Lúcia Santos

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Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lúcia Santos
Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lúcia Santos

Lúcia de Jesus Rosa Santos – "Sister Lúcia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart", better known as Sister Lúcia of Jesus – (March 22, 1907 – February 13, 2005) was a Portuguese visionary and Roman Catholic Carmelite nun.

Contents

[edit] Background

Lucia’s maternal grandfather, Joaquim Ferreira Rosa, was a native of Aljustrel of the parish of Fatima and born on November 29th, 1823. He married Rosa da Encarnação of Perulheira, born on April 21st, 1825. Together, they settled in Perulheira and had seven children. Maria Rosa was the last child, born on July 6th, 1869. At the request of an aunt and uncle, Joaquim returned to Aljustrel, taking with him his wife and children, sometime between 1883 and 1884.[1]

When Maria Rosa was 21 years old she married António dos Santos, a native of Aljustrel, on November 19th, 1890. The children of Maria Rosa and António dos Santos were: Maria dos Anjos, Teresa de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, Manuel Rosa dos Santos, Gloria de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, Carolina de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, Maria Rosa (died at birth), and Lúcia de Jesus Rosa Santos. Although peasants, the Santos family was by no means poor, owning land "in the direction of Montelo, Our Lady of Ortiga, Fatima, Valinhos, Cabeço, Charneca, and Cova da Iria."[2]

Even though Lucia's birthday is registered as March 22nd, 1907, her actual date of birth is March 28th. In those days it was required that parents bring their children for Baptism on the eight day after birth or face a fine, and, because March 30th was a more convenient day, the 22nd was chosen as her birthday. Lucia later recalled that, at the time, no one attached much importance to one's birthday.[3]

Father De Marchi described her features in the following manner: "She was not a pretty child. The only attractions of her face—which was not on the whole repellent—were her two great black eyes which gazed out from under thick eyebrows. Her hair, thick and dark, was parted in the center over her shoulders. Her nose was rather flat, her lips thick and her mouth large."[4]

Children loved and adored Lucia. She was a fabulous storyteller with a "gift for narration."[5] According to her mother, Lucia repeated everything that she heard "like a parrot."[6] During the summer at siesta time Maria Rosa gave her children and the neighbor’s children, if they were there, catechism lessons, especially around Lent. During the winter the catechism lessons took place after supper and around the fire.[7]

Lucia’s first communion was at 6 years of age (10 being the usual minimum). The local Prior, however, initially denied her from this, even though "she understands what she’s doing better than many of the others," because she was too young. The Priest that eventually convinced the Prior to allow her receive was Father Cruz, a Jesuit missionary from Lisboa. He found Lucia distressed after being denied and inquired what was the matter. Having learned of the situation, he tested her on her catechism, and was satisfied that she was ready.[8]

After her first confession she prayed before the altar of Our Lady of the Rosary and saw it smile at her. Upon receiving the Eucharist, Lucia felt "bathed in such a supernatural atmosphere that the presence of our dear Lord became as clearly perceptible to me as if I had seen and heard Him with my bodily senses." Lucia’s first communion left a deep impact on her. "I lost the taste and attraction for the things of the world, and only felt at home in some solitary place where, all alone, I could recall the delights of my First Communion." [9]

[edit] Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

For more details on this topic, see Lady of Fatima.

At the age of ten she claimed to have witnessed visions and to have conversed with a lady that later identified herself to Lucia as "Our Lady of the Rosary" in a hollow field known as the Cova da Iria, near the village of Aljustrel, about a mile from Fátima, Portugal. Her two cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto also claimed to have witnessed the visions but only Lúcia claimed to converse directly with her. "Our Lady of the Rosary" became identified as the Virgin Mary. Among the messages Lúcia supposedly relayed from the Virgin were the Three Secrets of Fatima.

The Catholic Church approved the visions as "worthy of belief" in the 1930s, and today the children's experience is known to millions as Fátima.

[edit] Post Apparitions

In March 1948, she joined the Carmel of St. Teresa at Coimbra, where she lived until her death at the age of almost 98. She had been suffering prolonged colds and flu in an unheated cell. She died of cardio-respiratory failure, due to her advanced age.

Lucia wrote six memoirs during her lifetime. The first four were written between 1935 and 1941, and the English translation is published under the name Fatima in Lucia's Own Words. The fifth and six memoirs, written in 1989 and 1993, are published in English under the name Fatima in Lucia's Own Words II. Additional writings include 'Calls' From the Message of Fatima published in 2000, and Appeals of the Fatima Message, published in 2001.

The day of her funeral, February 15, 2005, was declared a day of national mourning in Portugal; even campaigning for the national parliamentary election scheduled for Sunday, February 20, was interrupted.

While most historical accounts correctly refer to Lucia as Lucia Santos, some of the more modern accounts refer to Lucia as Lucia dos Santos. This confusion likely arose with the publication of her first book of memoirs, wherein the editor states that the parish register lists her father's name as Antonio dos Santos. Lucia confirms that her family name is Santos in her fifth and six memoirs.[10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fatima in Lucia's own Words II (1999), pg. 55.
  2. ^ Fatima in Lucia's own Words II (1999), pg. 9
  3. ^ Fatima in Lucia's own Words II (1999), pgs. 13-14
  4. ^ De Marchi, John. Fatima The Full Story, pg. 31.
  5. ^ Walsh, William Thomas. Our Lady of Fatima, pg. 11.
  6. ^ Fatima in Lucia's Own Words I (2003), pg. 67).
  7. ^ Fatima in Lucia's Own Words I (2003), pgs. 38,69.
  8. ^ Fatima in Lucia's Own Words I (2003), pgs. 69-70; Walsh, William Thomas. Our Lady of Fatima, pg. 7.
  9. ^ Fatima in Lucia's Own Words I (2003), pgs. 72-73.
  10. ^ Fatima in Lucia's Own Words II (1999), pg. 9,68

[edit] External links

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