Our Lady of Fatima:
The September 13th Miracle
Fatima is best known for the October 13, 1917 Miracle of the Sun. Most people are unaware of the other Fatima miracles that took place on that date, as described in Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun. Even fewer know about the miraculous events of September 13th.
The unpublicized September 13th miracle
Let’s return to Fatima. When it came time for the children to leave for the Cova da Iria on September 13th, there were so many people following that Lucia later wrote, “that we could hardly move a step.” When they arrived at their usual place, the children started the Rosary with the crowds surrounding them responding. When the Lady appeared to the children, a globe of light appeared before the crowd. This luminous globe was seen by many. One of those present on September 13 was a priest, Monsignor John Quaresma. He came because he didn’t know what to believe – whether the children were lying, being duped, hallucinating or telling the truth. Monsignor Quaresma was accompanied by another priest and they chose a spot overlooking Cova da Iria. They could easily see, without coming too close, the place where the children prayed as they waited for the heavenly apparition. Here is his personal account of what he witnessed (page 47):
“At noontime, silence fell on the crowd, and a low whispering of prayers could be heard. Suddenly, cries of joy rent the air, many voices praising the Blessed Virgin. Arms were raised to point to something above, ‘Look! don’t you see?’ … ‘Yes, I see it!’
“I, too, raised my eyes to probe the amplitude of the skies, hoping to see what the other more fortunate eyes were seeing before me. There was not a single cloud in the whole blue sky, yet to my great astonishment, I saw clearly and distinctly a luminous globe, coming from the east to the west, gliding slowly and majestically through space. My friend also looked up, and had the happiness of enjoying the same unexpected but enchanting apparition. Suddenly, the globe with its extraordinary light, disappeared before our eyes.
“There was a little girl near us, dressed like Lucia and about the same age. She was excited with joy and kept saying, ‘I still see Her…now She is coming down.’ A few minutes later the child exclaimed again, pointing to the skies, ‘Now she is rising again,’ following the globe with her eyes until it disappeared towards the sun.”
The priest and his friend were convinced that they had been in the presence of Our Lady and that the three children had seen the Mother of God herself. The priests had been given the grace of seeing the chariot that had borne her from Heaven. Everyone around them had seen the same as they. “For on all sides were heard manifestations of joy and greetings to Our Lady. Some, however, saw nothing; for one good and pious soul nearby wept bitterly for not having seen.”
During the apparitions in July, August and September, Our Lady promised the children that the last time she would appear would be in October and that she would effect a miracle that everyone would see and thereby believe. A great miracle was promised to take place at a specific place (Cova da Iria) at a specific time (noon) on a specific date (October 13th). On September 13, 2017, the Lady added, “Our Lord also will come to bless the people. . . .” The stage was being set and we can easily understand why an estimated 70,000 came to see and then witnessed the October 13th miracles.
All quotations and page references are to Father di Marchi’s book, The True Story of Fatima. I would also encourage you to visit the official Fatima website for a much more detailed account of the 1917 events, as well as the earlier 1916 visitations and the subsequent appearances.
Some websites and references
Last modified September 9, 2019