The 100th Anniversary of the Apparitions at Fatima & 4 Popes’ Responses

A Story about the Cancelled Check Signed by Sr. Lucia of Fatima:

The check is framed with a holy card printed on the occasion of her fiftieth anniversary at the convent. The check was given to an extern nun (one who is able to leave the convent) and this same nun gave the holy card to Father Kunst.

Sr. Lucia has a very strict policy against signing autographs. Father Kunst obtained this one by making a check out to her personally and delivering it to the convent where she was cloistered in Coimbra, Portugal.

The story:

I was able to travel to Coimbra, Portugal in 1999 to the convent where Sr. Lucia was living. She was one of the seers of Our Lady of Fatima, an event that occurred over a period of months in 1917. In 1999 she was the only one of the three children still alive.

It was very difficult to have any type of connection with her because of the cloistered life and because of the many people seeking information from her particularly about the third secret of Fatima about which people wanted information.

Her autograph is highly sought. Even cardinals have tried repeatedly to get it without success.

So I brought a check for Sr. Lucia directly to the convent. I received assistance from a friend who wrote it in Portuguese. If she wanted the money she had to endorse the check.

Six months later the canceled check was returned to me with her endorsement.  –Fr. Richard Kunst

Fatima: Hope for the World

The 100th anniversary of the the miracles at Fatima, Portugal has become a centennial celebration of monumental proportions.  The wishes expressed by Our Lady are being re-examined this year in light of the 20th century’s overwhelming descent into violence, war and secularism.  

The World Apostolate of Fatima is the main source of information on the story of these apparitions as well as myriad examples of how to respond to her wishes in the present time.  Papal Artifacts offers this information as a source for you to examine the three Popes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who showed such accuracy in their assessment of our world and where it was headed.  A fourth pope, St. John Paul II’s devotion to Our Lady was so great her symbol was embedded in his coat of arms–and that is just a part of his overwhelming devotion to her–and her protection of him.

Here is a link to the World Apostolate website if you would like accurate information about this momentous event in 1917:

The Story of Fatima