On February 13, the Discalced Carmelites in Portugal commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Venerable Sister Lúcia de Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart, one of the visionaries of Our Lady of Fátima. An event in Coimbra will be streamed live on the congregation’s YouTube channel.
“Together, we give thanks to the Lord for the gift of this venerable Carmelite and ask for the grace of her beatification and canonization,” the Carmelites of Portugal told Natalia Zimbrao, for ACIDigital.
Honoring Sister Lúcia
The commemoration will feature a conference at 4 p.m. (local time) at the Carmelo de Santa Teresa in Coimbra, led by Sister Ângela Coelho, vice-postulator for Sister Lúcia’s cause of beatification. The theme, “Sister Lúcia: A Life Between Serra d’Aire and Mount Carmel,” will explore her spiritual journey from the Fátima apparitions to her contemplative life as a Carmelite nun.
Later in the day, a Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated, offering prayers for Sister Lúcia’s beatification.
A life of witness
Born Lúcia Rosa dos Santos in Aljustrel, Portugal, on March 28, 1907, she was one of the three children who witnessed the Marian apparitions in Fátima in 1917, alongside her cousins Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto. While Francisco and Jacinta died young, Lúcia lived until 2005, serving as the guardian of the Fátima message.
At 14, she entered the Asilo de Vilar in Porto, marking the start of her religious life. In 1925, she joined the Congregation of St. Dorothy in Spain, where she received additional visions of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady, and the Child Jesus in Tuy and Pontevedra. Seeking a more contemplative life, she entered the Carmel of Coimbra in 1948, taking the name Sister Maria Lúcia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart.
She remained there for the rest of her life, dedicating herself to prayer, penance, and the mission entrusted to her by Our Lady. Sister Lúcia passed away on February 13, 2005, and her remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fátima.
The path to beatification
Recognized for her holiness and heroic virtues, Sister Lúcia’s cause for beatification was officially opened in 2008, just three years after her death—following a special dispensation from Pope Benedict XVI.
In June 2023, Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, granting her the title Venerable. For her to be declared Blessed, the Church must confirm a miracle attributed to her intercession.
Prayer for Sister Lúcia’s beatification
The official website of the Shrine of Fátima invites the faithful to share testimonies of graces received and to pray for her canonization. The following prayer is offered for this intention:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly and I thank you for the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, that revealed to the world the riches of her Immaculate Heart. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I implore You, if it should be for Your greater glory and the good of our souls, to glorify Sr. Lucy, one of the Shepherds of Fatima, by granting us the grace which we implore through her intercession.
