Frank Speziale photo
NORWICH – In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal this week, Jim Reynolds and others will be presenting upon the Marian apparitions of 1917 at St. Bartholomew's Parish this Saturday, October 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
According to legend, between May and October in 1917, three young children – Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto – were visited by the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal on the 13th day of each month, manifesting miracles before their eyes.
On October 13, 1917, around 70,000 people gathered in Fatima, Portugal to see for themselves if the prophecy the children were telling was true.
According to eyewitness accounts, the day was filled with miraculous happenings. Today, believers call it the Miracle of the Sun.
In early July of this year, Reynolds, along with wife Rosemarie, and fellow St. Bartholomew church members Tulio and Diane Morbidini and John and Angela Bazarnik, made the trip to Fatima, Portugal in hopes of catching a glimpse of the miracles firsthand.
"It was eight days of intense stuff happening," said Reynolds. "We went to mass everyday. That was the pivotal reason for us going, just the spirituality of it. But we had some really incredible things happening."
