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Secret Witnesses of the Fatima - Episode 1 - Part 1
Welcome. If you are watching this series, you are probably already at least a little familiar with the incredible events that took place on October 13th, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal. For those of you who are not, here is a brief introduction:
At noon, on October 13th, 1917, a crowd of between 40 and 100 thousand people, including the three Fatima Seers, Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto, witnessed an event so shocking, news of it spread across the world. The event was so incredible, it has cemented itself as one of, if not the most credible examples of a modern miracle known to man. These Witnesses, gathered in a large, rain-soaked field, saw the noonday sun roll from left to right, dancing out of its predictable orbit, then draw close to the crowd, stopping above a small tree in the middle of the field. While it moved, the sun changed colors, changing from yellow, to every color in the rainbow, returning back to yellow as it drew close to the tree. The Witnesses all claim to have been able to look at the sun without pain. The sun was so hot that the field was reported to have dried within minutes, and the thousands of people who witnessed this event all claim to have left the area that day with their rain-soaked clothes completely dry.
How did this happen? Why was Fatima, Portugal, chosen to be the location of such an incredible event? Central to this miracle were the three Fatima Seers, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, who received visitations from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their stories have been told many times, and heard by millions of believers. However, their stories are only part of this incredible event. There were thousands of “Secret” witnesses to the Fatima miracle, each of whose eye witness reports dispel some of the mysteries behind this miracle. Come with me now as we explore this great mystery, and meet the Secret Witnesses of Fatima!
This is Dominic Reis, an American citizen from Holyoke, Massachusetts who was living with his father and mother near Porto, Portugal, at the time of the Miracle. Porto, Portugal was the second largest city in Portugal at the time, and one of the Iberian Peninsula’s major urban areas. Many of the thousands of witnesses to the October 13th Miracle lived in or around Porto, and made the over 100-mile journey from Porto to Fatima to witness the event. Many of the witnesses to the miracle experienced the event from over 600 miles away, and we will explore what they saw later in this series. For now, one of the things that makes Dominic’s testimony so compelling is that he was less than a half-mile from the sun, as it danced through the sky and eventually settled on the tree in the middle of the field.
Dominic was interviewed on television in early 1960, by the author of the book that much of this series is based on, John Haffert. What follows is an exact transcript of this interview.
Did you hear that a miracle was predicted to take place at Fatima?
My father heard of it first. It was in papers all over the country.
How far from Fatima did you live, Dominic?
I lived at that time near Porto, over 100 miles away.
Were there very many people interested?
Yes. Suppose I explain from the beginning. I was 17 in May when it all began. Then, in October, on the 11th, 1917, my father said to my mother, “we’re going to Fatima. We’re going to see what happens.”
Lots of people thought it was a lie. The government didn’t believe it either. But lots of people, like my mother and father, were all sensible in religion. My Father said: ‘We’re going up.” On the 12th we left at nine o’clock.
Here, in Dominic’s testimony, we see evidence that the local governments surrounding Fatima, were resistant to the idea of any citizens traveling to see a miracle being performed. In 1910, Portugal was swept with revolution, a revolution that placed an atheistic, communistic form of government in control of Portugal. By 1919, when the Miracle of the Sun happened, this government had ruled for seven years, and taught that religion was the “opiate of the people.” It was terrified of the threat that a unified, Catholic Portugal posed to their rule.
Were there many people from your area who went to Fatima?
Yes, the train was full.
Was the prediction of this miracle announced in the Church?
The Church said nothing at all…. They were against it. If any priest said anything about Fatima, even maybe something would happen to him. Some churches in the area of Fatima were marred, stones thrown, anything to break down the coming of the people.
When did you finally get to the Cova?
We got there around noon time. Between half-past eleven to around noon time. When we finally got there, there were soldiers....
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Secret Witnesses of the Fatima - Episode 1 - Part 1