Bishop recalls aunt's story of being at Fatima for miracle of sun

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (CNS) — Auxiliary Bishop Dominick J. Lagonegro of New York celebrated Mass Oct. 13 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown to mark the 100th anniversary of the last vision at Fatima and the miracle of the sun.

During his homily, Bishop Lagonegro held up one of the iconic Fatima photographs of the crowd estimated at 70,000 people, and pointed to two figures, his aunt and uncle, the late Herminia and Antonia Caixerio, who were in Fatima, Portugal, for the miracle of the sun.

Though the couple was married in the United States, they happened to be visiting family in Portugal Oct. 13, 1917. They “heard what was going on” at Fatima and went to see for themselves, he said, re-telling the story that his aunt had told him multiple times during his life.

“My aunt emphasized how absolutely dreadful the weather was that day,” said Bishop Lagonegro, of his coveted family story. “She told me that the rain kept coming and coming, soaking everything.”

They tracked through mud to get to the field where the visionaries saw Mary and by the time they arrived, “they were drenched,” the bishop said. “But when the (three Fatima) children arrived, the rains stopped, the clouds opened and there was the sun. It went up and down and turned back and forth, almost as if it were dancing. Who else but the Blessed Mother could make the sun dance?”

But then it got big and “started coming to the earth,” Bishop Lagonegro continued. “My aunt recalled that “it looked as if everyone’s clothes were bright yellow from the sun. ... It continued to fall to the earth for a few minutes,” he said, “and then stopped” going back into its orbit.

He said his aunt was stunned when she saw that not only were her clothes completely dry, but the previously muddy ground was now dry and hard.

“She told me, ‘The more I think about it, the more I can’t believe it.’”

Wearing a crucifix given to him by St. John Paul II, who was a lifelong devotee of Mary and Fatima, Bishop Lagonegro said that the message of Fatima is as important today as it was 100 years ago.

“Peace will only come through prayer and penance,” he said. “It’s important for us to pray the rosary and offer acts of penance,” such as a kind gesture, a smile or an offering of daily anxieties to God. ... I truly believe that one day we will find peace in our world, but only through prayer and sacrifice.”