God will be compelled to let fall the arm of His Justice. This is no different than what God said to Noah before the flood (Genesis 6:5-15), or when he visited Abraham through his angels regarding the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-32). Nor is it any different than what John the Baptist preached in the desert (Mark 1:4-7) or what Peter proclaimed to the crowd that had gathered at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41). Virtually every mystery of the Rosary echoes the message as well, so why wouldn’t Our Lady simply say at Fátima what had always been said?

Professor A. Martins, S.J., of Portugal in his forward to the first edition of Lucia’s Memoirs supports this conclusion as well:

Fátima reminds us that wars and cataclysms are God’s punishment for our sins. Does not Holy Scripture say that Sodom was destroyed because there were not ten just men in it? And Jerusalem, because it had not understood the message of peace? And what is meant by the Flood and the forty years of God’s people in the desert and the captivity of Babylon? God has not changed and moreover, cannot change. Therefore, what happened in the past will be so until the end of the world. Men are looking for pleasure with increasing refinements; they easily forget the lessons of history and God’s commandments… Fátima is an alarm signal to men to amend their lives. It is also a loving invitation for sincere contrition, an indispensable way to obtain pardon of God our Father…

The purpose for the above is to lay the foundation for the work ahead. The reality of what happened at Fátima will not be debated here. The prior evidence should suffice as to why. Additionally, included in the story of Fátima are eyewitness accounts, newspaper reports, official testimony, and over a hundred years of history, which speaks volumes to the reality of the events at Fátima and its message. There is literally a library of resources one can turn to and see virtually every aspect of Fátima. The purpose of this work is a focus on pilgrimage in general, using the message of Fátima as a prayerful focus point in those real-life pilgrimage experiences.

Why the Fátima experience in everyday life? Why nor some other experience? Why not the Lourdes experience, the Guadalupe experience, or the La Salette experience? Because Fátima is our flood threat, our Sodom and Gomorra warning, our call to repent and prepare the way of the Lord, and our call to dream dreams and have visions of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives each and every day! The Fátima experience is an everyday experience.

In his book, Fátima’s Third Secret Explained (p.41), Thomas Petrisko sums up why the choice of Fatima is the choice par excellence of any approved apparition site in the twentieth century to use as the basis of our focus here. Petrisko states:

Thus, the message of Fátima is truly the best source for what so many visionaries are predicting. Fátima’s words, while not as extensive or as detailed as many contemporary private revelations, still represents the essence of almost all of the twentieth century prophesies.

Indeed, if there is ever a great wall in the Vatican covered with the paintings depicting the twentieth century Church approved Marian apparitions, those representing Beaurang, Banneux, and Akita, would be displayed prominently on this wall. But Fátima would be the wall. In Mary’s message at Fátima we can detect where Pope John Paul II and others have taken their direction. Fátima tells us much.

I have found most people today, even most Catholics do not know what Fátima was or is. Even more fundamentally lacking is the mere notion of what pilgrimage is. A few years ago, while beginning in earnest to research and prepare this work, I asked one of my classes in the high school where I was a religion teacher what the word pilgrimage meant. They were considered rather bright for first year high school students in a Bible survey course. Most of them had come from parochial primary and middle schools. Not a single hand was raised.

Fátima is the place of pilgrimage where we find the message most appropriate for living a life of faith today in our era. It can be adapted and applied to whatever we find ourselves doing each and