Witnesses /

Manuel Pereira da Silva

Clergy

Fr Manuel Pereira da Silva, born 30 August 1877 in Monte Real parish (Leiria), aged 40, parish priest of Monte Redondo. He wrote to Fr António Pereira de Almeida on the night of 13 October 1917 that 'Our Lady has granted my wish'.

From Monte Redondo (Leiria)The surrounding regionAttitude beforehand: Believer1 passage · 13 October 1917
13 OctFirst-handSaw itLetterCrowd sceneRain stoppingSun spinningSun fallingLight dimmingColours on people & landscape
English

Our Lady has granted my wish. She deigned to give a clear sign of her apparition to the little girls of Fatima.

At noon there were more than ninety motor cars at Fatima, an endless number of carriages of all sizes, shapes and styles, and an enormous crowd of people (multitudo magna ... ex omnibus gentibus (?)7 et linguis (?))*. Everyone was soaked, drenched, dripping, but cheerful.

Around noon the little girls came to the spot and began, as usual, saying the rosary. When it was over, the little ones10 asked Our Lady of the Rosary whether she would give the promised sign. Immediately the sun appeared, its rim sharply defined. It comes closer [1v], as if down to the height of the clouds, and begins to spin dizzily on itself like a Catherine wheel, with some pauses, for more than eight minutes. Everything became almost dark and everyone's face looked yellowish. Everyone knelt, even in the mud.

The whole time, here and there, people were singing, praying, etc. Everyone left satisfied.

Português (original)

Nossa Senhora fez-me a vontade. Dignou-se dar signal evidente da sua aparição ás pequenas da Fatima.

Ao meio dia estavam na Fatima mais de noventa automoveis, uma infinidade de carros de todos os tamanhos, formas e feitios, e uma multidão enorme de pessoas (multitudo magna ... ex omnibus gentibus (?)7 et linguis (?)). Tudo molhadinho, encharcado, a escorrer mas alegre.

Cerca do meio dia vieram as pequenas ao local e começaram, como de costume, resando o terço. Acabado elle, perguntaram os pequenos10 a N. Senhora do Rosario se dava o tal signal prometido. Imediatamente apareceu o sol com a circunferencia bem definida. Aproxima-se [1v] como que até á altura das nuvens e começa girando sobre si mesmo vertiginosamente como uma roda de fogo prêso, com algumas intermitencias, durante mais de oito minutos. Ficou tudo quasi escuro e as feições de cada um eram amareladas. Tudo ajoelhou mesmo na lama.

Em todo o tempo, aqui e além, cantava-se, rezava-se, etc. Tudo saiu satisfeito.

Editor's notes (2)

7 The question marks are in the text.

10 C reads Acabado êle, perguntaram as pequenas ('When it was over, the little girls asked'). As can be seen, the author refers to the seers Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta sometimes as as pequenas ('the little girls') and sometimes as os pequenos ('the little ones', masculine), an imprecision repeated further on. Equally imprecise is the plural perguntaram (preguntaram), 'they asked', since only Lúcia spoke with the apparition.

7 As interrogações são do texto.

10 C Acabado êle, perguntaram as pequenas. Como se vê, o Autor trata os videntes, Lúcia, Francisco e Jacinta, ora por as pequenas ora por os pequenos, imprecisão que se repete adiante. Igualmente impreciso é o plural perguntaram (preguntaram), pois só Lúcia falava com a aparição.

DCF III-1, Doc. 55 · letter · 13 Oct 1917View scans (2)Link