Origins of the devotional sensibility of the Fatima narrative

Abstract

The Fatima narrative is deeply indebted to modern currents of Marian, or Christological-Marian, spirituality. The Lady who appeared in Fátima, in the last of her apparitions, revealed herself as «the Lady of the Rosary». This Marian invocation, which was asserted in the years following the conclusion of the Council of Trent (especially after the Battle of Lepanto, in 1571), was particularly venerated by the Little Shepherds in their parish of Fátima. However, in their conversations with the Lady dressed in white, «brighter than the sun» (cf. Songs 6, 10; Rev 12, 1), the reparative doctrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary stands out, as well as the protective shadow of the Heavenly Mother, the «Mother of Mercy» of the monastic tradition. These two Modern sensitivities will constitute the object of the brief approach presented in this essay.