Thousands of pilgrims gather at Fátima to commemorate the apparitions of Our Lady

Pilgrims from all over the world descended on the Fátima Shrine in Portugal to commemorate the feast of Our Lady of Fátima.

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Fátima, May 12, the light of thousands of candles illuminated the night at the spot where Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children 109 years ago.

The faithful filled the shrine, gathering to participate in the recitation of the rosary and the traditional candlelight procession.

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‘We come as pilgrims and depart as missionary disciples’

Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, celebrated the Mass on May 13. In his homily, the prelate emphasized that the pilgrimage “does not end here” but rather Fátima is “a point for sending forth.”

This celebration commemorates the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima to the three shepherd children in 1917. Every year, thousands of pilgrims gather at Cova da Iria, a neighborhood that was once the field where the three shepherd children pastured their familyʼs sheep.

The pilgrimage on May 13, which commemorates the Virginʼs first apparition to the three children, is the most attended, welcoming more than 450,000 pilgrims last year.

“We come as pilgrims and depart as missionary disciples; everything we experience here — prayer, silence, reconciliation, and communion — cannot remain confined within the Cova da Iria,” the prelate noted.

He invited the faithful to let the experience of Fátima “enter into our hearts” as well as into all areas of life — our homes, families, workplaces, and schools — and also “into the wounds and joys of daily life.”

Sousa emphasized that the message of Fátima is truly embraced “when it transforms into a mission, and what we receive becomes a light for others.”

He further recalled that in her apparitions, the Virgin called for conversion and for the responsibility of love: “True devotion to Mary never closes the heart. It opens it; it never isolates, it sends forth; it never sleeps, it awakens.”

According to the shrine, the year 2026 also marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peterʼs Square. For this reason, the Mass in Fátima was celebrated using the chalice that the Polish pontiff donated during one of his visits to the site.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.