Which Marian Apparition Was Announced in Advance? Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun

History, meaning and message

1. How did the Fatima story begin?

The children reported their first encounter with Mary on 13 May 1917. According to their testimony, she asked them to return on the thirteenth day of each of the following months and to pray the Rosary.

The accounts soon drew attention from local people. The number of visitors grew, along with questions, official interrogations and opposition.

2. When was the October sign predicted?

According to Sister Lúcia’s memoirs, a miracle for October was promised during the July apparition, and the promise was repeated in September. The children spoke about it before the appointed day arrived.

An important distinction remains: this prediction is known mainly through the testimony preserved in the Fatima records. It is not, in itself, independent scientific proof of the supernatural origin of later observations.

3. What happened on 13 October 1917?

Newspaper reports from the period described a gathering commonly estimated at around 70,000 people. Numerous witnesses reported an unusual appearance and apparent movement of the solar disc. The event became known as the “Miracle of the Sun”.

This does not mean that the Sun was shown to have moved astronomically through space. The historical claim concerns what observers said they experienced and saw in the sky.

Did you know?

The Bishop of Leiria issued his declaration that the visions were worthy of belief on 13 October 1930 – exactly thirteen years after the reported Miracle of the Sun.

4. Did everyone see exactly the same thing?

We should not assume so. Surviving descriptions vary in detail, and the interpretation of the event was debated from the outset. The crowd included believers as well as critical observers.

The Shrine of Fatima preserves historical accounts and contemporary press material; those reports should not be confused with measurements of an actual change in the Sun’s motion.

5. How did the Church respond?

On 13 October 1930, Bishop José Alves Correia da Silva of Leiria declared the children’s visions worthy of belief and officially permitted devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 67) nevertheless teaches that private revelations do not belong to the deposit of faith. Their purpose is not to add a new Gospel but to help believers live more fully by Christ’s Gospel.

6. What message remains relevant today?

Prayer, conversion, penance and peace stand at the centre of Fatima spirituality. None of these requires us to witness an extraordinary phenomenon ourselves.

We can respond through the Rosary, forgiveness at home and practical concern for people suffering because of war.