The Message Of Fatima

Though the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place almost a hundred years ago, Our Lady's call to prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and peace in the world is as relevant now as when first delivered to three Portuguese peasant children in 1917. At the peak of the First World War, our Lady warned of another worldwide conflict, the rise and spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church unless people repented of their sins and returned to God. She also requested devotion to her Immaculate Heart and a special consecration of Russia. Much of what Our Lady of Fatima said was revealed soon after her appearances, but the third and final "secret", which was not a message but a prophetic vision seen by the children, was not unveiled by the Vatican until 2000. Pope John Paul II, who read the third secret while recovering from the attempt upon his life in 1981, believed the vision signified the sufferings the Church had endured in the twentieth century. Because of the prophetic nature of her messages, Our Lady of Fatima has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. In this book, Father Andrew Apostoli carefully analyzes the events that took place in Fatima and clears up lingering questions and doubts about their meaning. He also challenges the reader to hear anew the call of Our Lady to prayer and sacrifice, for the world is ever in need of generous hearts willing to make reparation for those in danger of losing their way to God.

"We stopped, astounded, before the apparition. We were so close that we were inside the light which surrounded her, or rather, which radiated from her."--Lucia de Jesus There may be no person on the globe who knows more about the story of Fatima than Sr. Angela de Fatima Coelho. As a little girl growing up in Portugal, she used to pray at the tombs of Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Many years later as a sister of the Alianca de Santa Maria, she would become the postulator for their cause of canonization. This journey would lead her to visit with Sr. Lucia several times and eventually become the vice postulator for her cause as well. Sr. Angela brings this unique and privileged perspective to the story of Fatima, going beyond a chronicle of the events to the theological meaning of the Fatima message, as well as taking a deeper look at the lives and spiritualities of each of the three seers. Relying on her extensive research as a postulator advice postulator for their causes and on her own personal story touched early by suffering only to be healed by the embrace of Our Lady of Fatima, she helps readers discover the relevancy of this message for our post-modern world. For many years, Sr. Angela has traveled the world and spoken to thousands of people. Now, for the first time in print, she gives her profound testimony about Fatima. Her hope is that she may take each of us inside the light--the light that is God--that washed over the three shepherd children on that miraculous spring day in 1917.

With an introduction by Pope Benedict XVI and including information previously suppressed, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, definitively reveals and explains one of the most controversial events in twentieth-century Catholicism—the 1917 apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima. During World War I, three Portuguese children received a vision in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, foretold great global turmoil. The first part of their vision—warnings about World War II, communism, and the spread of atheism—were widely publicized, but Vatican officials were hesitant to reveal the vision’s concluding images, thus creating the "secret" of Fatima. Speculation about this secret gripped many Catholics, and the aura of intrigue surrounding Fatima grew when the Church hierarchy barred the last surviving visionary from speaking publicly. In THE LAST SECRET OF FATIMA, Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican equivalent of prime minister and a top advisor to Pope Benedict, breaks the Vatican’s official silence on the last secret. Rather than Armageddon, he claims, the final prophecy envisaged the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Bertone argues the apparition at Fatima was a call to renewal for the Church, and he was assigned the task of promulgating this message by the Pope.

"The tragedies foretold in Fatima did not come to an end with the demise of Communism. The crisis has not been resolved. From a certain point of view it is still as serious as it ever was, as it is primarily a crisis of faith, hence a moral and social crisis." — Pope Benedict XVI The apparitions in 1917 of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, are perhaps the most important private revelations in the history of the Church. At the height of World War I and on the eve of the Russian Revolution, Our Lady appeared in Fatima to warn us of another even greater world war, the spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church unless people returned to God. She asked for us to offer daily prayer and sacrifice for conversion of the world and salvation of souls. Because of the prophetic nature of Our Lady's messages and their potential significance for the entire world, they have been the subject of much study and controversy, and they have influenced the decisions not only of many individuals, but also of Popes, Bishops, and heads of state. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of these important apparitions and messages for the modern world, renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikon traveled throughout Europe to tell the story of Fatima and its impact on the destiny of both individuals and nations. With stunningly beautiful four-color photographs on every page, and in-depth detail and insights on all aspects of the story and message of Fatima, they probe the mysteries of Fatima and their continued relevance for our modern age. Lavishly Illustrated.

In 1917 Our Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal for six consecutive months, from May to October to three shepherd children: Lucia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. They were ten, nine and seven years of age respectively. Basing much of his book on The Memoirs of Sister Lucia, author Luiz Sergio Solimeo offers the readers an insightful and detailed account of their story, Our Lady's message and its continual relevance for our times. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, the Fatima apparitions were "without doubt, the most prophetic of all modern apparitions."

A phenomenon as complex as the Fatima event stands itself as a challenge and demands theological reflection. From different perspectives, the core of the Message of Fatima reflects the very heart of revelation. It harmoniously reveals an authentic experience of Christian mystery at its most genuine and authentic. The symbolic nature of the language stands as a protest and a proposal in the face of particular circumstances in the world and in the Church. Fatima permits us to delve into the most radical logic of the revelation of the Triune God, whose love manifests itself as mercy in order to overcome, from within, the dramatic events of human history. The Little Shepherds bear witness of these designs of mercy announced to them.

A century old - eternally new, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The message of Fatima reflects all the teachings of the Catholic faith. It's a message so simple that children could understand it - yet one so rich that theologians are still mining its depths. In The Miracle and the Message: 100 Years of Fatima, author John C. Preiss describes in clear detail the Blessed Mother's appearances to Lucia dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto (now the Church's youngest canonized saints) and shares the background, sights, and sounds that draw you into the events as they unfolded over the course of the twentieth century. More than just a history lesson about the apparitions, The Miracle and the Message shows us how to claim the message in our own lives and fully embrace what Mary offers the Church and the World. Whether you know little about what happened in Fatima and want to learn more, or you already have a devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, you will love The Miracle and the Message. Includes eight pages of photos. Book jacket.