Thereafter, we proceeded to the homes of the children in Aljustrel which have been left mostly unchanged, giving an idea of what the little village was like before the grand shrine was built.
It’s so peaceful that I could live here ~~~
We also met the cousin of Sister Lucia seen below:
Having some free time before our scheduled 3:30pm mass at the Chapel of Apparitions, I treated Marilyn and Grace for lunch at the restaurant in one of the hotels around town, and then went shopping for some souvenirs.
At the appointed time, we had a concelebrated mass with Fr. Jerry as the main celebrant. This time I joined the choir which, to me, made the soulful experience more worthwhile. After the mass, Marilyn, Grace and I went to the Basilica to visit the tombs of the 3 visionaries – Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco.
Tombs of Sr. Lucia and Jacinta
Tomb of Francisco
Inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima
Thereafter, I took photos of the open plaza ~~
Shot of the Basilica from the Adoration Chapel
We then lit candles for the intention of relatives and friends, and thereafter proceeded to the Adoration Chapel which, for me, was the highlight of my trip to Fatima.
It was in this place that I felt a different sense of peace, never wanting to leave…. It was like heaven on earth. It was an exceptional spiritual experience that may never be replicated. The photo below speaks for itself.
In fact, it was in this place that I was able to reflect on “LIFE”. I began to realize that in a world where we have routines for nearly everything—our route to work, our physical fitness regimen, and our weekday schedule—it’s amazing how many people forget to create a routine for meeting their spiritual needs. We run around in an attempt to be at our many appointments on time and meet our many obligations. But in our efforts to be as productive as possible, our spiritual needs tend to take a backseat. After all, taking care of our spiritual needs doesn’t directly pay the bills or tone our abdominal muscles. In fact, who has time to meditate or write in their journal when there are more pressing matters to see to, right? The truth is that nurturing ourselves spiritually is what gives us the energy and grounding that we need to make sure that our lives stay on track. How you choose to nurture yourself spiritually is a personal choice. But I believe that having a routine for nurturing your spirit that you do each day lets you feed energy to your soul and can serve you well if your life suddenly takes an unexpected turn for the worse. Think about it….
So much for my pontificating….
Anyhow after my “life assessment”, I took more photos of the massive square seen below:
Marilyn, Grace and I then returned to the hotel for dinner, after which Marilyn and I returned to the main square for the candlelight procession. By this time, the weather has considerably changed to being nippy, windy and drizzly. Therefore, the recitation of the Rosary was done inside the Apparition Chapel due to the weather, which marred the overall experience. Nevertheless, the procession of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a spiritual experience that made it one of the most once-in-a-lifetime experiences for me.
Soon thereafter, we returned to the hotel and called it a night.
To Be Continued......
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