Maria de Jesus d'Oriol Pena Raposo

Sr^a D. Maria de Jesus Raposo was here. She says she was at Fátima on 13 August 1917 (when the children were not there). The manifestation of the smoke was much greater, like a sort of globe that enveloped the holm oak.

I sincerely congratulate myself if in any way I was able to console you with the sight of the privileged child, my dear Lady, and I am still beside myself with the astonishment in which I was left by the stupendous miracle, the unexpected marvel which I had the good fortune to contemplate, being so unworthy of so great a grace!

[…]

It all seems like a dream to me, and it seems to me that I did not give it its due value, that I did not kiss the children with the reverence and emotion due to those who had been in conversation with the Queen of Heaven and earth!

At that moment the post arrived with a letter from her to Piedade⁷, which Piedade at once began to read aloud there and then, in which she told her what she had witnessed together with forty thousand people, which is how many she says had gathered there on that day. I shall give you a summary of what she relates. She says it had rained all morning, but that towards two o'clock in the afternoon the sun appeared through the clouds, and that at that hour — which has always been [2] the hour of the apparitions — she suddenly saw the people who were closest around the children turn and look at the sun. She learned afterwards that the little girl had told them that Our L^ady. had said to her: "tell the people to look at the sun". They all looked and saw a silvery disc, luminous but one that could be gazed at without the slightest effort, which she compares to a small mirror, stand out from or superimpose itself on the sun and begin coming down with a rotating movement, stop, and start again with the same movement. Around this disc, a lovely cloud, now pink, now yellow, now purple, which coloured the faces of the bystanders [2v] and everything around them, and around this the horizon, as it were, bounded in a yellow circle, around which were some arcs, all equal and at an equal distance from one another, which she represents thus

Image: Handwritten sketch of a sun-like object with rays, surrounded by a circle, with text around it.

from one another, which she represents
thus. This phenomenon
was witnessed by all
that crowd, by
some newspapers, such as the

This phenomenon was witnessed by all that crowd, for some newspapers, such as the Diario de Noticias, the Dia and the Ordem, already relate it through eyewitnesses. When the apparition was over, the little girls related that Our L^ady. had appeared to them with St Joseph and the Child Jesus on her right, and had told them that she wanted a small chapel to be erected to her there, that those apparitions were a [3] proof that she protected Portugal, but that it was necessary for everyone to pray and do penance, because otherwise a great punishment would fall upon Portugal. That the war would end soon, but on this point the letter is a little confused, so I cannot repeat to you what it says. She also said that she was Our L^ady of the Rosary. All this the little girl repeated in a clear, measured voice, without showing the slightest embarrassment at finding herself surrounded by thousands of people. And the smallest one, who is six years old, even when separated from the other, said exactly the same thing, without contradicting herself on a single point.

M. de Jesus says that an impious man was converted right there [4] on the spot, crying: "I believe, I believe, I believe!".

Which is explained by the varied colours that all of us saw; although at 1^st sight the children's explanation may seem strange.

I received your letter just as I was getting into the automobile to leave for Fatima; so, passing through Torres Novas, I was able to receive the money, which I handed personally to the R^do Parish Priest of Fatima, not without strong protest on his part; he showed me an official letter containing all the instructions of the Ex^mo Archbishop of Mytilene on this matter, among them the express recommendation not to accept donations; that he should rather let [1v] persons of recognised probity keep them in their possession, but never himself.

After much arguing, and proving to him that it was nothing of mine, I left the money with him, telling him to hand it over to His Ex^mo Lordship the Archbishop if he thought fit, and I wrote its origin and provenance on the outside⁶. I am more and more favourably impressed by the simplicity and sincerity of that good Parish Priest, to whom I read Your Ex^a's letter, and he told me at once that the book he knew there was in the family's house was the "Missão Abreviada", where indeed in the 12^th instruction there is a short notice about the apparition of La Salette. The eldest little girl told me that it was only long after [2] Our L^y appeared to her that they had told her about it, and the other children knew nothing whatever of the matter. The mother reads a little; the little girl now goes to school and I could not get her to agree to come with us to the place without her mother's permission. The parish priest had to send to the house to ask for it. Lucia is worn out with audiences and questionings which begin at break of day and go on far into the night. The parish priest told me that if they had martyred him like that with questions he would already be mad. He says that the little girl, above all when she sees Priests, just wants to run away, so much do they batter her with questions and repetitions.

It was the little boy, who is the brother of little Jacintha and cousin of Lucia, [2v] who yesterday⁸ left me an excellent impression: a very bright look, a very cheerful face, very much at ease; he confirmed (he was interviewed by us alone) that Lucia had said at the moment of the miracle: Look at the Sun . But Lucia says, and maintained, that she did not remember either Our L^y having said it to her or her having repeated it. But the fact is that several other trustworthy people who were beside her affirm it. I believe the little girl gets confused, from being so exhausted and tired.

What she confirms is that Our L^y told her that the war would end that day when She reached Heaven and that very soon the soldiers would return to their families. [3] She says she is not quite sure whether Our L^y told her she was Our L^y of the Rosary or whether she wanted the Chapel to Our L^y of the Rosary; it was one of the two.

The secret: she did not tell her to tell it to anyone, and they continue as tenacious as ever in keeping it.

-79). The addition and former parish priest of Fatima is in the handwriting of the bishop of Leiria. We believe that this note refers precisely to the money handed to the parish priest of Fátima on 26 October 1917.

The little boy, when the people with me offered him everything they could think of, refused everything and ended by saying very enthusiastically: "Not even if you gave me the world". His father, who is also the little girl's father, is a firm believer; the Parish Priest says that if he sins, it is by excess; but Lucia's father is indeed an alcoholic and not very religious; the little girl says he prays sometimes, but he cares little about it, I believe.

[3v] It is certain that some Carbonários from Santarem went to Fatima on the night of the 22nd to the 23rd and brought back from there what remained of the holm-oak shrub, which I saw cut down¹²; and little Lucia even cut off for me, with a little penknife, a few small slivers from what remained of the stump, which is not even a span above the ground. They took the arch, the bench, the lanterns, in short everything they found there, and on the 24th they held a farce of a procession, which outraged all Catholics.