By : Mary Anne Quizon
This coming Friday the 13th of October marks the 100th anniversary of the incredible “Miracle of the Sun” that took place in a little village in Fatima at Cova da Iria, in Portugal.
Our Blessed Virgin Mary, described by the three children as : “a beautiful lady dressed in white with a mantle edged in gold and holding a rosary ,” appeared to the three little shepherds on May 13 1917 while they were herding their sheep at Cova da Iria. The children were Lucia Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto . The Blessed mother have promised to visit them on the 13th of every month thereafter until October 13. This was Our Lady’s last apparition.
On the 13th of October thousands of people came. The crowd, eager and wanting to witness a miracle and estimated to be over 70,000, gathered at Cova da Iria. Devotees of the Blessed Virgin, religious nuns, priests, government officials, reporters, and photographers from Fatima and the surrounding as well as far off villages came. The curious, the pilgrims and onlookers who have heard about the apparitions also came. Police officers ordered to stop the crowd by reason of possible political implications were there to do their duty.
The morning of the miracle was besieged with heavy rains.
The children Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta were almost late yet on time for the Blessed Lady’s apparition. The heavy rains ceased at the appearance of our Blessed Mother. With her eyes fixed on Our Lady, and seeing some light emanating from the Blessed Mothers hands raised up to the direction of the sun, Lucia suddenly shouted: “look at the sun!”
The sun, to everyone’s surprise suddenly came rolling down bringing fear to all present. Awed by the falling sun, the crowd held on to their rosaries tightly calling on the Divine in prayer and in fright. Then, as quickly as it came rolling down, the sun unexpectedly zigzagged up back to the skies. The astonished and wonder filled people were relieved finding themselves safe and alive with their rain soaked clothes suddenly dry.
In later interviews witnesses revealed having seen the sun rotating like a wheel of many colours. Other witnesses talked of the sun dancing while falling off its position in the skies. Still others just saw the sun as if merely rolling down on them.
The said solar phenomenon was believed to be visible up to forty kilometres away from the apparition. It has made many unbelievers turn to the right path leading to God.