Mary's Peace Plan from Heaven
The strange events of May 1917.
The day the sun plunged toward the earth
On a warm summer morning in 1952, thousands of people passing through Times Square in New York City paused to watch a group of workmen erect a sixty-foot billboard over the marquee of the Astor Theatre. There was nothing strange about the sight of a new sign being erected. Times Square is a constantly changing forest of magnificent advertisements. It was the message on this display that attracted their attention.
According to New York standards, the sign was a simple one. It merely showed a large crowd clustered around the foot of a tiny hill. Arms were extended heavenward as though the people were appealing to God for help. On top of the hill were three little children looking toward the sun. And in the middle of the sign was the sun itself — a brilliant ball of light apparently falling from the sky.
Eight words at the top of the billboard described the entire scene: THE DAY THE SUN PLUNGED TOWARD THE EARTH !
The display was advertising a new motion picture which was having its premiere in the city— "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.”
Day after day crowds filled the Astor. All attendance records for a Labor Day weekend were broken. Night after night long lines stood at the box-office to get tickets. Everyone wanted to know what happened the day the sun plunged toward the earth.
The movie told the simple story of three little children who were given a vital message for the people of the world by a beautiful Lady, who said she was from Heaven. To prove her claim she promised a very special "sign” on October 13, 1917. This sign turned out to be an amazing solar display in which the sun "spun like a pin-wheel” emitting colored shafts of light that turned from red to orange to yellow . . .
One by one all the colors of the spectrum appeared. Then, finally, when it seemed that nothing more amazing could happen, the sun plunged toward the earth. Seventy thousand people witnessed the phenomena.
"Did this really happen?” patrons asked one another as they left the theatre. They were accustomed to such movies as "When Worlds Collide ” and "Mars Invades Earth.” Such pictures they took in stride. They were make-believe. But The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima was advertised as a "true story of our time.”
Did something so fantastic as the movie depicted really happen? Skeptics laughed. But there were thousands who were bewildered. It wasn’t exactly the miracle that bothered them, it was the message of the movie.
God’s Warning
If that were true, then why weren’t people doing something about it? If the message were true, it was a direct warning from Heaven, tempered by a plan for peace. "If my requests are granted,” the Lady had said, "then Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, then Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions . . . the good will be martyred . . . entire nations will be annihilated.”
In the light of world conditions in the summer of 1952, it wasn’t hard to accept the message. Millions of Americans already had witnessed two World Wars, and Korea was threatening to develop into World War III — an atomic war or worse.
More amazing was the fact that in 1917, when the prediction was made, Russia was a prostrate, defeated nation, driven out of World War I in one of the bloodiest defeats in modern history. Yet, thirtyfive years later, Russia was the threat to world peace that the prediction had said she would be. The big problem, then, for many of these movie-goers, was to believe or not to believe. If the miracle and message were true, they certainly wanted to believe. If both were fakes perpetrated and perpetuated by the Catholic Church, then the Catholic Church should be condemned and forced to stop hoaxing the people.
However, this didn’t solve the problem in their minds. Was "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima’ really true as advertised?
That is the purpose of this pamphlet; to acquaint you with the story of the amazing series of events that took place at Fatima, Portugal (pronounced fah-tee-mah with the accent on the first syllable) from May to October, 1917. Whether or not you believe, you’ll have to agree that it is one of the most beautiful stories of our time. It is a message of hope for a world wearied by war, and disillusioned by the failure of its leaders to bring peace. It is a story for Catholic, Protestant and Jew. It is — in all truth — a peace plan from Heaven.
The story of Fatima begins on a warm day in May. But the story does not begin alone in the central section of Portugal. It begins in three widely-separated locations; Portugal, Russia and Italy.
The events that took place in all three were to come into sharp focus in the middle of the Twentieth Century. And all three, today, have a direct bearing on the life of everyone of us.
Italy
The first event took place in Rome. It was a happy day for the people of Italy. Giant church bells boomed out an invitation for men and women to witness a special event. Pope Benedict XV was consecrating a group of monsignors-elevating them to the rank of bishop.
Among the group knelt a young Italian priest, Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli. Like the others who knelt with him, he knew that the rank of bishop was the first step toward the highest office in the Catholic Church-the Papacy. But only a few ever rise so high, and there was certainly no indication on this May morning that anyone in this group would ever become Pope.
Yet, Eugenio Pacelli did. He is now Pope Pius XII, head of the Catholic Church in the year 1953. No one can deny that he is one of the greatest opponents of Communism alive in our age. He is the arch-foe of the arch- enemy of the world. He was the first piece in the picture that began to form on May 13, 1917.
Russia
The second event took place in Moscow. On this particular day Russia was in the midst of a terrific internal struggle. A new form of government was endeavoring to come into power, and it was on the brink of using force to achieve its aims.
All these things meant little, however, to Maria Alexandrovitch. On May 13, 1917, she and two hundred children were gathered in one of the smaller churches. She was teaching them their catechism.
'God made us,” they chanted in unison, "to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in the world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.” They were so engrossed in their lesson that they were not aware of a commotion outside the church until the rear doors banged open, and a group of horsemen raced down the center aisle, screaming and brandishing swords.
Enemies Of God
They vaulted the Communion rail, and started hacking at the altar. Next they turned to the statuary that lined the walls. Down the side aisles they thundered, knocking statues to the floor and grinding them to bits under the horses’ hooves. Then they forced their plunging mounts between the seats, rode down the children, killing several and injuring many more.
Later that day, Maria Alexandrovitch, still sobbing, knocked at the door of one of the leaders of the Revolution. "The most terrible thing has happened,” she cried. "I was teaching catechism in the church, when horsemen came in, destroyed the church, charged the children and killed some of them.”
The revolutionist answered, "I know it. I sent them!”
This was the first instance of Communistic violence — a mild forerunner of things to come. It was the second piece in the picture that began to form on May 13,1917.
Portugal
The third incident took place in the central section of Portugal about 90 miles north of Lisbon. In the hills just outside the village of Fatima, three little children were shepherding their flock in a barren hollow, known as the Cova da Iria (Hollow of Irene). The oldest was Lucia dos Santos, age 10, and the others were her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, ages 9 and 7, respectively.
At noon on Sunday, May 13, the sky was clear and the sun shone brilliantly. The sheep grazed contentedly and the children played. World War I raging in Europe was far away, and the fact that a few weeks before, on Good Friday, the United States had entered the fight meant nothing to them. This day was made for playing, laughing and living.
The Visitation
They were engaged in one of their simple games, when suddenly a blazing flash of lightning lit up the sky. There wasn’t a cloud visible, but the children were afraid a storm was brewing, and began rounding up the sheep, when another flash, more brilliant than the first, stopped them in their tracks.
The second flash had settled above the branches of a small holm-oak tree directly in their path. And in the dazzling light they saw "the most beautiful Lady they had ever seen.”
She was "dressed all in white”— this is Lucia’s account —"more brilliant than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water pierced by the burning rays of the sun.”
The children were about to turn and run, when the Lady beckoned them closer. With her gesture their fears faded. "Do not be afraid,” the Lady said, ”I shall not harm you.”
She was young and very beautiful. Her slender hands were folded on her breast, and in them she held a long, white Rosary with beads, cross and chain of shining pearl.
For several seconds the children said nothing. They just stood and stared. Then Lucia, always the spokesman for the trio by virtue of her age, found her voice. "Where do you come from?" she asked.
"I come from Heaven”
"And why have you come down here?” Lucia wanted to know.
" Because I want you to come here at this same hour on the 13th day of every month until October. Then I will tell you who I am and what I want.”
No Childish Fable
By now Lucia’s childish inquisitiveness had overcome any fear that remained. "Shall I go to Heaven?” she asked.
"Yes, you will go there.”
"And Jacinta?”
"Jacinta will go to Heaven, too.”
"And Francisco?"
"Yes, but he will first have to say many Rosaries.”
At this point Francisco interrupted. "I can’t see anybody, Lucia, and I can’t hear anything either. Let’s throw a stone at the light and see if anybody’s there.”
Lucia, horrified, hurriedly started to tell the Lady of Francisco’s plight. But before she could finish, the Lady said, "Let him say his Rosary and then he will see me.” (It is important to note that on May 13, and in the months that followed, Lucia saw, heard and spoke to the Lady; Jacinta saw and heard her; but Francisco only saw her.)
A Prophecy
Finally, the Lady asked, "Do you wish to offer yourselves to God in order to accept all the sufferings He wishes to send you in reparation for sin and for the conversion of sinners?”
"Yes," answered the children.
"Then you will suffer much, but God’s grace will strengthen you. My children, go on always saying the Rosary as you have done.” With that, the Lady disappeared. This event, far stranger than the other two, was the third piece in the picture of 1917. Or rather, it was the beginning of the third piece. In months that followed the piece was completed, and it gave the world a message of hope, especially for people who have faith in God.