What happened at Fátima on June 13, 1917?

According to the Fatima apparition accounts preserved by the Church and summarized by EWTN, the Virgin Mary appeared again to the same 3 shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta at the Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portugal.

The key elements from the June 13 apparition are below.

• Mother Mary asked the children to continue praying the Rosary daily.

• She introduced a new prayer that we call the Fatima decade-ending rosary prayer. “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Especially those who have most need of Your mercy.”

• She said Francisco and Jacinta would soon go to Heaven, while Lucia would remain. Francisco died at age 10 in the Spanish flu pandemic on 04/04/1919.  Jacinta was 9 when she died of the same 10 months later. Pope St John Paul II beatified the 2 Servants of God at Fatima on May 13, 2000.

• She spoke for the first time about devotion to her Immaculate Heart, saying Jesus desired Lucia to help make this devotion known.

• The children saw a vision of Mary’s Immaculate Heart encircled by thorns, symbolizing how generations would disobey the 4th commandment and dishonor the mother of God.

• This apparition is one of the six major Fátima apparitions (May–October 1917), all occurring on the 13th of each month. For the full story, here is a summary of the apparitions' impact. 

Mother Mary entrusted the above mission to Sister Lucia over her 97 years. She showed us how to pray to God through Mother Mary's Immaculate Heart and find comfort in her warm embrace.

Resources

Alonso, J. M. (1976). Fatima: Documents and studies. Secretariado dos Pastorinhos.

Barber, P. (2017). The apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. Catholic Truth Society.

Cruz, J. C. (1992). Miracles, apparitions, and wonders. Tan Books.