October 13th - Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Fatima, Portugal, like Lourdes, France is among the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. As you all very well know, the prominence it enjoys is due to the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to three children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta in 1917 at the Cova di Ira, Fatima, Portugal.

Despite the few times of our Lady's apparitions, October 13th is the designated feast of our Lady of Fatima because it was on this date that the Miracle of the Sun happened. You will recall that it was raining hard in Fatima when our Lady appeared and the miracle happened. This deepened the faith of believers and inflamed the hearts of the lukewarm as well as dried the soaking wet clothes and three-inch mud in the area. Tradition has it that since then, it always rained in Fatima on October 13th.

I had the privilege of visiting Fatima in October 1988,1992 and in 1994. During those times, the weather was always warm and sunny. But storeowners and people at the hotel concierge commented that on the 13th of October there will always be rain. I thought that if what they say is true, then tradition claim would be right. But how was I to know since I was never there on the specified date?

Then it happened. I joined a 1995 pilgrimage which included a stay in Fatima from October 12th to the 14th. I was excited over my participation in the exact feast of our Lady which I never experienced in my previous visits. But I was more thrilled with the thought of finally witnessing the authenticity of tradition which claims that rain will fall on the 13th of October. Just to compare notes, I asked several people what the weather has been in the past weeks. The solid answer from all was the sun's shining all the preceding weeks. What amused me was the added note that it would rain on the morrow - the 13th.

The thought of the possibility of rain in an atmosphere that created beads of perspiration intrigued me. I looked at the sky with nary a sign of cumulus clouds or at least a tint of darkness. I was puzzled and beset with nervous anticipation and expectation what tomorrow would bring. Before going to bed that night, I looked out of the window trying to find a trace of the awaited rain. The sky was a canopy of stars!

R..A..I..N  pounding at the window panes woke me up the next morning. I lay mesmerized, immobile for a long time while my eyes devoured the furious raindrops and my heart marched to the rhythm of martial music. When the realization of the truth of tradition sank into my psyche and my whole being, I uttered, "My God, it is true! Thank you, Lord, for bringing me here."

We had to buy plastic raincoats from our Hotel Cinquentenario to go to the basilica grounds for the feast-day Mass. I noted the fact that the hotels were ready  with the raincoats for the expected rain on October 13th. The rain was still strong as we made our way and positioned ourselves amidst the thousands of devotees of our Lady. Multicolored raincoats and umbrellas were the fashion call of the day. Then just a few minutes before the 9 o'clock morning Mass when the image of Our Lady of Fatima would make the procession from the Chapel of Apparitions, several hundred yards away from the improvised altar in front of the Basilica, the rain started to slow down. It was a fast slowing down until the raindrops completely stopped as the image emerged from the sanctuary.The Liturgy of the Eucharist was concelebrated with the full glory of the sun in the heavens!

It was a most wonderful experience I will forever remember!