Momboisse Family Adventures March / April 2025 - Fatima, Portugal

Monday March 31, 2025 

Around 2pm, we all hopped back on our bus in Santarem for a 40 minute ride  to Fatima. As we ride through the countryside, Leo gave us a brief  history of Portugal up to the time of the apparitions in Fatima.    

The Kingdom of Portugal from 1139 to 1910 was classified as a monarchy, alternating over the centuries between absolute monarchy to semi-constitutional monarchy.  This monarchy ended with the revolution of October 5, 1910.

A Constitution was approved in 1911, establishing the First Republic of Portugal which would last until 1926 when a military dictatorship took over.  In 1914 and until early 1916, Portugal would remain mostly neutral during World War I. Allied to England however, Portugal partnered with them against the Germans later during the war.  This brings us to the time of the apparitions of  the Angel and Our Lady of Fatima to three young children, Lucia Santos, and Francisco and Jacinta Marto. 

Parish Church at Fatima 

Our first stop in Fatima is at the Parish Church of Fatima (Av. Irmã Lúcia de Jesus 1988, Fátima, Portugal). The present church dates to the 16th century.  Outside there are three statues: Francisco, Jacinta and Our Lady of Fatima all dating to the year 2000. 

      

Inside the church is the baptismal font where Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were baptized.  Also inside is a statue of Our Lady of Pleasures (also called Our Lady of Joy) which was hidden during the Peninsular War (1808 to 1814).  It was discovered during the renovations at the time of the apparitions.  

Altar at the Parish Church of Fatima

Our Lady of Pleasures (AKA Our Lady of Joy)

Across from the Parish Church is a cemetery where Francisco and Jacinta were first buried.  Today both reside in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at the Sanctuary in Fatima. To see more of the inside of this church, including the baptismal font and learn more of the history please watch this following video.

From the Parish Church it is a short drive to the parking area for the Aljustrel. This is the village where the children were born.  Here our group toured their homes and walked to the Well of Arneiro.  Click here to view a map of our 1/2 mile round trip walking tour. 

From the parking area we walk along the R. dos Pastorinhos, the street where the children's homes reside.  Today it is filled with souvenir shops selling goods of Fatima. A far cry from what it must have been like in 1916 when the village was isolated, and families tended to their work caring for livestock and crops.  

Souvenir Shop 

Francisco and Jacinta Marto's Home

The first house is that of Francisco and Jacinta.  The wall outside the house is where the famous picture, shown below, of the children was taken. Our group posed for a picture along the same wall. 

Photo taken at the Aljustrel 1917 (Wikipedia Public Domain)

Our group in front of the same wall

The home of the Marto Family was built in 1888 and restored in 2000.  It was in this home that Francisco and Jacinta, the youngest of nine children of Olimpia and Manuel Marto were born.  Francisco was born June 11, 1908 and Jacinta March 5, 1910. 

Both Francisco and Jacinta would receive a vision of Our Blessed Mother in this home.  The bedroom shown below was where Francisco died on April 4, 1919 from pneumonia.  He was 11 years old. Jacinta died on February 20, 1920 in the Lisbon Hospital. She was 9 years old. 

A short distance down the street is Lucia's House.  This home was built in 1885 and restored in 1987.  Lucia was the youngest daughter of six children of Maria and Antonio dos Santos.  She was born in this house March 22, 1907. 

 

             

Lucia dos Santos Home 

In 1921 Lucia went to Porto to attend convent school. A few years later she entered the religious life as a Sister of St. Dorothy in Pontevedra, Spain.  While in Pontevedra, Our Blessed Mother would reveal to Sr. Lucia the Five First Saturdays devotion. In 1948, Sr. Lucia received papal permission to enter the Carmelite convent of Santa Teresa in Coimbra, Portugal, and professed as a Discalced Carmelite in 1949 taking the name Maria Lucia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart. She died February 13, 2005 and is buried with Jacinta and Francisco in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at the Sanctuary at Fatima.  

From Lucia's home we walk a short distance to the well located behind her home.  Called the well of Arneiro, this is the location of the second apparition of the Angel, which was witnessed by Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta during the summer of 1916. 

Statue of the children and the Angel at the well of Arneiro

The Angel told the children: "Pray very much...Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country.  I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal." 

After our tour of the Aljustrel we have a short drive to the Hotel Santa Maria in Fatima.  Our home for the next two nights. Perfectly located this hotel is a short walk to the Fatima Sanctuary.  

Hotel Santa Maria in Fatima 

  

Double occupancy room with rooftop views

Lounge and Dining Room Hotel Santa Maria 

After dinner, Leo led a walk to the Sanctuary for the Candlelight Rosary which would begin at 9:30pm.  Though most of our fellow pilgrims made it to the procession, some even helped carry the statue of the Blessed Mother, Mike and I retired "early" and would plan on going the following evening.  

                       Tuesday April 1, 2025 

Chapel of the Apparitions (left) Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (center)

Tuesday April 1, 2025, another full day for us pilgrims.  Our itinerary started at 7:15am with breakfast and ended at 10:30pm with the rosary.  We are getting used to taking a photo of the itinerary posted each day.  Keeps us on track and on time.  Leo, our tour director thinks of everything.  It's another perfect weather day, no rain in the forecast, 68 degrees and cloudy.  

After a full buffet breakfast at our hotel, our group met Leo in the lobby at 9am.  This would give us time to walk to the Shrine and get good seats for Mass at 9:30 at the Chapel of the Apparitions.  

When Mike and I arrive at the Sanctuary for the first time that morning, the area was almost empty.  It took my breath away. In 2024 over 6 millions pilgrims registered visiting this shrine. Today there were almost none.  An intimate meeting with Our Blessed Mother and her Son on this glorious morning in Fatima. 

A little over 100 years ago in 1917 when our Blessed Mother appeared here, this was the Cova da Iria, the field where Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta would pasture their family's sheep.  Today there are two large Basilica's and several small chapels.  Our Mass this morning would be at the Chapel of the Apparitions.  Fr. Thom our fellow pilgrim the main celebrant. 

Chapel of the Apparitions

Through the window in the chapel above is the holm oak tree.  Our Blessed Mother appeared to the children in the Cova near this tree while they were tending their sheep.  

The location of her appearance is marked by the pillar and statue of Our Lady the Blessed Mother in the Chapel of the Apparitions.  This is shown in the photo below to the left of the altar where Fr. Thom is co-celebrating Mass. 

Statue and pillar near where Our Blessed Mother appeared

Fellow pilgrim Tim proclaiming the day's reading from Ezekiel Chapter 47

Fr. Thom co-celebrating Mass

Our Lady the Blessed Mother appeared near the oak tree to the children five times in 1917.  In May, June, July, September and October. During one of her apparitions, she requested a chapel be built. Construction began in 1919 and Mass was celebrated for the first time on the 4th anniversary of the October Apparition, October 13, 1921.  The chapel was destroyed by dynamite on March 6, 1922 and restored and reopened in 1923 as the Chapel of the Apparitions.  

The small chapel you see behind the altar in the picture above, is a replica of the original chapel from 1919. 

After Mass Leo gathers us under the 206 Flag for our walking tour of the Sanctuary.  He begins by giving us a short background on the apparitions. 

On May 13, 1917, while pasturing a flock of sheep in the Cova da Iria, Lucia aged 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, were surprised by an unusually bright light near the oak tree.  On the top of the oak a "lady more brilliant than the sun," appeared holding a rosary.  This woman told the children to "pray much" and to return to this location for five consecutive months on the 13th. 

In June and July the children returned as requested on the 13th.  Word had spread in the small town and crowds arrived as well on July 13th.  

Just prior to the August 13th, the children were taken by the town Administrator Artur Santo to the jail for questioning.  Santos held the children in jail and threatened to boil them in oil if they did not reveal the secrets they had reportedly received from Our Blessed Mother.  The children did not say anything and were finally released from jail after the 13th. On August 19th, she appeared to the children, this time in Valinhos.

Valinhos is located on the Way of the Cross
 (Photo by fellow pilgrim Patrick)

The Valinhos is on the walking path of the Way of the Cross, located between the Aljustrel and the Fatima Sanctuary.  The location is between the 8th and 9th Station of the Cross. Also on the Way of the Cross near the 11th Station is the Loca do Cabeco, the location of the 1st and 3rd Apparition of the Angel of Portugal to the children in 1916. 

Our group had the opportunity to walk the 1 mile Way of the Cross, along a stone path surrounded by olive and oak trees later in the day.  The following is a short video put out by the Sanctuary at Fatima on the walk of  the Way of the Cross.  

Official Video by Fatima Sanctuary - Way of the Cross

The Way of the Cross also known as the O Caminho dos Pastorinhos or Little Shepherds' Way, was the path taken by Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta from their homes in the Aljustrel to the Cova da Iria.  The fourteen Stations of The Way of the Cross and the chapel were designed by Ladislau Marec and constructed between 1959 and 1964.  

    
     Loca do Cabeco (Photo by fellow pilgrim Patrick)

On September 13th Our Lady the Blessed Mother appeared again to the children in the Cova da Iria.  The crowd on that day was estimated around 30,000.  She told the children: "Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war...In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe." 

On October 13, 1917 during a torrential rain storm, a crowd of what was estimated between 50,000 to 70,000 gathered in the Cova.  Our Blessed Mother appeared to the children on the oak tree and said: "I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here.  I am the Lady of the Rosary.  Continue always to pray the Rosary every day.  The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."  Then  Our Lady of the Rosary disappeared and St. Joseph with the Child Jesus appeared and blessed the crowd by tracing the Sign of the Cross with their hands.  Once they disappeared, Our Lady of Sorrows appeared with Our Lord.  Once she disappeared, Our Lady appeared again, this time as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

 Ilustração Portuguesa, October 29, 1917, crowd looking at the Miracle of the Sun
(Wikipedia Commons Public Domain)  

Then the clouds parted and the sun began to flicker and move, shooting rays in different colors.  It weaved one way and then the other, defying the laws of gravity and even falling out of orbit towards earth.  This action by the sun is referred to as the Miracle of the Sun and was the miracle that Our Blessed Mother promised in her September Apparition.  This miracle was reported in several secular newspapers in Portugal.  You may read a translation of the article written in the O Seculo on October 15, 1917 here.  To read more about each of the apparitions and the messages associated with them visit America Needs Fatima or watch the following videos.  

Leo then led us to our first stop on our tour, the Museum of the Fatima Sanctuary.  The permanent exhibition is called Fatima Light and Peace.  It begins with a short film that reminds us that the apparitions occurred during the bleak years of World War I.  Then visitors walk through a number of rooms with exhibits that comprise gifts that have been presented to the Sanctuary over the years from anonymous pilgrims, world-famous pilgrims, and Popes.  The most famous artifact is the original crown of Our Lady of Fatima.   

 

The bullet pointing down inside the top of the crown

This crown contains the bullet that struck Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981 in St. Peter’s Square.  This attempted assassination happened on the anniversary of the 1st Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. Pope John Paul II felt that Our Lady protected him.  He said "it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path and in it its throes the Pope halted at the threshold of death." Pope John Paul II gave one of the four bullets that were removed from his body to the museum.  It fit perfectly in the crown. The following video put out by the Sanctuary of Fatima shows the displays of the Museum's permanent exhibit.  

Official Video by Fatima Sanctuary - Museum 

Before we leave the museum there is a desk at the front where pilgrims may leave their prayer intentions.  We gave ours to Leo as he was actually able to leave all of our prayer intentions at the statue of Our Lady in the Chapel of the Apparitions.  But if one is not able to do that, prayer intentions may be left at the front desk at the Museum.  These are collected by the religious orders that live near the shrine.  They pray for all the intentions.  At this desk in the Museum you may also arrange for Masses to be said at the Sanctuary for your intentions.   

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

From the museum we walk through the interior square to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.  Construction on this church began in 1928 and it was dedicated in 1953 and made a Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1954.

The bell tower is topped by a golden crown which illuminates at night.  Below the bell tower in the niche is a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

Divided along each side of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary is a colonnade housing the 14 Stations of the Cross.  Above the colonnade are 17 statues of Saints.  Including some Portuguese favorites, St. Anthony of Padua, Saint Teresa of Avila, and St. Ignatius of Loyola.  This area shows up better at night.  

As we enter the Basilica pilgrims are gathering for Mass. By the time we have toured the inside it is standing room only for Mass.  

               

Inside there are 14 side altars with bas-reliefs dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary.  The painting over the main altar represents the message of Our Lady as she descends in the form of light and peace to meet the children.  

  

Painting over the main altar by Joao de Sousa Araujo 

And finally we visit the tombs of the children.  Lucia and Jacinta on one side of the main  altar and Francesco on the other.  Below is a video of the tombs of the children inside of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

Official Video by Fatima Sanctuary - Tombs of the Children

From here we walk the parameter of the central area of the Fatima Sanctuary.  On the left side as we make our way to the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity we pass a piece of the Berlin Wall and a nativity scene sculpted out of stainless steel by Jose Aurelio in 2000.  

Nativity Scene by Jose Aurelio

The other end of the Fatima Sanctuary has a completely different look than the Neo-Baroque style of the Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica.  This side which contains the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, the Statue of Saint John Paul II, and the High Cross, all appear very modern in style.  

Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity 

Entrance to the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity 

The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity was built in the Modern style and dedicated on October 12th, 2007 for the 90th anniversary of the apparitions.  It was raised to a basilica in 2012.  The inside is arranged like an auditorium with seating for over 8,000.

Inside the altar is a piece of marble from the tomb of St. Peter.  The 160 plus foot mosaic panel that spans the wall in back of the altar was created by Marko Rupnik a former Jesuit priest, who was excommunicated in December 2022 due to allegations of sexual misconduct.  He was expelled from the Jesuits in 2023.  

Rupnik's mosaics on the outer doors of the Basilica have been covered.  But this mosaic is too big and prominent to cover.  It was decided to suspend all use of images of Rupnik's work for promotional purposes.  

On either side of the outside the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity are ramps (and stairs) to a complex of underground chapels and exhibition halls. The corridor connecting these chapels contains artwork that appeared to me as if they were made with a sharpie.  

Conversion of St. Paul and Jesus curing a blind man 

Our group spent some time in adoration in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.  Here the Blessed Sacrament is exposed 24 hours a day. 

Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament 

Sculpture of the Immaculate Heart 

After our formal tour of the Fatima Sanctuary, our group had a few hours on on our own.  Mike and I chose to light candles and fill our container with water from the Sanctuary. To do that we had to get back down to the central area from the Basilica of the Holy Trinity.  I discovered that letting Mike go downhill in his wheelchair can be so freeing, but also terrifying.  What if he can't stop on his own!  

Next to the Chapel of the Apparitions is a small store to purchase all different sizes of candles. You need exact change.  Usually 1 or 2 Euro. 

Purchase candles 

Next to the candle store is a large area to light the candles and offer prayers.  Catholics light candles.  They are lit during Mass, and at different liturgical ceremonies.  Just as in Judaism when the Temple lamps were lit, we keep a candle lit before the Tabernacle to signify the Lord's presence in the Blessed Sacrament. We also light votive candles at churches.

These lit candles signify our prayers offered to God. As the candle burns and the smoke rises it symbolizes our prayers rising to God in heaven. This is the significance of lighting these candles at the Sanctuary in Fatima. 

After lighting our candles we went to the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the center of the sanctuary area. At that monument there are several spickets where one can fill their jugs with the miraculous water of Fatima.  It is not considered Holy Water until it is blessed by a priest, but it is considered miraculous water.  This was the first of several jugs we filled on our pilgrimage.  By the end of our trip we would have 9 pounds of miraculous water to bring home.  Some people buy souvenirs we bring home miraculous water.  

       

From the Sanctuary we walked just a few minutes to R. Jacinta Marto, a street lined with many restaurant options for lunch.  We chose Apollo Caffe which offered a nice selection of entrees at reasonable prices.   

Apollo Caffe

Reward well earned

At 3pm our group met Leo in the lobby of our hotel for the Way of the Cross walk. Then we had free time until dinner which was scheduled for  7:30pm.  After dinner we met Leo and our group in the lobby to walk back to the Sanctuary for the Candlelight Rosary which takes place every night at 9:30pm.   

As we enter the grounds of the Sanctuary around 9pm we are overcome by the beauty of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary lit at night.   

The colonnade featuring the mosaic panels and altars of each Station of the Cross is far more vibrant at night.  Our group makes their way over to the Chapel of the Apparitions where we had Mass in the morning.  It is here that the priests and lay people will lead us in the Rosary.  Each decade will be said in a different language.  Tim and Jelaine, two pilgrims from our group have been selected to lead the English portion.  

Fellow pilgrims Tim and Jelaine leading
the English portion of the Rosary

At the conclusion of the rosary, the group proceeds around the grounds.  A cross and statue of Our Lady of Fatima lead the way.  

The evening ends around 10:30 and we return to our hotel tired, but at the same time filled with joy and a grace that can only be experienced by being present at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima.  

Tomorrow Porto, Portugal 

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All photos or videos by L.A. Momboisse unless otherwise noted