To the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparition of the Virgin Mary

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

"Where the Virgin creates holyly, there is always with Her and the Holy Spirit dwells …"

About the Fatima apparition of the Virgin Mary in this article, there will be a somewhat unusual approach to the events of a century ago. I will move away from the religious context, all this has already been written, I just decided to look at the sky of Fatima. But first, it's worth going back to the description of what happened 100 years ago.

From First Remembrance (1935-12- ??)

First Appearance

“So, Your Eminence, or almost so, seven years of Jacinta's life passed, when the beautiful and clear day, like many others, came on May 13, 1917.

On this day, quite by chance, if we can say that there are accidents in the Divine plans, we chose the meadows that belonged to my parents and bore the name of Cova da Iria as pasture for our herds. As always, we agreed to meet at Barreiro's, about whom I have already told Your Eminence. It was necessary to cross a meadow, which doubled our path. We had to walk slowly so the sheep could nibble the grass along the way, and reached our goal by about noon. "

Events

“It was the Sunday before Ascension. Early in the morning, the shepherds went to the Boleiros chapel for the first mass. “Mass for Poor Souls,” as it was then called, for it was a liturgy for souls in Purgatory, a veneration so dear to the piety of the Portuguese heart.

As soon as they got home, they went to drive their sheep. On that day, by chance, they chose a pasture on land owned by Lucia's parents, called Cova da Iria.

To get there, it was necessary to cross a barren swampy area, which made the journey twice as long. You had to walk slowly to allow the sheep to graze along the way so it was almost noon when they arrived. After lunch and reading the Rosary, the children moved the herd a little higher up the hill and began to play."

Do not be afraid … I am Heavenly

“Suddenly they saw a flash of light. Taking it for lightning, the forerunner of a thunderstorm, the children decided to hurry home. As soon as they went down to the middle of the slope, something flashed again and on a small stone oak, about a meter high, a Senora appeared before them, dressed in white, surrounded by an extraordinary radiance emanating from her, and She herself seemed a dazzling light. The children found themselves inside this glow, one and a half meters from the Senora. She was short, about one and a half meters, and between 14 and 18 years old. Everything she had was beautiful, including her voice."

« Around noonnot far from their village, on the slope of Cova da Iria, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco see the "Lady who shone brighter than the sun", Who asks them to come to this place on the 13th of every month until October, and during the last, sixth appearance promises reveal Your Name and communicate Your request."

The events took place on May 13 at about noon, but to begin with, let's return a day earlier, on May 12.

On MAY 12, a heliacal sunset of three stars in the Orion belt was observed in that area, i.e. they were visible in the west after sunset for about an hour, and then they themselves went beyond the horizon. During the next 72 days, Orion's belt was invisible, and on the 73rd day, July 24, it could be observed in the east about an hour before sunrise (heliacal rising of the star).

Now back to the events of May 13th. What the sky looked like around noon. I think the reader understands perfectly well that because of the light of our Sun, we cannot see the stars while it is in the sky, but imagine that we could see the stars together with the Sun, then this is the kind of picture we would observe about noon in that area.

• Mintaka, sunrise at 11.41.
• Alnilam, sunrise at 11:48
• Alnitak, sunrise at 11.55

Those.about noon, at the very time when the Virgin Mary appeared to the children, in the east we could watch the three stars of Orion's belt rise from the horizon.

If you remember, the Virgin Mary asked the children to come every month on the 13th at the same time. The last apparition took place on October 13, 1917. And all this time, in the sky invisibly, covered by the rays of the Sun, Orion was present.

And here is the picture on November 13. Orion is already over the horizon at about noon.

The Egyptians, who associated the constellation Orion with Osirios, would probably say so:

Where the Virgin creates holyly, there is always with Her and the Holy Spirit dwells …

Although I will note that in this particular case, this is just an astronomical image and nothing more.