Pope St. John Paul the Second

Our Lady of Fátima

Cova da Iria, Fátima·1917

In 1917, in a hollow of pasture called the Cova da Iria, near the village of Fátima in Portugal, three shepherd children — Lúcia dos Santos, ten, and her cousins Francisco Marto, nine, and Jacinta Marto, seven — saw a lady brighter than the sun, six times, on the 13th of the month from May to October. She asked for the rosary every day, for the conversion of sinners, for devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and that a chapel be built. On 13 July she showed them hell and spoke of war and of Russia. On 13 October, before a crowd of tens of thousands standing in the rain, including reporters who had come to mock, the sun appeared to dance. Francisco and Jacinta died in the influenza. Lúcia lived until 2005 as a nun. The bishop of Leiria declared the apparitions worthy of belief on 13 October 1930.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Tepeyac, Mexico City·1531

Mary appears to St. Juan Diego, asks for a church, and leaves her image on his cactus-fiber tilma — an image still visible, and still drawing millions, nearly five centuries later.

6 studied signs on this image

The Divine Mercy Image

Płock, then Vilnius·1931 (vision) · 1934 (first painting)

Jesus appears to St. Faustina Kowalska and asks for an image: one hand raised in blessing, the other touching the heart, two rays — pale and red — and the signature “Jesus, I trust in You.” The devotion was once suppressed, then became a universal feast.

Our Lady of Akita

Akita·1973–1981

Sr. Agnes Sasagawa hears a voice from a wooden statue; the statue weeps 101 times; a cross-shaped wound appears on the sister’s hand. Bishop Ito declared the events supernatural in 1984. Rome has been more reserved in later comments.