Our Lady of Fatima and Maria Valtorta

Statue of Our Lady of Fatima

From 1943 onward, the Virgin of Fátima is mentioned about twenty times in the writings of Maria Valtorta. She makes no mention of it in the Autobiography. Sometimes these mentions come from Heaven, sometimes from Maria Valtorta’s devotion, who developed a genuine attachment to Our Lady of Fatima, which she explains in her notes in the Notebooks of May 8, 1947.

The Apparitions of Fatima

At the time of the Apparitions, Fatima was a poor rural parish with relatively low literacy. It had only about 200 inhabitants distributed over around forty hamlets. Everyone had to work and children tended the herds wherever pastures allowed. The large central esplanade, the Cova de Iria, has today become the main focal point of the town where, on one side, stands the Chapel of the Apparitions (Capelinha das Aparições) marking the very spot, and opposite it, the large Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, 65 meters tall (Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário), built in 1928 but soon too small. This basilica contains the graves of the three seers: Francisco Marto (1908-1919) and Jacinta Marto (1910-1920), who died shortly after the Apparitions. They were beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Francis in 2017. The third, Lúcia dos Santos (1907-2005), became a Carmelite nun and died nearly a centenarian.

Account of the Apparitions

In 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to children aged 7 to 10. Her six Apparitions, from May 13 to October 13, were preceded by six Apparitions of the Angel of Portugal: three in 1915 to Lucia and three of her friends, then three in 1916, the year Portugal officially entered the War. These Angel Apparitions took place in Aljustrel, a hamlet near the town of Fatima, where the seers lived.

Apparitions of the Angel of Portugal

In 1915, Lucia and three of her friends saw in Aljustrel, on the Cabeço hill, "a figure like a statue of snow, which the sun’s rays made somewhat translucent," "having human shape." When the four girls told of their adventure, their surroundings mocked them.

In spring 1916, Lucia, accompanied this time by Francisco and Jacinta, saw the angel again at the same place. He appeared as a young man of about 14/15 years, radiating great purity. He said: "Fear nothing! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me!" Kneeling, forehead to the ground, imitated by the three children, the angel taught them the first of the prayers later made famous:

"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.

He repeated this prayer three times, then, raising his head, said: "Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications," then disappeared. The Presence of God was so intense and intimate that the children dared neither speak nor move, remaining in prayer for some time. Upon returning home, they did not speak of this apparition.

The angel appeared to them a second time during the summer above the well on Lucia’s parents’ property. He identified himself as the Angel of Portugal and urged them to continually offer prayers and sacrifices because of the merciful designs the very holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have for them. These words were like a light; they made them understand who God is, how much He loves us and desires to be loved, the value of sacrifice, and how pleasing it is to Him in obtaining the conversion of sinners. He appeared a third time at the end of summer or in autumn at the site of the first apparition. He held a chalice and a host that remained suspended in the air while the angel knelt to adore:

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He Himself is offended. And for the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I ask You for the conversion of sinners.

He then gave the host to the three seers, and to Francisco and Jacinta, he also gave the contents of the chalice to drink, saying: "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by the ingratitude of men. Repair their crimes and console God."

These Apparitions immersed them in an ocean of Peace and joy, as the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary would, but differently: those of the Virgin Mary caused thrills of joy and contagious enthusiasm, while the Presence of God accompanying the Angel's Apparitions imposed itself by instilling a feeling of absorption, a total annihilation, contrasting with the great inner jubilation.

Apparitions of the Virgin Mary

These took place at Cova de Iria, now the esplanade of the Apparitions, two kilometers from the town of Fatima. Francisco only saw the Virgin. Jacinta saw and heard Her. But only Lucia could see, hear, and speak to Her.

The first apparition: I am from Heaven

On Sunday, May 13, 1917, the Sunday before Ascension, around noon, the three young children saw about one and a half meters above them, above a small oak barely more than a meter tall, a Lady brighter than the sun, dressed entirely in white, wearing a veil edged in gold. She emitted a light more intense and "clearer than crystal glass filled with crystalline water through which the fiercest sun shone." Her joined hands held the Rosary. Though the apparition was so near one could see details, Lucia could never describe the Face exactly because it dazzled. "Where are you from, Lady?" Lucia asked. "I am from Heaven," She answered. She invited them to return six consecutive months on the 13th. Then She asked them to accept the sufferings that would be sent them in reparation for sins and assured them of God’s Grace. Upon their acceptance, She opened Her hands from which issued an intense light that penetrated them to the depths of their souls. She made them see themselves in God who was that light. They fell to their knees and recited the angel’s prayer to the Holy Eucharist (see above). Before disappearing toward the east, the Virgin Mary asked them to pray the Rosary for Peace.

The second apparition: The Immaculate Heart of Mary

At the second apparition on Wednesday, June 13, 1917, about fifty people were present. The Virgin Mary asked the young seers to recite the Rosary daily and learn to read. A request no doubt addressed to Lucia, through whom, the Madonna said, Jesus wanted to make known the Immaculate Heart of His Mother. To those who would embrace it, She promised Salvation. The apparition again opened Her hands releasing a flood of light. The young seers felt immersed in God. Lucia saw Jacinta and Francisco rise toward Heaven while she saw herself spread over the earth. The image of a Heart pierced by thorns appeared: it was the Heart outraged of Mary.

The third apparition: The vision of Hell and the great prophecies

On Friday, July 13, 1917, at the height of summer, a cool breeze preceded the apparition. The Virgin Mary asked that people pray to Our Lady of the Rosary, who alone could guarantee Peace in the world and the end of the War. Fifteen days later, on August 1, 1917, Benedict XV issued a call "to the leaders of the warring nations" in which he spoke of the suicide of civilized Europe. A prophetic declaration, since from 1914 to 1945 Europe experienced ten years of conflicts within those thirty years. These caused more than 70 million deaths, plus millions from epidemics, famines, revolutions, and genocides. The apparition renewed its request for sacrifices for sinners, offered by this prayer:

"O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins committed Against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

At these words, She opened Her hands again. The light seemed to part the earth revealing an ocean of Fire. Demons and damned Souls, like transparent coals, writhed amid cries and moans of pain and despair. The vision was terrifying and Lucia thought that without the Virgin Mary, they would have died from fright. The Virgin Mary then entrusted them that God wanted to establish in the world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart to Save Souls from damnation. She announced She would come (in the future) to ask for the consecration of Russia and the reparatory communion of the first Saturdays. If not done, Russia would spread its errors, causing Wars and persecutions. She added this prophecy:

"In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The War will end," she said, "but if people do not cease offending God, another will begin under the reign of Pius XI. A night illuminated by an unknown light will announce the punishment of the world by War, famine, and persecutions."

This vision and these prophecies constitute what is called the first secret of Fatima. There were three secrets. The name of Pius XI, which Lucia confirms, was unknown until 1922. Russia had not yet undergone its October revolution and the spread of Marxism-Leninism whose triumph would culminate worldwide forty years later, but already one saw Mexican president Plutarco Calles, atheist, Marxist, and Freemason, trigger the Cristero War in 1929 (90,000 deaths) by imposing the death penalty on the administration of the Sacraments; or the "Red Terror" inflaming Spain: 13 bishops, 4,184 priests, 2,365 monks, and 283 nuns were executed during summer 1936. In reaction, "White Terror" by fascists followed. The luminous sign announcing the conflict occurred over Europe on the night of January 25-26, 1938 (feast of the conversion of Saint Paul). The phenomenon was officially interpreted as an aurora borealis, but that cannot be the case. 1938 was the year the annexation of Austria was ratified, then that of the Sudetenland without Europe's reaction to the Munich agreements. It was also the year when anti-Jewish laws reached their peak, culminating in the "Kristallnacht," a generalized pogrom against Jewish shops. One month later, a treaty of good understanding was signed in Paris between Germans and the French government.

Before disappearing, She entrusted the children with this prayer which ends all decades of the Rosary:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, keep us from the Fire of Hell, and lead all Souls to Heaven, especially those who most need your mercy."

The fourth apparition: The children in prison and the announcement of the miracle

On Monday, August 13, 1917, the children were detained by the administrator of the county of Ourem who wanted to forcibly extract the secret from them. But at the usual hour of the Apparitions, various phenomena were observed over the Cova da Iria. On Sunday, August 19, 1917, the children were on the property of one of Lucia’s uncles when signs signaling the apparition manifested. The Virgin Mary renewed Her instructions and announced She would perform a miracle the last month.

The fifth apparition: Announcement of the blessing of the world

On Thursday, September 13, 1917, the crowd was estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 people. Abnormal atmospheric phenomena were observed by all, but it was not yet the miracle of the sun. The Virgin Mary announced that at the next apparition Jesus Himself and Saint Joseph would come to bless the world.

The sixth and last apparition: The miracle of the sun

On Saturday, October 13, 1917, the apparition occurred under rain in the presence of a crowd of 50,000 to 70,000 people. The Virgin Mary requested the construction of a chapel in Her honor. She presented Herself as Our Lady of the Rosary and asked that the Rosary be prayed daily. Then She announced the end of the War. With great sadness, which marked the seers, She asked men to no longer offend Our Lord. Then, opening Her hands one last time, She rose while the reflection of Her light was cast toward the sun, which appeared, stopping the rain. Everyone could look at it without harm to their eyes.

The star began to tremble with sudden movements, then it spun around itself at dizzying speed, launching bursts of light in all the colors of the rainbow. Then the sun, maintaining its rapid rotation, suddenly seemed to detach from the sky and zigzag forward over the crowd. It was such a terrifying moment that several people fainted. To general astonishment, the crowd could see that their clothes, soaked by the rain a few minutes earlier, were completely dry! This phenomenon, which no astronomical observatory recorded and therefore could not have been a natural phenomenon, was observed several kilometers from Fatima, ruling out the hypothesis of an optical illusion or collective hallucination. During the ten minutes the sun's dance lasted, the seers beheld three successive tableaux symbolizing the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries of the Rosary:

• The Holy Family and Jesus blessing the world.
• Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and Christ blessing the world.
• Our Lady of Carmel carrying the child Jesus in her arms.

Lucia saw all three tableaux, Francisco and Jacinta only the first.

The private revelations that followed

The Marian Apparitions did not cease after that, but they became private. First to Francisco, about whom little is known, then to Jacinta. She followed a path of great holiness until her death on February 20, 1920, and her Face remained unaltered. It was especially Lucia’s role to continue Fatima. She entered the Sisters of Saint Dorothy, taking the name Sister Mary of the Sorrows. But she was constantly solicited, so she joined the Carmel of Coimbra, where she could only be removed with papal authorization. In July 1917, the Virgin had said, "I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the reparatory communion of the first Saturdays of the month." She did so on December 10, 1925, accompanied by the Child Jesus, instituting the devotion of the first Saturdays.

It was John Paul II who most closely fulfilled the requests of Heaven. On May 13, 1982 in Fatima, then on March 25, 1984, he consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart, asking all bishops to unite with him. Five years later, the Berlin Wall fell by itself. The third and last part of the "secret" of Fatima was revealed on June 26, 2000 by John Paul II. The highlight was the prophecy predicting the assassination attempt on the Pope on May 13, 1981. He attributed his survival to the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima whose 64th anniversary was celebrated that day. In gratitude, he had the bullet he received enshrined in the crown of her statue and, the following year, consecrated the world according to his vow.

Fatima in the writings of Maria Valtorta

The Notebooks of 1943, November 20

P. 481: It was not useful for you to know the secret of Fatima.

"Like the Beloved (John), gaze fixedly at the sky until you are enraptured by the ardor of contemplation, for the hour of suffering is always nearer and you need to saturate yourself with contemplation to endure the passion without faltering. Stay the 'Light of the world' in my place, even if darkness falls upon you to crush you. Even falling, hold high my cross which is Light. Even dying, let the voice speak of Heaven through you, my exemplary Servant. You have cried and it was not useful for you to know the secret of Fatima. Your cares for the world have turned Against you like those for an obsessed person. But it does not matter. My Mother is with you and I with her."

The Notebooks of 1943, December 29

P. 603: Jesus and Mary shine at the prayer of Fatima.

"As soon as I began the invocations of Fatima: "Jesus, it is for your love, for the conversion of sinners, for the Holy Father and to repair the offenses made to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jesus, forgive us our faults, keep us from the Fire of hell, bring all Souls to Heaven, especially those who most need your mercy," I saw the two look at each other, sparkling with mutual love. Sparkling is the right word and barely expresses the splendor of the two Faces."

The Notebooks, December 31, 1943

P. 608: The miracle of the sun at Fatima.

"You could not Believe how sweet this Temptation was as it was presented to me. However, this new battle confirms to me that it is God Himself who is the cause of my great current suffering. Note that I held the cross. But who does not doubt it, even she, today? I had on my knees the images of the Virgin of Fatima and Saint Joseph. But who is no longer afraid of anything? Jesus told me one day: "Answer with my own words." So I replied: "Get behind me, Satan. For it is written: The Lord your God you shall worship and Him alone you shall bow down to." But how long will this trial last? "It is God who says, as a warning to you who are so forgetful, that He shows Himself through the auroras borealis, through the blazing meteors which, in their wake, transform the ether into sapphire, emerald, ruby, or topaz; through comets with flaming tails like the mantle of a celestial queen flying in the firmaments; through another stellar eye opening on the vault of the sky, through the rotation of the sun, made perceptible at Fatima so that you may be persuaded of the will of God. Your other inferences are only smoke of human science and in the smoke, they envelop error."

The Notebooks of 1944, April 15

P. 27-28: The image of Fatima accompanies her during a manifestation of the Demon.

"At 11:10, while I pray to overcome the works of the demon on this poor humanity (this is the alarm hour and bombs do not fall far), I hear a voice I recognize and remember; it says to me: "Worship me and I will help you in all things, always. You will be happy." I answer: "No. Never. By my will, never. If ever I become mad from the pain of being rejected by God, then it may be that I do so. But as long as I have all my wits, no. You can torment me all you want, I do not yield. You could not Believe how sweet this Temptation was as it was presented to me. However, this new battle confirms to me that it is God Himself who is the cause of my great current suffering. Note that I held the cross. But who does not doubt it, even she, today? I had on my knees the images of the Virgin of Fatima and Saint Joseph. But who is no longer afraid of anything? Jesus told me one day: "Answer with my own words." So I replied: "Get behind me, Satan. For it is written: The Lord your God you shall worship and Him alone you shall bow down to." But how long will this trial last?"

The Notebooks of 1944, June 13

P. 363: Believing she will die, she surrounds herself for the great passage with an image of Our Lady of Fatima and others.

Last night, I truly believed I was dying and to not die alone, I had placed before me, on my slightly bent knees, my Jesus, the Virgin of Fatima, and Gemma (Galgani). I would have also liked Saint Joseph, but I could not move to take him. I held the Rosary as well as that of Our Lady of Sorrows, and I felt surrounded by the best nurses there are. I kept my eyes fixed on Jesus, Mary, and Gemma; when I felt the bite become sharper and the Heart slow its beats till suspending them for a few seconds, I thought: "This time, I go," and I looked at them even more, I called them. Not to be preserved from death, but to die in an act of love so that my last word and last look would be for them. In Gemma were all the saints. Between Jesus and Mary, I also placed Saint Joseph, and all was in order. Then Jesus said: "Your spirit has seen rightly. My Heart is living Eucharist. Where does love come from? From the Heart. What is the Eucharist? Love. It follows that, when you think of the Eucharist, you can say: "Here is the Heart of the Heart of Jesus." And when you think of my Heart, you can say: "Here is the matrix within which the Eucharist was formed."

The Notebooks 1944, December 13

P. 627: Maria prays the Rosary punctuated by the prayer of Fatima.

"Saint Lucia, whom I have prayed so much to grant me the favor of returning (to Viareggio), instead offers me a heavenly vision that begins as I, with Marta, recite the Rosary and the prayers of Fatima."

The Notebooks of 1944, December 24

P. 609: Returning from exile in San’Andrea di Còmpito, Maria consecrates the house in Viareggio.

"I am returning home. I consecrate the house to the Virgin of Fatima, as well as to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Joseph (ED: cited in the mystical calendar of February 10, 1946 – The Notebooks from 1945 to 1950)."

Azarias, March 24, 1946

Azarias, 3rd Sunday of Lent, page 37 and The Notebooks, page 235: The archangel Gabriel reveals to her a secret much more terrible than that of Fatima.

"Azarias then kneels to listen to Gabriel whose light intensifies and who greets me: "Ave Maria!" Nothing else but Ave Maria. Then he says to me a terrifying word, oh! it is truly a terrifying word, and he gives me an order. Words of condemnation and their reasons! But I will take it with me to the tomb. "It is a secret more terrible," says the archangel, "than the secret of Fatima, and it must not be revealed because men, even those for whom it is meant, do not deserve to know it."

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 13, 1946

P. 249: The Virgin of Fatima accompanies Maria during her novena and speaks to her on the anniversary of the apparition.

"After holding me for several days of her novena in the luminous brilliance of her apparition, the Virgin of Fatima speaks to me: "My dear daughters, have the soul of Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, who received me because they were simple like their sheep. Know to constantly look upward, for the Mother does not descend into the mud, but stands above you in the blue of the sky. Imitate me, have my purity as the garment of the soul, the soul in prayer like my joined hands imploring mercy for mortals, the sweetness of my smile to soften community life, and above all an Immaculate Heart as much as possible, so that my daughters inherit the Heart and the heritage of their mother: imitate me, love me, rise. I do not address Maria de la Cruz. She is in my Heart the only cradle to soothe it. The poor exhausted dove can enter my pierced Heart, stay to quench itself at the tears of compassion which the Mother pours on her, and rest there forgetting the existence of the world’s hatred, for it would be too painful for her to continue without my love consoling her. So love one another, you three and her. Love each other in me and in my Son who has united you in love by a great desire to love Him. In Iria (the Cova de Iria), there is a new cathedral. It is beautiful. But I desire the little chapels of Hearts that love my Heart. They are more perfumed with love and overflowing with roses. Make sure I can descend into your Hearts to communicate my sweetness and teach you constant acceptance of the divine will. It is this acceptance that made me a Queen, for those who lay down their crown will be crowned. In other words, the crown of holiness rests on Souls who know how to lay down the crown of their humanity by accepting to serve the Lord in all things. May my blessing be upon you."

Azarias, May 26, 1946

Azarias – 5th Sunday after Easter – p. 112 and The Notebooks, p. 254: The Virgin Mary comes to console Maria Valtorta in her sufferings.

"Azarias’ explanation, which will surely come, is preceded this Sunday by the smile of the Immaculate Virgin who appears dressed in white as in the Apparitions of Lourdes and Fatima, but without the blue sash nor the golden cord: a simple white cord like her garment tied at the waist, and the gentle gold of her hair appears because she wears no veil or mantle. It is the gentle Woman, clothed all in white, as she often was during the summers of Nazareth. Simply, her garment is now more splendid than any earthly fabric and seems made of a truly extraterrestrial linen. She comforts me and smiles at me since last night and, because my sufferings forbid all sleep, which would allow me to escape for some Hours the too many crosses which oppress me, I find her present every time I emerge from the half-sleep which is the only rest of my tired, exhausted flesh, which can no longer truly rest in proper sleep. Her dazzling whiteness, the radiance emanating from her glorified body and the inexpressible expression of her face shine like a star in the darkness of my room just as in my so afflicted Heart."

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 8, 1947

P. 387: Maria explains her particular attachment to Our Lady of Fatima.

"Even today, the 8th, I recite the Rosary in the company of Our Lady of Fatima! But today, the Virgin does not pluck the roses, and she explains to me the reason for this symbolic gesture of the 5th. I now understand the value of a "Hail Mary" well said! The rosary of the fifteen decades included five of white roses like pearls, five of red roses like rubies, and five of golden ones like the other day. While reciting it, Mary said the "Glory be to God" then the first part of the Our Father—from "Our Father" to "as it is in Heaven"—and "Hail Marys"—from "and Jesus" to "blessed," skipping "the fruit of your womb." Meanwhile, she cast an indescribable look of Peace, love, pity on the world below, and had a slightly sorrowful smile despite her sweetness. That's it! I understood why Our Lady of Fatima attracts me so much, even more than that of Lourdes which, yet, I love very much: because She is closer to us, more Motherly. The one of Lourdes looks at the sky... It seems She wishes to return there, to be lost in God: She is the Immaculate Conception, the Woman of Heaven. The one of Fatima looks at us, at poor earth where She was Woman like any other creature and knows its sadness and needs, this poor earth that so needs Her, and She is full of pity for us: She is our Mother, it is the Heart of Mary that loves us and watches over us... The first is turned toward the Lord and the Angels. But that of Fatima is turned toward us, the sinners. She prays for us... She truly is the pure and very compassionate "Mom..."

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 16, 1947

P. 393: During a vision of Our Lady of Fatima, the Holy Spirit explains to Maria what the Immaculate Heart of Mary is.

I receive the vision and understanding of what the Immaculate Heart of Mary is. I see a magnificent Heart like a radiant moon, like a luminous pearl of moonlight. We are accustomed to see rays of gold, flames of gold emanating from the Heart of Jesus, in the form of a halo around His red Heart. But that of Mary is all light. A paradisiacal light! Whiter than the host shining in a monstrance! Brighter than the moon shining in the clearest sky. More beautiful than a huge pearl! All light! What purity... It shines there, in the center of Her very pure breast... A whiteness shining in the whiteness of the glorified body of Our Lady of Fatima. And since its brightness surpasses the pure brightness of the Virgin as a whole, everyone can imagine what it must be... Then the Holy Spirit gives me the following lesson, and I understand:

"It is from this Heart that the drops came which formed the Body of the Incarnate Word. From this whiteness must have come the blood necessary for the formation of the human embryo of the Son of God, a very pure blood from a very pure source. This purity springs from an immaculate source to surround with purity the Soul created for the Word conceived by Love with Purity. It is to the pure star-like beats of this Heart — which is my delight — that the pulsations of the divine Heart conformed themselves. Imagine the absolute perfection of feelings and movements this Immaculate Heart must have known on the rhythm of which — rhythm of physical beats of the Heart, but also moral and spiritual — the Heart of the Son conceived of the Virgin was formed to become the Heart of the God-Man. Look, look, make it your delight. There is no more beautiful light in paradise than this one, after ours. There is none sweeter. No. We, the Three Glorious, find our joy there, and the Blessed theirs, just like the Angels. Paradise shines with this light of the Immaculate Heart of our Mary. This light, which you say indescribable — it is the voice and joy of paradise — comes from that breast, from the Heart of the eternal Virgin. If only man would allow it to spread on earth! It would be the second redemption, the second forgiveness... final salvation! Ah, the forgiveness of the world! Forgiveness granted to the world by Mary! But the world rejects the Mother who would birth it to Peace. Love, love for the whole world. Then the light of the Heart of Mary will fill you with the joy that makes us ourselves Blessed."

I am joyful at the sight of the Heart-Host glowing of immaculate Mary, whose intense and very sweet light is that of a burning pearl..."

The Notebooks, November 9, 1947

Regarding Tre Fontane: The Rosary recited with Our Lady of Fatima turns into a shower of roses. Previously she was spiritually transported to Fatima where she prays with the pilgrims.

On May 5, vision of Mary of Fatima. The "Hail Marys" of the Rosary that I recite with her turned into golden roses, which she throws on Rome [...] Other roses fall here and there in Italy but I do not understand well to which particular places, in Spain and Portugal (many in Fatima), one in Belgium, three in Ireland, one near London, and in various places around the globe,[...] On October 12 and 13, I spend the night at Fatima with Mary. I see pilgrims praying at the Cova da Iria, bathed in light. I pray with them, I contemplate Mary, with whom I am very close. At dawn, she speaks to me. She invites me to pray the Rosary a lot for the Holy Father, for the clergy, for Peace and for Italy, for it is the best defense of the Papacy, the clergy, Peace, and Italy. She adds that this is one of the reasons for her appearance in Rome. Another reason was her desire to shake the incredulous, indifferent, hostile, and opposed to the supernatural, but also those who do not believe in the Work, which is "the glory of her Son and thanks to which many will find salvation."

The Notebooks 1945-1950, December 28, 1947

P. 452-453: Mary explains her appearance during the Apparitions.

"I am here so that you can contemplate me, study my features once again, and so you can understand what the difference is between the one I was on earth and the one I am now in Heaven. In Lourdes, Fatima, in Apparitions generally, I appear as I am now in Heaven, and my appearance already possesses the indescribable luminous purity of glorified bodies. This purity, the seers of those Apparitions never fully grasp in all its details. Note that they know how to describe the garment I wore, the Rosary I counted, the rock or tree I lean on, the gestures I make, the expression of my face, but they are always hesitant and, involuntarily, they are never truthful when it comes to describing my face, the color of my eyes, hair or skin. They try to do so. They cannot, they cannot do it. No seeing soul has seen me as much as you, as Child, Wife, Mother on earth, or as Queen of heaven. Each time, you say: "She is always the same. But how different She is when She is the glorious Queen of heaven, assumed body and soul among the Angels, than when She is the humble Mary of Nazareth!" [...]

"I watch her closely; she was very near my face. I examine her skin, which has the warm pallor of magnolia tinged with a slight pink on the cheeks, the full and purplish lips as they should be, the fine and straight nose, perfectly proportioned eyes and a color of clear sky under a high and smooth forehead, the perfect oval of her childlike face... I do not know why her face makes me think of a pure flame or a lily bud about to bloom, so soft are the curves of this oval... I observe her beautiful blonde hair, fine, silky and slightly wavy. I think that if, instead of being tied in heavy braids pulling it on the head, it were loose, the waves would be deeper ... And especially I lose myself in feeling the slight warmth of her breathing body next to me, and her perfume... her characteristic fragrance, the scent of Mary... the scent of the Virgin. [...]"

"But listen well, I tell you, you who are a servant of Mary, that the craftsman who sculpted me (= the Virgin of Tre Fontane) in such a way that I do not recognize myself, should have indeed evoked the statues of Lourdes and Fatima, where I am represented as well as man can reproduce the image of the Mother of God... He should especially have been inspired by my face in the portrait of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Florence: if man and time had not altered the image, everyone could indeed know me as I was when the Spirit of the Spirit of God made me pregnant with God. The smoke of the candles and time have darkened the colors, and man has damaged it... But one can still see what the little girl of God looked like, Joseph’s fiancée in that springtime of my years, in that flowery spring of Nazareth."

The Notebooks, Night of May 25-26, 1948

The Virgin of Fatima appears with a sword piercing her Heart.

"As long as God is present, my pain before His pain is bearable. But once I am left alone, it crushes me under the weight of Jesus’ laments and words, as well as under that of Mary’s affliction. It has not left my mind since the evening of Friday the 21st, when Our Lady of Fatima appeared to me. After looking at me, crying, very saddened, and although angelic hands placed on her head a crown of fifteen superb roses, she opened her hands and lifted her arms so as to raise her mantle, which allowed me to see her chest, at the center of which was fixed a sword, whose handle and (?) came out of her white garment. I could not see her Heart. But I understood the sword pierced it and that our Mother was deeply saddened and asked to be comforted... Of what? I wondered until this evening without succeeding in explaining it. Now I know. And I am anguished because it is not within my power to remove this sword and heal the wound made to Mary’s Heart."

The Notebooks, May 31, 1948

Symbolic vision of Mary in the History of Salvation.

"On the evening of May 26, the Virgin of Fatima reappeared to me, in the following manner: it looked as if a great but shallow arc of a rainbow was suspended between earth and sky. At the center was Mary, leaning on a small silver cloud, sweet and smiling. From Her joined hands hung a long Rosary. Under Her bare feet, many arrows were held back. I said to myself: "Phew! This time it is Peace. The lightning bolts of God’s chastisements are under Mary’s feet..." and I began to thank our Mother. But She spread Her hands and showed me, with Her left hand, that is to the east relative to her, a sort of Fire, or star, or jewel: it looked like all these things... It shone very high in the clear blue of a cloudless sky, in a very pure atmosphere as after a great storm which washes the air of all impurity."

The Notebooks, June 9, 1948

Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima preceded by great ecstatic joy.

I foresaw this joy of seeing and savoring the supernatural which my soul now knows well. Trembling with joy in advance, she gathers in an expectation that God neither forces nor is forced by, for the soul is already peaceful, satisfied, always satisfied with this preliminary joy. She asks for nothing more [...] It is truly so! We do not know when the encounter will happen, but we know it will. So it is with great joy deep in the Heart that one performs all the small material tasks of the day, writing, working, reading, talking with visitors, eating... but the body that does all that seems to be a borrowed body, so foreign to the body’s action are our moral and spiritual selves, kneeling under the waves of ever stronger love that overwhelm us. How far away all that is sensible! On the other hand, the suprasensible is over us, surrounding us, in which we drown [...] I lived all this yesterday for Hours. Then suddenly, I passed from the “Call” to the “meeting” with the supernatural. And that supernatural was once again Mary, my Virgin of Fatima [...] I truly felt my soul leave my body and throw itself into Mary’s arms. And this three times, each time She gave Herself to me inviting me to come to Her without respectful restraint. The Virgin stood at the right of my bed, 50 cm above the ground, and She was separated from the floor by the cloud of light that always supports Her feet, small and very beautiful, of an eternal young girl [...] How beautiful She was!"

The Notebooks, June 10, 1948

The Marian Apparitions are not believed outright.

My thoughts slid by association of ideas to the Marian manifestations of Lourdes, Fatima, Tre Fontane, then the very recent ones—still ongoing—of Assisi, etc., and to how the clergy and people behave. And... it did not please me at all!

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 7 and 8, 1949

P. 517: Our Lady of Fatima attends a meeting of the publishing society and weeps over the disregard the participants show for the Work.

Night of May 7 to 8, that is, a few Hours before the meeting of the associates of C.E.P.V (Publishing House Paroles de Vie later dissolved) at my home to finalize everything and establish that I want to obey the Church and that it be obeyed [...] Jesus leaves at midnight and Our Lady of Fatima succeeds Him, turned toward the east and in intense prayer. On May 8, 1949, at noon, while we pray, the Virgin turns from east to west, and lowers Her eyes on Father B... A look maternally afflicted. Then She spreads Her hands, opens Her arms, lowers them toward the earth, then raises them in an act of supplication to heaven; again, She joins Her hands in prayer attitude, and two tears fall on Her cheeks and then to the ground. I feel myself go pale, with the contemplative paleness I want to hide from the eight people present; yet they notice, except two... I understand that Mary weeps for the sinful clergy of whom one is present.

The Notebooks, May 13, 1949

Our Lady of Fatima advises Maria on authenticating her presciences.

"Our Lady of Fatima tells me during the night: "Everything will be decided by November. Put everything in writing, seal it, deposit it. When the time comes, you will show it to witnesses, so they believe it is the Truth guiding you always."

[This writing is at the beginning of an open sheet, but folded in an envelope shape, then sealed with a stamp mark. On the outer part, Maria Valtorta wrote: "Regarding laypeople." (follow predictions concerning world events in 1949/1950).

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 13, 14, and 15, 1949

P. 518: Our Lady of Fatima prays for Cardinal József Mindszenty (1892-1975), Primate of Hungary tortured and imprisoned by the Stalinist regime, and for priests in distress.

"The Virgin (always that of Fatima judging by her attitude, above a green oak, but different as she wears an ash gray mantle, almost of penance, and holds a book also covered with ash gray) has her eyes turned toward the east, but toward the earth, with an expression of pain. The first two days, I ask her nothing. But the third, yes. She answers me:

"I look at a prison, in a cell in Hungary. I look at a servant of my Son and I pray for him... But it is less painful for me to look at one persecuted person than to have in mind—without even looking—other Hearts of the consecrated who are not persecuted except by their ill will... I pray for them too, but... how painful it is to me! As much as the words said to the betrayer apostle on Good Friday morning. My last and vain words addressed to this impenitent... That is why I am in a garment of penance. They torture the Mother, you can Believe it... And I hold this in my hands (she shows me the book) to clean it from their dust that made it so gray."

She weeps."

The Notebooks 1945-1950, May 17, 1949

P. 519: Jesus and the Virgin Mary suffer and weep for the betrayal of people, perhaps connected to the Work.

"First Jesus, under the appearance of the Ecce Homo, who waits for the cross and says to me: "They impose on me again the cross so that I redeem them by my suffering... Their obstinacy not to convert lashes me, crowns me with thorns, burdens me with the cross... three martyrs for their three human, mental and spiritual concupiscences." Later, Our Lady of Fatima, quite herself with her white and gold mantle, the Rosary in hand, the white garment, but the face softly sorrowful [...] I ask her: "Is it me, the cause of these tears? Have I made some fault?" She shakes her head, has a slight smile and confirms: "No, it’s not because of you. It is not you who makes me weep... But what pain!" I would like to console her, but she does not give me time. She says: "Love me ever more to console me for a prodigal son who ceases to live in the Heart of the Mother, in my Immaculate Heart whose shivers of love sanctify those who breathe them." Then she leaves crying, slightly bent as discouraged. She looks like Our Lady of Sorrows of the Hours of the Passion...

The Notebooks, May 31, 1953

Advice from Our Lady of Fatima.

"Our Lady of Fatima, so beautiful that it is impossible to describe or represent, adds:

"Also give Mr. T. a miraculous medal. It doesn’t matter if she already has one. Coming from you, it has a completely different value. And always keep at hand a small used linen handkerchief. You will know later the reason for this request."

The Notebooks, July 5, 1953

The Virgin Mary justifies her Apparitions by the anarchy of the world.

"Each time throughout the centuries I have appeared at such and such a place, it is because anarchy prevailed there, or Freemasonry, revolution, or other punishments caused by men’s faults, or because it was necessary to bring back to justice, by a miracle, relatives, clerics, religious or nuns who had forsaken it. It was so at Caravaggio, Pompeii, Lourdes, Fatima, and many other places in Italy, Europe, or other continents. Even now, I appear where communism is most deeply rooted: for it is indeed the sharpest sword planted in my Heart, the one which brings forth these tears that you hasten to collect on the handkerchief, certainly already holy, but made even more so by the tears that fall on it."

Fellowship of the Church who are not part of the clergy or religious orders.