Our Lady of Fatima – Apparitions of the Angel of Portugal

June 12, 2022

The other day I was in the middle of writing my next post in the St. Louis De Montfort series but had an unfortunate incident occur. I spilled a glass of water all over my laptop and the thing died on the spot. Once I get a new laptop and retrieve all of my materials and data that had been stored in the old one, I will resume writing that post and future posts in the De Montfort series. In the meantime, I think I’m going to do something a little different and write about Our Lady of Fatima.

Before the apparitions of Our Lady occurred in Fatima, Portugal, three shepherd children had three visions of the Angel of Portugal, also called the Angel of Peace. The children’s names were Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. All three children were residents of the village of Aljustrel in the parish of Fatima.

First Apparition of the Angel

The first apparition of the Angel occurred in the spring or summer of 1916 in a place (or cave) on a hill of Cabeço, near Aljustrel. Lucia, who many years later became Sister Lucy, said the following:

We were playing for a while when a strong wind shook the trees, which, since the day was quiet, made us raise our eyes to see what was happening. Then we began to see, in the distance, above the trees which extended toward the east, a light whiter than snow in the form of a transparent young man more brilliant than a crystal penetrated by the rays of the sun.

As he was approaching, we could distinguish his features: a young man of about 14 or 15 years of age, and of great beauty. We were surprised and ecstatic. We said nothing.

As soon as he came close to us, he said: ‘Don’t be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.’

And kneeling, he prostrated himself until his forehead touched the ground. Impelled by a supernatural force, we imitated him and repeated the words we heard him saying:

‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee. I beg pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.’

After he had repeated this thrice, he arose and said: ‘Pray thus. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.’

And he disappeared.

The atmosphere of the supernatural which pervaded us was so intense that we were almost unaware of our own existence for a long period of time, keeping the same position in which he had left us, and repeating the same prayer over and over. The presence of God was so intense and intimate that we dared not speak even to each other. On the following day, we felt our spirits still involved in that atmosphere, which was very slowly disappearing.

In this apparition, none of us felt the need to talk or recommend secrecy. We did this instinctively. This was something so intimate it was difficult to say anything. Perhaps we were so affected because it was the first apparition thus manifested. (Cf. Memoirs II, pp. 114 and 116; IV, pp. 318 and 320; de Marchi, pp. 51-52; Walsh, pp. 39-40; Ayres da Fonseca, p. 121; Galamba de Oliveira, pp. 52-57).

Second Apparition of the Angel

The second apparition occurred in the summer of 1916 over the well at the house of Lucy’s parents, near where the children were drinking. Sister Lucy narrated what the Angel said to her and her cousins:

‘What are you doing? Pray! pray a great deal! The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs for you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High!’

‘How must we sacrifice?’ I asked.

‘Of all you can, offer a sacrifice to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way draw peace upon your country. I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and endure with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you.’

And he disappeared.

These words of the Angel were so impressed upon our souls like light that they made us understand who is God, how much He loves us and wishes to be loved, the value of sacrifice and how it pleases God, and how, in view of it, He converts sinners. (Cf. Memoirs II, p. 116; IV, pp. 320 and 322; de Marchi, p. 53; Walsh, p. 42; Ayres da Fonseca, pp. 121-122; Galamba de Oliveira, pp. 57-58).

Third Apparition of the Angel

The third apparition occurred at the end of the summer or the beginning of the fall of 1916, once again in Loca do Cabeço. In Sister Lucy’s words:

As soon as we arrived there, we fell to our knees and prostrated ourselves with our foreheads on the ground; we began to repeat the Angel’s prayer: ‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee.’ I don’t remember how many times we had repeated this prayer, when we saw an unknown light glittering over our heads. We arose to see what was happening, and we saw the Angel bearing a chalice in his left hand, and over it, a Host, from which drops of blood fell into the chalice. Then, leaving the chalice and the Host suspended in the air, the Angel knelt beside us and repeated three times the prayer:

‘Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly and offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg Thee for the conversion of poor sinners.’

Then, rising up, he again took the chalice and the Host and gave the Host to me, and what the chalice contained he gave to Jacinta and Francisco to drink, saying at the same time, ‘Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ horribly insulted by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.’

He again prostrated himself on the ground and repeated the same prayer three times with us. ‘Most Holy Trinity, etc.’ and disappeared.

Impelled by the supernatural force which enveloped us, we imitated the Angel in everything, that is, prostrating ourselves as he did, and repeating the prayers he was saying. The strength of God’s presence was so intense that it absorbed and annihilated us almost completely. It seemed to deprive us even of the use of our corporal senses for a long time. During those days, we performed our physical actions as though we were carried by that supernatural being who compelled us to do so. The peace and happiness we felt were very great while our interior souls concentrated on God. The physical debility which prostrated us was also great.

I don’t know why the apparitions of Our Lady produced such different effects. There was the same intimate gladness. But instead of that physical debility, we had a certain expansive agility; instead of that annihilation in the presence of God, an exaltation of gladness; instead of that difficulty in speaking, a certain communicative enthusiasm. But, in spite of these feelings, I sensed the inspiration to remain secretive, especially about some things. In the interrogations, I felt an intimate inspiration which suggested that, without telling a lie, I should not disclose that which I had to keep secret about this matter. (Cf. Memoirs II, p. 118; IV, pp. 322-326; de Marchi, pp. 54-55; Walsh, pp. 43-44; Ayres da Fonseca, pp. 122-123; Galamba de Oliveira, pp. 58-59).

* * *

The apparitions of the Angel in 1916 were preceded by three other visions, from April to October of 1915, at which Lucy and three other little shepherd girls, Maria Rosa Matias, Teresa Matias, and Maria Justino saw, also on the hill at Cabeço, something suspended in the air over the grove of trees. Sister Lucy said it was like “a kind of cloud whiter than snow, somewhat transparent with human configuration.” She said it was “a figure like a statue made of snow that the rays from the sun had turned somewhat transparent.” (CF. Memoirs II, p. 110; IV, pp. 316 and 318; de Marchi, pp. 50-51; Walsh, pp. 27-28; Ayres da Fonseca, p. 119; Galamba de Oliveira, p. 51).

The next post will be about the apparitions of the Blessed Mother.