On May 13, 1917, a young woman clothed in white appeared to three shepherd children in a field near Fátima, Portugal. She asked them to pray the Rosary every day, to do penance for sinners, and to return to that same place on the 13th of each month. She told them her name only at the final apparition: the Lady of the Rosary.
More than a century later, her message has not changed. On May 13, 2026, the Church celebrates the anniversary of that first apparition — and invites all Catholics to renew their response to her call.
Our Lady of Fátima did not come with complicated requests. She came with three: pray the Rosary, do penance, and consecrate your heart to her Son.
Begin your preparation now with the Our Lady of Fátima Novena — start May 4th to finish on the eve of her feast.
Key Dates for Our Lady of Fátima in May 2026
Here is how to prepare for and celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima this May:
- May 4: Begin the Our Lady of Fátima Novena (9 days of prayer)
- May 12: Final day of the novena — the eve of her feast
- May 13: Feast of Our Lady of Fátima — First Apparition Anniversary (1917)
- May 13: Pilgrimage day at the Fátima Shrine in Portugal
- Throughout May: Pray the Rosary daily — her most repeated request
The apparitions of Fátima took place on the 13th of each month from May to October 1917 — making May 13 the most significant date in the entire Fátima calendar.
What Happened at Fátima
On May 13, 1917, three children — Lúcia dos Santos (age 10), and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto (ages 9 and 7) — were tending sheep in a field called the Cova da Iria when they saw a flash of light and then a young woman standing above a small oak tree, shining like the sun.
She told them not to be afraid. She asked them to return on the 13th of each month for six months. She asked them to pray the Rosary every day for peace and for the conversion of sinners. She told them they would suffer, but that God would use their suffering for good.
The apparitions continued through October 13, 1917, when the famous Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by an estimated 70,000 people gathered in the field. The Church formally approved the apparitions in 1930. Jacinta and Francisco Marto were canonized by Pope Francis in 2017, during his visit to Fátima on the centenary of the first apparition.
The Message of Fátima — Then and Now
Our Lady’s message at Fátima was urgent and clear. She came at a moment of great suffering — World War I was raging — with a call to prayer and penance that the Church has never stopped proclaiming.
Her three requests remain as relevant in 2026 as they were in 1917:
- Pray the Rosary every day — for peace in the world and the conversion of sinners
- Do penance — small sacrifices offered with love, united to the suffering of Christ
- Consecrate your heart to the Immaculate Heart of Mary — entrust yourself completely to her care and intercession
Pope John Paul II, who survived an assassination attempt on May 13, 1981 — the exact anniversary of the first apparition — credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life. He later donated the bullet that struck him to the Fátima shrine, where it was placed in the crown of her statue.
How to Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima
The Church offers Catholics many ways to honor Our Lady of Fátima on May 13 and throughout the month of May:
- Begin the Fátima Novena on May 4 — nine days of prayer leading up to her feast
- Pray the Rosary on May 13 — especially the five decades of the Joyful Mysteries
- Attend Mass on her feast day and offer it for the intentions Our Lady carried to her Son
- Make a small act of penance — fasting, abstinence, or a voluntary sacrifice offered for sinners
- Renew your consecration to Mary — a simple prayer entrusting yourself and your family to her Immaculate Heart
- Light a candle before her image and bring her your most urgent intentions
Prayers and Novenas for the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima
Prepare your heart for May 13 with these devotions:
- Our Lady of Fátima Novena – Begin May 4, feast day May 13
- How to Pray the Rosary – Her most requested prayer
- Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary – Deepen your consecration
- The Memorare – Bring her your most urgent intention
- Mary Undoer of Knots Novena – For impossible situations
Bookmark this page and return on May 13 for a special prayer for her feast day.
The Three Seers of Fátima
The three children who received the apparitions lived lives marked by suffering, faith, and extraordinary holiness.
Blessed Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005)
Lúcia was the oldest of the three seers and the one to whom Our Lady spoke most directly. She later became a Carmelite nun, Sister Maria Lúcia of the Immaculate Heart, and lived until the age of 97. She wrote extensively about the apparitions and the message of Fátima, and her cause for canonization is currently open.
Saint Francisco Marto (1908–1919)
Francisco was a quiet, contemplative child who was deeply moved by the vision of God’s sadness over sin. He died of influenza at age 10, just two years after the apparitions. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2017.
Saint Jacinta Marto (1910–1920)
Jacinta was the youngest seer and the one most moved by the vision of hell and the suffering of sinners. She offered her own suffering with great love before dying at age 9. She was canonized alongside her brother Francisco in 2017 — the youngest non-martyred children ever canonized by the Church.
Common Questions About Our Lady of Fátima
The Feast of Our Lady of Fátima is celebrated on May 13, 2026. It commemorates the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady to the three shepherd children of Fátima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917.
Begin the Our Lady of Fátima Novena on May 4, 2026. Praying nine consecutive days will bring you to May 12 — the eve of her feast day on May 13. This is the traditional way to prepare for a feast day through novena prayer.
Our Lady of Fátima made three primary requests: to pray the Rosary every day for peace and the conversion of sinners; to do penance and offer small sacrifices for sinners; and to consecrate hearts to her Immaculate Heart. She also asked the children to return on the 13th of each month and revealed three secrets to them.
Yes. The apparitions of Fátima were formally approved by the Bishop of Leiria in 1930, declaring them worthy of belief. Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942. Pope John Paul II visited Fátima in 1982 and 1991, and Pope Francis visited in 2017 for the centenary, canonizing Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
The Miracle of the Sun occurred on October 13, 1917 — the day of the final apparition. An estimated 70,000 people gathered in the Cova da Iria reported seeing the sun spin, change colors, and appear to plunge toward the earth before returning to its place. It remains one of the most widely witnessed and documented supernatural events in modern history.
A Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fátima, you came to a small field in Portugal and asked for something simple: pray, do penance, trust.
On this feast day, we come to you with the same smallness those three children had — empty hands, willing hearts.
Take our Rosaries, our sacrifices, our families, our fears. Bring them to your Son. And teach us, as you taught them, that heaven is closer than we think. Amen.
Our Lady of Fátima and the Month of Mary
The feast of Our Lady of Fátima falls in the heart of May — the month the Church has always dedicated to Mary. Her message at Fátima — pray the Rosary, do penance, consecrate your heart — is the perfect guide for living the entire Month of Mary with depth and purpose.
See our complete guide: Month of Mary: Catholic Devotions, Prayers, and Meaning for May 2026
