Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, amidst the shadows of World War I, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared radiant with heavenly light atop a small holm oak in Cova da Iria (Fatima, Portugal) to three shepherd children: Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Identifying herself as "the Lady of the Rosary", she urged the daily recitation of the Rosary for world peace and the conversion of hearts. On October 13, before a crowd of over 70,000 people under torrential rain, the astounding "Miracle of the Sun" occurred, witnessed by believers and secular journalists alike, as the sun danced and radiated celestial hues. Today, the Sanctuary of Fatima is one of the world's greatest shrines of prayer, where millions gather holding glowing candles in the peaceful night.