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

Notebooks 1943, November 20

"It was not useful for you to know the secret of Fatima."

"Like the Beloved One, establish yourself in Heaven, to the point of becoming enraptured by the ardor of contemplation, for the hour of pain is closer and closer and you need to be filled with contemplation to be able to undergo the passion without yielding.

Remain 'the Light of the world' in my place, even if the darkness builds up upon you to crush you. Even when falling, hold up my Cross, which is Light. Even when dying, make the Voice be heard which speaks from Heaven by way of you, my exemplary Servant.

You have wept and it has not helped for you to know the secret of Fatima. Your care for the world has turned against you, like the care used with someone obsessed. But it doesn't matter. My Mother is with you, and I am with Her."

Notebooks 1943, December 29

Jesus and Mary shine at the prayer of Fatima.

"When I had barely begun the invocations of Fatima-"Jesus, it is for the sake of your love, for the conversion of sinners, for the Holy Father, and to make reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jesus, forgive us our sins, preserve us from the fire of hell, and take all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy"-I saw the Two look at one another, beaming with mutual love. Beam is the right word and barely expresses the radiance of the two Faces."

Notebooks 1943, December 31

The miracle of the sun at Fatima.

"God is the one who, as a warning to you that are forgetful, tells you that He exists by way of the northern lights, the darting meteors tingeing the ether furrowed by them with sapphire, emerald, ruby, or topaz, the comets with a flaming tail like the mantle of a heavenly queen flying across the firmaments, the opening of the eye of another star in the vault of heaven, and the whirling of the sun perceptible at Fatima to convince you of God's will. Your other inductions are the smoke of human science and envelope error in the smoke."

Notebooks 1944, April 15

The image of Fatima accompanies her during a manifestation of the Demon.

"At 11:10, as I pray to overcome the works of the devil affecting this poor humanity (this is the time of air‑raid warnings, and the bombs are falling nearby), I hear a voice which I recognize and remember, which says a sentence to me already uttered to our Lord: "Worship me, and I will help you in all things and always. You will be happy." I reply, "No. Never. By my will, never. If I later go mad from the pain of being rejected by God, I may even do so. But as long as I can reason, I won't. Torment me, but I won't give in." This new battle (and you can't imagine how sweet the temptation was, just as he presented it) confirms for me who the cause of my present intense suffering is. Notice that I was holding the cross. But is he not afraid even of that, now? On my knees were the images of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Joseph. But is he no longer afraid of anything? One day Jesus said to me, "Answer with my own words." I replied, "Begone, Satan. It is written: 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone.'" But how long will this trial last?"

Notebooks 1944, June 13

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

"Last night, thinking I really was dying, in order not to die alone, I had set before me, on my slightly bent knees, my Jesus, Our Lady of Fatima, and Gemma. I would also have wanted St. Joseph, but I could not move to get him. I was holding my beads for the Rosary and Our Lady of Sorrows and felt surrounded by the best possible nurses. I was looking very steadily at Jesus, Mary, and Gemma, when I felt the vise getting more intense and my heart slowing its beats down to the point of stopping for some seconds, and I thought, "I am going now." I looked at them even more and called them. Not to be preserved from death. But to die in an act of love, so that my last word and my last glance would be for them. All the saints were in Gemma. Between Jesus and Mary I was also placing St. Joseph, and I was all set.

Then Jesus said:

'Your spirit has seen rightly. My Heart is a living Eucharist. Where does love start from? From the heart. What is the Eucharist? It is love. When you think, then, of the Eucharist, you can say to yourselves, 'This is the Heart of Jesus' Heart.' And when you think of my Heart, you can say, 'This is the matrix in which the Eucharist was formed.'"

Notebooks 1944, December 13

Maria prays the Rosary punctuated by the prayer of Fatima.

"St. Lucy, who has been beseeched so much to bring me the gift of a return, instead brings me a heavenly vision which begins as I say the Rosary and Fatima prayers with Marta."

Notebooks 1944, December 24

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

"Return home. I consecrated the house to Our Lady of Fatima in addition to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Joseph."

Azariah, March 24, 1946

The archangel Gabriel reveals to her a secret much more terrible than that of Fatima.

"And Azariah kneels down to listen to Gabriel, who, intensifying his light, greets me with the words "Ave Maria!" None other than Ave Maria. He then addresses a tremendous "Oh!" to me‑it is really a tremendous word‑and gives me an order. So condemnatory in its reasoning! But I shall take it with me to the tomb. "And it is much more tremendous," the Archangel says, "than the secret of Fatima, and ought not to be revealed, for men, even these for whom it has been uttered, do not deserve to know it."

Notebooks 1945-1950, May 13, 1946

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

"After having kept me for many days in this novena under the luminous splendor of her apparition, Our Lady of Fatima spoke to me as follows:

'Most beloved daughters of mine, have the soul of Lucy, Hyacinth, and Francis, who received me because they were simple, like their little sheep. Be able to look upwards at all times, for the Mother does not go down into the mud, but soars over you from the azure of Heaven. With my whiteness as a robe for your soul, with your spirit praying, like my hands joined in prayer out of compassion for mortals, with the gentleness of my smile to make community life sweet, and, above all, with a heart which is, insofar as possible, immaculate‑for daughters also inherit their mother's heart from her and her heredity‑imitate me, love me, and elevate yourselves.

I am not speaking to Maria of the Cross. She is in my heart, the only cradle to give her peace. The poor, weary dove can come into my pierced heart and stay to quench her thirst with the compassionate tears of the Mother upon her and rest, forget ting that there is hatred in the world, because it would be too painful for her to continue without the consolation of my love. Love one another, though‑the three of you and her. Love one another in me and in my Most Holy Son, who has joined you in love through a great desire of his love.

In Iria there is a new cathedral. Beautiful. But I want the little chapels of hearts loving my Heart. They bear a stronger scent of love and are more replete with roses. Make it possible for me to descend into your hearts to communicate my sweetness and instruct you on constant acceptance of the divine will. An acceptance which made me a Queen, for those who remove their crowns shall be crowned‑that is, the crown of sanctity rests on the spirits able to remove the crown of their humanity by agreeing to serve the Lord in all things.

My blessing be upon you.'

Azariah, May 26, 1946

The Virgin Mary comes to console Maria Valtorta in her sufferings.

"Azariah's explanation, which will certainly come, is preceded this Sunday by the Immaculate Virgin's smile, for She appears in a white robe just as in the apparitions of Lourdes and Fatima, but without the blue sash or golden cordon: a simple cordon as white as the robe keeps it gathered in at her waist, and the sweet gold of her hair is visible, for She has neither a veil nor a mantle. She is the Gentle One clad in white as She often was in the summers at Nazareth. It is only that now her robe is more brilliant than all earthly fabrics and seems to be made of a truly celestial linen. Since last night She has been comforting me and smiling, and in my pains entirely preventing me from sleeping which would be an escape for a few hours from the excessive number of thorns oppressing me I find Her always present every time I emerge from the interrupted drowsiness that is the only repose for my weary, exhausted flesh, which cannot really rest in true sleep. Her whiteness, the snow white emanation of her glorified Body, and the inexpressible look on her Face shine like a star in the dark room and in my afflicted heart."

Notebooks 1945-1950, May 8, 1947

Maria explains her particular attachment to Our Lady of Fatima.

"Today, too, the 8th, I said the Holy Rosary together with Our Lady of Fatima! Today, though, Mary did not detach the roses and provided an explanation of the reason why She made the symbolic gesture on the 5th. Now I know the value of a well‑said Hail Mary! The fifteen‑decade rosary was for five roses as white as pearls, five red roses resembling rubies, and five golden ones as on the other day. And Mary Most Holy‑running her fingers over the beads and saying the Gloria and the first part of the Our Father, from "Our Father..." to "on earth as it is in heaven" and, in the Hail Mary, only Blessed (She did not say "the fruit of thy womb") Jesus‑looked down at the world with her indescribable gaze of peace, love, and mercy and smiled with a smile which was slightly painful in its softness. That's it! I understand why I am so attracted by Our Lady's apparition in Fatima, even more than in Lourdes, greatly loved by me, too. Because She is more our own, more of a Mother. The Lourdes apparition looks to Heaven ... with an apparent desire to go back up there, lose herself in God‑She is the Immaculate Conception, the Heavenly Woman. The Fatima apparition looks at us and at the poor earth, where She was a woman like any other, whose afflictions and needs She is familiar with‑this poor earth, which needs Her so much. And She is completely merciful towards us: She is our Mother. It is the Heart of Mary that loves and watches over us.... The former apparition is for the Lord and the Angels. But the one in Fatima is for us sinners. Pray for us.... She is truly "the Mother" most pure and compassionate"

Notebooks 1945-1950, May 16, 1947

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

I received a vision and comprehension of what the Immaculate Heart of Mary is.

The vision: a brightly shining heart similar to a radiant moon, like a pearl luminous with moonlight. We are accustomed to seeing the Heart of Jesus emitting golden rays, golden flames. A halo of rays around his red Heart. But Mary's was entirely light. A heavenly light! Whiter than a radiant Host in a monstrance! More luminous than a moon shining in a very clear sky! Lovelier than an enormous pearl! All light! What beauty ... ! It was shining there, at the center of her most pure breast .... A whiteness glowing in the whiteness of the glorified body of Our Lady of Fatima. And since it is splendor surpassing the purest splendor of Our Lady as a whole, let each imagine what that splendor must be like....

And the Holy Spirit gave me this lesson, and I understood:

"From that Heart there came the drops to form the Heart of the Incarnate Word. From that whiteness there was to come the blood needed to form the human embryo of the Most Holy Son of God! Most pure Blood from a most pure source. Whiteness flowing forth from an immaculate fount to surround the soul created for the Word with whiteness, conceived by Love with Whiteness. In contact with the heartbeats of the most pure star of this Heart, my Delight, the beating of the Divine Heart was shaped. Consider what complete perfection of feelings and motions this Immaculate Heart must have possessed, on the basis of whose rhythm‑the' rhythm of physical beats, the rhythm of moral beats, and the rhythm of spiritual beats‑the heart of the Son conceived by the Virgin was formed to be the Heart of the God Man.

Look, look, and take delight. There is no light in Paradise, after our own, more beautiful than this. There is no sweeter light. None. We, the Three Glorious Ones, find our joy in this light. The blessed, their own. The angels, their own. Paradise shines with this light of the Immaculate Heart of our Mary. That light, which you term indescribable‑and it is the voice and joy of Paradise‑issues forth from this Breast, from this Heart of the eternal Virgin. If only man wanted it to expand over the earth! It would be the second redemption, the second forgiveness‑final salvation! Oh, the forgiveness of the world! The forgiveness of the world through Mary! But the world rejects the Mother who would give birth to it for peace.

Love, love for the whole world. And the light of the Heart of Mary will penetrate you with the joy which makes Us Ourselves blessed"

I rejoiced, gazing at the radiant Heart‑Host of Mary Immaculate, with the bright, very soft light of an inflamed 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."

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!

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).

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."

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."

Notes and references

Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.

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