Mary appeared to these humble children six times beginning the 13th May 1917 and every 13th of the succeeding months. Her final apparition in October featured the miracle of the sun.
There have been a number of messages of Our Lady like the devotion to the Rosary, doing sacrifices, etc, but what struck me were: "Stop offending God for He is already much offended."
It was a mother's plea to her Son's enemies to put a halt to what would hurt her beloved. It was a mother's plea to her other children to make peace with their wounded brother.
The beautiful image of Mary immaculately garbed in white, with a crown on her head a rosary on her arms, and with hands clasped in prayer has been one of the popular iconography in most homes and churches - the St Rita Hospital Chapel where I once served used to have a large image which is venerated especially in May and in October. Her message has been kept alive through the weekly praying of the Rosary in various homes via the Block Rosary groups in many parishes in the Philippines and elsewhere as well as the pilgrim image being brought to all parts of the world.
When we visited the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome last year, we saw the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima being venerated in one of the side chapels. As we went out of this famous basilica, we met a Filipina nun who was distributing a religious magazine published by her congregation. She noticed Nidz to be pregnant then and suggested that we name our baby Fatima. We simply smiled as we have already made up our minds of what our baby would be called.
As we went back to the UK and got ourselves ready for Chiara's arrival, we were hoping and praying that she be born on the 8th September, Our Lady's birthday. The 8th came and went, but no signs of the baby being delivered. Chiara was actually delivered on the 13th. I suddenly remembered that Filipina nun we met in Rome. I suddenly remembered Our Lady of Fatima. For the 13th of September marked her penultimate apparition. Apart from the date, our baby saw the first light on a Saturday, a day very special to Mary.
We have a picture of Our Lady of Fatima in our study and everytime I bring Chiara to that room, I don't fail to bring her to that picture. More often than not, she smiles and coos before that heavenly photo.
We may not have named our daughter Fatima or Maria, but I am pretty much sure of one thing: Mary, our beloved mother, never forgets us.
I'm very pleased to hear that former President Cory Aquino has already been discharged from hospital after being under the knife. I'm upset though that this revered icon of Philippine democracy, has been used as a showbiz item in talk shows particularly in the shows that Kris, her youngest daughter, hosts.
Maligayang pista to all our kababayans in Gagalangin on the 17th of May! May St Joseph continuously pray for you.
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