Bathala & Fátima
Day 7: May 1
Bathala Monastery
It was Sunday and this morning we were supposed to take a guided tour of Bathala Monastery, then visit Fátima, but we had a little glitch. There was a worker strike at the Bathala Monastery and the only people who were being allowed inside were those attending Mass. Claúdia had learned this last evening and had told us that we could sleep in a bit this morning, and have a more leisurely breakfast. The bus wasn't going to depart as early as indicated on the day's posted itinerary.
We still went to Bathala, but just briefly, to walk around the exterior of the monastery and admire its Flamboyant Gothic architecture while learning from Claúdia of its importance. She assured us that she was already working on how to make this up to us. The Convent of Christ in Tomar is not on the tour itinerary but is a 12th Century Knights Templar site worth seeing and it was our unflappable leader's Plan B, with hopes for tomorrow.
The stop at Bathala Monastery could have been a frustrating experience, like being shown the intriguing cover of a book but not allowed to open and read it, but I really enjoyed our walk around the exterior. Claúdia shared meaningful insight into why this church was built and intuitively answered the question that was foremost on my mind: why doesn't someone get out the extension ladder and give this place a good power washing?
The Sanctuary of Fátima
People visit the Sanctuary of Fátima from all over the world. It is on the site where, on May 13, 1917, an apparition of Mary appeared to three young peasant children who were tending their families' sheep. Mary re-visited the children once a month for the next five months. (To read more about the children and the miracles at Fátima, see the footnote box below.**)
In 1928, a small chapel was built at the site of the apparitions. A few years later, construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary began. Today there is a second basilica at the other end of the complex, very contemporary in design. It is the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, completed in 2007, with seating for 9,000 people. The grounds also contain chapels, monuments, a pastoral center, a retreat house, and more.
What made our visit memorable, however, wasn't the monuments and buildings. We were here on a Sunday, when several Masses are held throughout the day, some of them outdoors when weather permits. On May 13 and October 13 each year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit Fátima, but even on this ordinary Sunday, a crowd of thousands was gathered for the Mass that was being held outdoors during our visit. A large choir sang in beautiful four part harmony. Speakers throughout the grounds projected the music, the readings, the Gospel, the prayers, the saying of Mass. While I couldn't understand the words, I knew the order of worship and recognized the cadence. Inside the older basilica, several infants were being baptized. Outside, pilgrims were using the smooth path to approach the basilica on their knees. There was a long line of people holding candles of all sizes, waiting for their turn to light them for a special intention, and leave them in the pyre behind the Chapel of the Apparitions. Some held a single candle, others held an armful of candles. Some carried candles taller than themselves. Despite the size of the crowd, there was a respectful quietness throughout the grounds. The complex, even though massive and full of people, had an air of tranquility.
After a two year period when people around the world barely left their homes, let alone traveled, I was moved by the sight of so many people coming to this peaceful place to worship and pray and seek grace. Our visit was a chance to experience a spiritual gathering of people from different countries, different cultures and different walks of life who nevertheless have a deep connection to each other. The bond is their belief in God, their belief in the power of prayer, and their faith that this earthly life isn't all we have, a faith that is strong enough to open their hearts and minds to a belief in miracles.
**The Miracles at Fátima
No one believed the children, Lúcia, age 10, or her cousins, 8-year-old Francisco and his 7-year-old sister Jacinta, when on May 13, 1917 they reported that a luminous Virgin Mary had appeared to them. They said that Mary told them to pray the rosary to end the Great War. She told them that she would return to them at the same spot on the 13th of each month, at the same hour, for six months.
The children were subjected to ridicule and intense interrogation in an effort to get them to recant, but they remained steadfast.
Mary made predictions to the children in her subsequent visits. She predicted the rise in communism. She told the children that although the war would soon end, a greater one was coming. She told them that Francisco and Jacinta would soon be taken to Heaven but Lúcia would remain on earth a while longer to help others know Mary and love her.
Mary told the children that she would perform miracles on October 13, 1917 so that all would believe them. Therefore when the children returned to the spot on that date, around 70,000 people gathered. As the massive crowd stood in a rainstorm waiting, the clouds suddenly wrenched apart and the sun appeared. People in the crowd reported that the sun started whirling, emitting multi-colored rays of light, and darting around in the sky. It then began plunging toward the earth before abruptly changing course and zig-zagging back to its original position. The muddy ground, and everyone's wet clothing, suddenly was completely dry. The event has since then been referred to as the Miracle of the Sun.
In the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, a large painting over the main altar depicts Mary appearing to the children. A chapel to the left of the altar contains the tombs of Francisco and Jacinta (center photo below). Francisco died of the Spanish flu in 1919 and his sister succumbed to the same illness the following year. They were canonized by Pope Francis when he visited in May of 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the first apparition. Lúcia served most of her life as a Carmelite nun. She died in 2005 at the age of 97. She too is entombed in the Basilica, in a chapel to the right of the altar. She hasn't received sainthood yet, but that's simply because the process takes so long.
