Now in the light of the situation in the Ukraine and the pleas from Bishops of Ukrainian Rite Catholics for Pope Francis to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fatima once more dominates the hearts and minds of Catholics; well, at least those Catholics who keep in touch with Catholic events!

Our Lady back in 1929 had revealed to Sr Lucia that she wanted the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady and to order the bishops to join him on the same day and hour to also consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. So Pope Francis will seek to consecrate Russia [and Ukraine] on the 25th March 2022 which is the Feast of the Annunciation, at around 6.30pm Rome time [5.30pm London time] and he has invited all the bishops and priests to join him in this act. We need to get the background to why this act is happening now, and the role of Fatima in bringing this about.

Now some Catholics may not know the status of the visions of Our Lady of Fatima to three children: Saint Francisco de Jesus Marto (11 June 1908 – 4 April 1919), his sister Saint Jacinta de Jesus Marto (5 March 1910 – 20 February 1920) and their cousin Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005). Fatima comes under the subject called Private Revelation. God continues to reveal Himself to individuals "not indeed for the declaration of any new doctrine of faith, but for the direction of human acts" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II q174 a6 reply 3).

Status of a Private Revelation:

Since it occurs after the close of Public Revelation, the Church distinguishes the content of such particular revelations to individuals from the deposit of the Faith by calling it ‘Private Revelation’. The test of its authenticity is always its consistency with Public Revelation [Deposit of Faith] as guarded faithfully by the Catholic Church. It is a role that begins with the investigation of the local Bishop into an alleged Private Revelation that has occurred in his diocese.

The decision of the local bishop should be one of the following:

1. constat de supernaturalitate (established as supernatural), 

2. constat de non supernaturalitate (established as not supernatural);

3. or non constat de supernaturalitate (not established as supernatural).

1.   Constat de supernaturalitate. An apparition judged supernatural (formerly called worthy of belief) has manifested signs or evidence of being an authentic or truly miraculous intervention from heaven. This judgment is possible when there is evidence of supernatural phenomena, sound doctrine, moral probity, mental health and sound piety of the seer(s) and enduring good fruits among the faithful.

This is where the Church stands with regards to the Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima and Our Lady at Akita, but Fatima has also been judged by the Holy See as authentic.

Apparition of Our Lady in Fatima in 1917:

There were six Marian apparitions to the shepherd children of Fatima from May 13 to Oct. 13, in 1917. All of these apparitions took place on the 13th of the month except for the August apparition. The six apparitions of Our Lady to the children at Fatima were preceded by three apparitions of the Angel of Peace in 1916 at or near their home in the hamlet of Aljustrel. The Angel of Peace prepared the children for the Marian apparitions that would follow. He taught them several prayers, and, in his final apparition in autumn 1916, he gave the children Holy Communion.

Here is the timeline of these Apparitions:

May 13, 1917: The children were tending their sheep near the Cova da Iria in Fatima, a few miles from their home. A beautiful young woman dressed in white appeared to them over the holm oak. The Lady said she was from heaven and wanted the children to return to the same place at the same hour on the 13th of each month for six months. She asked the children to pray the Rosary every day.

June 13, 1917: Our Lady again asked the children to pray the Rosary every day, and she asked Lucia to learn to read and write. She revealed that Jacinta and Francisco would die soon, but Lucia would live longer. She then revealed that God wished to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and her heart would be a refuge and a way to lead people to God.

July 13, 1917: The Lady disclosed a three-part secret to the children.

Aug. 19, 1917: The children missed their scheduled meeting with the Lady at the Cova da Iria on August 13th because they were detained by the anti-clerical civil authorities. The Lady then appeared to the children a few days later, on August 19th at Valinhos near their home in Aljustrel. The Lady asked the children to continue to come to the Cova da Iria on the 13th of each month and to pray the Rosary every day. She told them that she would perform a miracle the last month (October)].

Sept. 13, 1917: The Lady asked the children to continue to pray the Rosary for the end of the war. She told them that Jesus as well as St. Joseph would appear in October.

Oct. 13, 1917: The most dramatic of the apparitions. The sun started spinning and grew larger. Even unbelievers and sceptics witnessed the phenomenon. The secular newspaper, O Século, had a front page story on “How the sun danced at midday in Fatima.”

EXCURSUS ON THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN:

Around 55,000 people had gathered on a rainy day near Cova da Iria in Fatima on October 13th in 1917 and witnessed the “miracle of the sun.” Some 20,000 other people witnessed the miracle from as far away as 25 miles. It looked like it was going to fall on the earth. People fell to their knees in fear. The people then noticed that their clothes were completely dry even though they had been standing in the rain for some time. Even unbelievers and sceptics witnessed the event.

EXCURSUS ON THE THREE PART SECRET GIVEN ON 13TH JULY 2017:

The First Part: The Vision of Hell  

Interpretation by Our Lady

The Second Part: Sign of Unearthly Phenomeon.

Interpretation by Our Lady: a worse war will come if no repentance and a warning against errors of Russia spreading throughout the world. Call to consecrate Russia to Immaculate Heart!

The Third Part: Vision of the future state of the Church

Interpretation by Our Lady [not revealed]

FIRST PART OF SECRET OF FATIMA: The Vision of Hell

As the Lady was finishing the prayer, she opened her hands again, and mysterious holy light radiated out. The light was not as it had been in the past. It seemed to open the earth!

It revealed a very terrifying scene as the children were shown a vision of hell! It was only for a brief moment that they saw the fires of hell, the ugliest demons, and the poor charred and transparent burning souls of people suffering tremendously.

Lucia would later explain that she and her cousins were extremely thankful that the Lady had already promised that they would be going to heaven. Lucia said, “This vision lasted but an instant. How could we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven? Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.”

As devastating as it was for them to see this vision, the children now had absolutely no doubt about the reality of hell. This certainty and every horrifying detail they witnessed would help them greatly when they prayed for sinners.

Interpretation from Our Lady of Vision:

The Lady said to them:

You have seen hell where souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion 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 in offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.

SECOND PART OF THE SECRET OF FATIMA: Sign and Request for Consecration of Russia

SIGN: When you see a night illuminated 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. The young cousins took it all in. The heavenly Lady continued to tell them about many things, including an­other war that might start, terrible sufferings, and more.

She said to prevent it:

REQUEST: I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.

If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread 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.

SIGN: In the early evening hours of Jan. 25, 1938, an unearthly phenomenon lit up the skies all over Europe and as far away as Bermuda. After much study, scientists came to agree that this display did not fit in the pattern of an aurora borealis. An aurora is preceded by considerable sunspot activity. In this instance, there was almost nothing of the sort, only a single sunspot noticed the weekend before.

The holy Lady told the children about scary things, but it was important for them to know and to learn how the bad things could be prevented — even the war could be prevented! Plus, their prayers and sacrifices could prevent people from going to hell. The Lady added a most hopeful message.

She said, “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.”

CONSECRATION CONDITIONS REVEALED

Sr. Lucy reported that the Virgin of Fatima appeared to her again on June 13, 1929, and said:

This is the moment when God asks
1. the Holy Father to make,
2. in union with all the bishops of the world,
3. the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart.

He promises to save it by that means. So many are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.”

And Sr. Lucy added:

Later on through an intimate communication, Our Lord said: ‘They have not chosen to heed my request… As the King of France, they will regret it and then will do it, but it will be too late. Russia will already have spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions against the Church, the Holy Father will have much to suffer.’”

Sr. Lucy asked our Lord why He would not convert Russia without the solemn public consecration of that nation specifically. Jesus answered:

“Because I want My whole Church to acknowledge that consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that it may extend its homage later on, and put the devotion to this Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart.”

THIRD PART OF THE SECRET OF FATIMA:

Vision: We saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: “Penance, Penance, Penance!”

And we saw in an immense light that is God: something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it, a Bishop dressed in White, we had the impression that it was the Holy Father.

Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions.

Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

Interpretation by Our Lady? [not given].

Here is where the controversy starts where some claim that there was no interpretation of the Vision given by Our Lady and others claim that there was and either it has been withheld or lost. You decide.

FRIDAY FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION 25TH MARCH: Friday at 5pm Rome time; 4pm London time!

So this coming Friday we hope that all the Bishops unite with Pope Francis to consecrate Russia and Ukraine and we further hope they will follow and fulfill the conditions for the consecration laid down by Our Lady and Our Lord to St Lucia in 1929, this Friday!