Vila Nova de Ourém, 13.— In spite of the fine, tiresome rain that began to fall first thing in the morning, an extraordinary number of people flocked to the parish of Fátima to witness the extraordinary case of the apparition which since Ascension Thursday has occupied the attention of these people and drawn to that locality thousands and thousands of pilgrims of all social classes and of both sexes.
As early as the day before yesterday3, groups of men and women began to pass through this town, who with all devotion and belief, singing hymns and saying the rosary, were heading for the place where the "miracle" was to be repeated for the last time, according to the statements of the three little shepherds to whom Our Lady deigned to appear several times, as they say, on the 13th of each month since that date.
To give an idea of the influx of people, we shall give a note of the vehicles we were able to count: Carts, 240; bicycles, 135; motor cars, upwards of 100. These statistics represent only the number of vehicles that returned through this town.
The anxiety for the hour of the colloquy, 13.00, was manifest.
Although the rain continued to lash that multitude, nobody budged from the privileged spot. At precisely that same hour the three little shepherds, whose names are Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, arrived at the exact spot, immediately taking up position on their knees under an arch set up “for the purpose”, as well as an altar that had been erected beside it.
Suggestion immediately took hold of those thousands of believers and curious onlookers. As a great number of people had their umbrellas open, the little ones ordered them to be closed, and, strange to say, according to the testimony of thousands and thousands of people, the sun appeared with the colour of dull silver, in a circular agitation as if it were touched by electricity, to use the expression employed by educated people who witnessed the fact.
And thousands of people, under suggestion, and who knows, perhaps even dazzled by the very light of the sun, which was appearing for the first time that day, fell to the ground weeping and raising on high their hands, which they instinctively joined.
On their faces one could see an ecstatic rapture that de-noted an absolute detachment from life. Their simple souls wept and prayed before the strange sensation of a fact which for them, at that moment, was miraculous. There were even people, as we heard from some of them, to whom it seemed that they saw the sun leave its fictitious orbit, break through the clouds and come down on the horizon. The suggestion of these seers spread to others to whom they explained the phenomenon, and for that reason many, proclaiming that the king-star was going to come crashing down on the ground, burst into loud cries, imploring the protection of the Virgin.
The “miraculous hour” had passed.
The children got up, smiling, and explained to their anxious listeners that the “Lady” had told them that peace would come soon and that the return of our brave soldiers who are fighting heroically in France would not be long delayed. At the site postcards were being sold with portraits of the ingenuous children.
The pilgrims, after those moments of anxiety, returned to their homes, eager to tell those who had not had the good fortune to go to the holy place what their eyes, and above all their believing souls, had witnessed with such wonderment.
Vila Nova de Ourém, 13.— Apesar da chuva miudinha e impertinente que começou a cair logo de manhã, extraordinario numero de pessoas acorreu á freguesia de Fátima para presenciar o caso extraordinario da aparição que desde quinta feira de Ascenção tem ocupado a atenção destes povos e atraído áquela localidade milhares e milhares de peregrinos de todas as classes sociais e sexos.
Já ante-ontem3 começaram a passar por esta vila ranchos de homens e mulheres, que com toda a devoção e crença, entoando canticos e resando o terço, se dirigiam para o local onde o "milagre" se devia repetir pela ultima vez, conforme as declarações dos três pastorinhos, a quem Nossa Senhora se dignou aparecer várias vezes, como eles dizem, nos dias 13 desde aquela data.
Para se poder imaginar a afluencia de pessoas, vamos dar uma nota dos veículos que nos foi possivel contar: Carros, 240; bicicletas, 135; automoveis para cima de 100. Esta estatistica representa apenas o numero de veículos que regressou por esta vila.
A anciedade pela hora do colloquio, 13 horas, era manifesta.
Embora a chuva continuasse a fustigar aquela multidão ninguem arredou pé do local privilegiado. Precisamente aquela mesma hora os três pastorinhos, cujos nomes são Lucia, Jacinta e Francisco, chegaram ao lugar preciso, postando-se imediatamente de joelhos sob um arco “adrede” arranjado, assim como um altar que junto foi levantado.
A sugestão tomou imediatamente aqueles milhares de crentes e curiosos. Como grande numero de pessoas tivesse os guarda-chuvas abertos, os pequenos mandaram fecha-los, e coisa estranha, segundo testemunho de milhares e milhares de pessoas, o sol apareceu com uma côr de prata fosca, numa agitação circular como se fosse tocado pela electricidade, segundo a expressão empregada por pessoas ilustradas que presenciaram o facto.
E milhares de pessoas sugestionadas, e quem sabe mesmo se ofuscadas pela propria luz do sol que durante o dia aparecia pela primeira vez, caíram por terra chorando e levantando para o alto as mãos, que instintivamente juntavam.
Nos seus rostos notava-se um embevecimento estatico que de-notava um absoluto alheimento da vida. Choravam e rezavam as suas almas simples, perante a estranha sensação dum facto que para eles, naquele momento, era milagroso. Pessoas houve mesmo segundo ouvimos a algumas, que lhes pareceu ver o sol abandonar a sua ficticia orbita, romper as nuvens e descer no horisonte. A sugestão destes videntes estendia-se a outros a quem eles explicavam o fenomeno, e por esse motivo, muitas prégando que o astro rei viria precipitar-se no solo, preromperam em altos gritos, impetrando a protecção da Virgem.
A “hora milagrosa” passára.
As crianças levantaram-se, sorridentes, e explicaram aos seus anciosos ouvintes que a “Senhora” lhes dissera que a paz viria breve e que não tardaria o regresso dos nossos bravos soldados que em França se batem heroicamente. No local eram vendidos postaes com os retratos das ingenuas crianças.
Os peregrinos, após aqueles momentos de anciedade, regressaram a suas casas, desejosos de contar aos que não tiveram a felicidade de ir ao local santo, o que os seus olhos e principalmente as suas almas crentes, haviam com tanto deslumbramento presenciado.
Editor's notes (1)
3 11 October 1917, Thursday.
3 Dia 11 de Outubro de 1917, Quinta-feira.
