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The apparition of Thursday, September 13, 1917.

 

 

The sincerity of the seers touches the heart

more and more people.

 

More and more people believed in the apparitions. They were touched by the sincerity of the visionaries who, so young, faced many trials.

n August 13, and therefore, many were in favor of the reality of the apparitions.

 

The heroic patience of the three shepherds.

 

The three seers faced a lot of suffering, especially from the local authorities. Their patience was strained. Some people in the hamlet even despised them, humiliated them.

In addition, the indifferent attitude of the parish priest and the priests of the surroundings was for them a suffering that was added to the others. This is the reason why they were very eager to see Our Lady again who had asked them to come on the 13th of this month.

 

At the Cova da Iria, September 13, 1917.

 

There were between 25,000 and 30,000 people at Cova da Iria on September 13, 1917. Most pilgrims recite the Rosary fervently. An eyewitness wrote:

 

“It was a pilgrimage truly worthy of the name, the sight of which alone made us cry with emotion. I had never seen, during all my life, such a manifestation of faith ... On the place of the Apparitions, the men discovered themselves. Almost everyone knelt down and prayed fervently ... "

 

In the midst of the crowd of pilgrims, there were, this time, some priests and also some seminarians.

 

A luminous globe.

 

A luminous globe was seen by some people at noon solar time in a cloudless blue sky. It moved from the East to the West, sliding slowly; he disappeared for a few seconds then reappeared and this time he walked towards the holm oak.

 

The daylight faded at that moment.

 

The apparition of Our Lady and the announcement of the blessing of the world.

 

Lucie dared to question Notre-Dame who said to her:

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

“Continue to say the rosary in order to end the war. In October, Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Carmel and Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus; He will bless the world. "

 

The little shepherds took seriously the words of Our Lady who had asked them to sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. They had put a rope around their loins, which they wore day and night, which made them suffer, but Our Lady said to them:

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

“God is happy with your sacrifices, but he doesn't want you to sleep with the rope. Wear it only during the day. "

 

To a request for healing for a deaf and mute little girl, Our Lady replied:

 

“In a year, she will be better. "

 

Then, at further requests, she said:

 

“I will heal some, but others will not, because Our Lord does not trust them. "

 

These last words received a lot of commentary. They seem to say that it is not enough to pray to God when we are in need or in suffering but that we must always pray to God, in the good times as in the bad times of our earthly existence. And so we get the trust of the Lord. Pray without ceasing ...

 

Our Lady then asked for processional stretchers to carry them for the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

 

Lucie offered to accept two letters and a small bottle of scented water which had been given to her by a man from a neighboring parish, but Our Lady replied:

 

“It is not suitable for Heaven.

In October, I will do the miracle, so that all believe ”

 

Then she rose and disappeared like the previous times.

 

  Father Manuel Nunes Formigão,

canon of Lisbon.

 

 

Father Manuel Nunes Formigão, canon of Lisbon, was on that day at the very place of the apparitions. He had known how to gain the confidence of the parents and the seers of Fatima thanks to his delicacy and his concern to know the truth. He was then a professor at the seminary and at the lycée of Santarém († January 30, 1958 in Fatima).

 

Later, on September 27, he returned to Fatima to question the three shepherds and their sincerity made him convinced of the reality of the apparitions. However, he put them to the test by asking them as many questions as necessary in order to discern and see if they were not victims of a hallucination.

 

Shortly before October 13, he returned to Fatima to question the three seers again. He was more and more convinced of the supernatural character of the apparitions and was eager to attend the apparition on October 13, the day when the great miracle had been promised.

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