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It was during the spring of 1917 that three young shepherds were tending their flocks at the Cova da Iria in Fatima, near Portugal, Spain. The children's names were Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. They were ten, nine, and seven years old respectively, and about a year earlier, they had seen a vision of an angel who encouraged them to pray the rosary devoutly and correctly there in the same field.

The angel had appeared to them in peace, and enticed them to pray very hard for sinners. Some months later, he appeared again in the midst of summer with a message for the children. He let them know that Jesus and His mother Mary had plans for their lives, and that they must pray often and intently to respond appropriately to the will of God for them.

Later in the fall, the angel appeared a third time, this time teaching the children a new prayer and offering them Holy Communion. All of these angelic visits were in preparation for them to receive a visit from Our Lady of Fatima. She came with a sudden flash of light for the first time on May 13, 1917, and positioned herself over a holm oak tree. Her beauty was beyond adequate description for them, as her kind, loving mannerisms encouraged the children, reassuring them that she was not to be feared.

The lady had a message for the children. She wanted them to pray and be willing to suffer a great deal to help souls, and even prevent them from going to hell. She told them she would visit them five more times, on the thirteenth of every month to teach them about heavenly things and how to help souls. One of the prayers Our Lady of Fatima taught the children was: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins! Save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy."

The children could hardly contain themselves, and ended up sharing news of their visits with their families, friends, and neighbors. This created quite a problem, as many skeptics made fun of them, and others filled with faith and/or curiosity made their way to the cova to see the vision too. The children's lives changed dramatically as they worked especially hard to suffer for sinners.

In October 1917, our Lady of Fatima made her last visit at the cova with the children. She appeared with Jesus and St. Joseph and revealed that she was the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. Thousands of people were present there in that muddy field, doused with rain. The Blessed Mother performed a miracle, commonly known as the Miracle of the

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