Fatima’s Sister Lucia declared “venerable” by Pope Francis

Pope Francis signed a decree on June 22 declaring Sister Lucia dos Santos, the oldest of the three Fatima children, “venerable”. The pope recognized Sister Lucia’s heroic virtues and piety. She was the eldest of the three children of Fatima, being 10 years old at the time of the apparitions, and she was the only one to live into adulthood. The next step for her in the cause for canonization is beatification. For Sister Lucia’s cause to be advanced to beatification the Vatican needs an approved miracle attributed to her intercession.

She was the only one to speak to the Blessed Virgin in 1917 and wrote her memoir regarding the account of Fatima. Her memoirs have provided important details and an increase in faith for the Church. She gave her last public interview on December 26, 1957, when she spoke to Fr. Augustine Fuentes, a Mexican priest. After this interview, she spent the rest of her life in the convent until her death at the age of 97. Among many other things spoken about during the interview, Sister Lucia informed Fr. Augustine the Blessed Virgin was saddened.

“Father, the Blessed Virgin is very sad because no one has paid attention to her Message, neither the good nor the bad. The good, because they continue on the road of goodness, but without paying mind to this Message. The bad, because of their sins, do not see God’s chastisement already falling on them presently; they also continue on their path of badness, ignoring the Message. But, Father, you must believe me that God is going to punish the world and chastise it in a tremendous way. The chastisement from Heaven is imminent. The year 1960 is on us, and then what will happen? It will be very sad for everyone, and far from a happy thing if the world does not pray and do penance before then. I cannot give more details because it is still a secret. By the will of the Blessed Virgin, only the Holy Father and the Bishop of Fatima can know the secret. Both have chosen, however, not to open it in order not to be influenced by it.

This is the third part of the Message of Our Lady, which still remains secret until 1960. Tell them, Father, that the Blessed Virgin said repeatedly – to my cousins Francisco and Jacinta as well as to me – that many nations would disappear from the face of the earth, that Russia would be the instrument of chastisement from Heaven for the whole world if the conversion of that poor Nation is not obtained beforehand. Father, the Devil is fighting a decisive battle against the Virgin and, as you know, what most offends God and what will gain him the greatest number of souls in the shortest time is to gain the souls consecrated to God. For this also leaves unprotected the field of the laity and the Devil can more easily seize them,” said Sister Lucia.

In addition to the “miracle of the sun” (as it is often referred), Fatima’s message focused on individuals being devoted to the central truths and beliefs of the Catholic Church. Additionally, the Blessed Mother shared messages of prayer, peace, penance, and hope. She warned that another, greater conflict, was coming after World War I and she urged Russia to be consecrated to the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart.

Sister Lucia continued to tell the priest that the Blessed Mother was very sad during these apparitions and that she never smiled at them. “This anguish that we saw in her, caused by offenses to God and the chastisements that threaten sinners, penetrated our souls,” said Sister Lucia.

Sister Lucia spent the final 50 years of her life as a Carmelite with the Carmelite convent in Coimbra, Portugal. She died in 2005 and the cause for her canonization was opened in 2008, following a dispensation by Pope Benedict XVI for the usual required five-year waiting period following death. The other two children witnesses were previously canonized by Pope Francis in 2017, making them the youngest non-martyr saints in the Church’s history.

When the cause for canonization was opened for Sister Lucia, it has been reported that over 15,000 letters, testimonies, and other documents were collected during the diocesan phase of her cause. The diocesan phase for the cause of canonization concluded in 2017, moving it into the Vatican’s hands. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian hackers, and all the news surrounding the evils perpetrated on nations today by Russia, we can see the fulfillment and warnings of Our Lady of Fatima. It is time for penance. It is time for Catholics to repent and draw near to the Lord and the Blessed Virgin. It is time for sinners to turn from sin. It’s time for the Holy Trinity to be central to our life.