The apparitions of the Angel of Peace before Fatima
Between 1915 and 1916, an Angel appeared three times to the three shepherd children of Fatima, preparing their spirits for the subsequent Marian apparitions of 1917.
The apparitions of Our Lady to the three young shepherd children of Fatima were prepared and anticipated by three apparitions of an Angel who invited Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta to prayer and penance.
Visionaries: Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, Jacinta Marto.
First Apparition (1915): The Angel of Peace
Account by Lucia dos Santos
"One fine day we arrived at a piece of land that belonged to my parents, at the foot of the hill I have already mentioned, on the east side. That land was called 'Chousa Velha'.
Towards mid-morning a fine rain began to fall, a little heavier than dew. So we walked up the hillside, followed by our sheep, looking for a rock where we could take shelter.
After playing for a while, a fairly strong wind came up that shook the trees and forced us to look up, surprised because the day was beautiful. Then we saw, above the olive trees, the same figure I have already spoken of, coming towards us.
Jacinta and Francisco had never seen him, and I had never spoken of him to them. As he approached, we were able to distinguish his features better. He seemed like a boy of 14 or 15 years old, whiter than snow, which the sun made transparent as if he were of crystal.
He was very beautiful. Coming close to us, he said: 'Do not be afraid, I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.' And, kneeling down, he bowed his head to the ground and made us repeat these words three times:
'My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.'
Then he rose and said to us: 'Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.' These words were engraved so deeply in our spirits that we never forgot them."
Second Apparition (1916): The Angel of Portugal
(The guardian angel of Portugal)
"One summer's day, although we should have been taking our siesta at home, we were playing among the wells belonging to my parents at the bottom of the garden called 'Arneiro'. Suddenly we glimpsed the same figure; the Angel, it seemed to me, said to us: 'What are you doing? Pray, pray very much! The Most Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.'
'How can we make sacrifices?' I asked him.
'Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, you will draw down peace upon your country. I am its guardian angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings which the Lord will send you.'"
Third Apparition (Autumn 1916): Spiritual Communion
With a chalice and a bleeding host
"One day we went to graze our flock on a piece of land belonging to my parents, situated on the hillside and a little higher up than 'Valinhos'. It was an olive grove that we called 'Loca do Cabeço'. After eating something, we decided to go and pray in the cave that was on the other side of the hill.
As soon as we arrived, we knelt down, with our faces to the ground, and began to repeat the Angel's prayer. I do not know how many times we recited it, but suddenly we saw a light we had never seen before shining above us. We got up to see what was happening, and we saw the Angel again, holding a chalice in his hand, over which was suspended a host. From the host, drops of blood were falling into the chalice.
The Angel left the chalice suspended in the air, knelt down beside us, and made us repeat three times:
'Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.'
Then he rose, took the chalice and the host in his hands. He gave the Sacred Host to each of us, and the Blood from the chalice, and then said these words: 'Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.' And, prostrating himself once more, he repeated with us the same prayer three more times. Then he disappeared."