An Post issues international stamp to mark centenary of 'Fatima apparitions'

An Post has today issued a stamp to mark the centenary of what became known as apparitions of Fatima.

The stamp, designed by 2b:creative, features a statue of Our Lady that stands in the Oratory of the Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin.

The International stamp (€1.35), along with specially designed souvenir envelopes (known as ‘first day covers’), is available from main post offices or online at Irishstamps.ie.

The ‘Fatima Apparitions’ had a particular resonance in Ireland, with thousands of Irish pilgrims visiting Fatima each year since the 1920s.

On May 13, 1917, three Portuguese children, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, reported seeing what they described as a “Lady more brilliant than the Sun”.

They said that she told the children that she was “Our Lady of The Rosary” asked them to pray every day to bring peace to the world and an end to the Great War.

The children claimed to have seen six apparitions between May 13 and October 13, 1917.

What became known as the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima are famous for the three-part secret they carried. Of these, the ‘Third Secret’ is the most famous, having remained undisclosed for many years.