FATIMA.
Fatima has Salvador Dali trees. Sort of like that line from Under the Tuscan Sun: "Italy has creepy trees. It's like they know. And they know that we know that they know."
Moi braving the wind in the grand piazza surrounding the apparition site. I have to admit, I was disappointed that it wasn't still a pasture with scrubby Portugeuse trees. After the organic grotto at Lourdes, I had prepped myself for a better visual prop to imagine the apparitions. Ach, a childhood image was shattered that day. But it was still beautiful. And windy. And bright.
The Lourdes cathedral had a mosiac of Our Lady that I thought was weird at first, but it slowly grew on me. The Fatima image struck me right away. Our Lady softly reaches down to humanity, a shimming light to those suffering in darkness. It's surreal and lovely.
Joseph, Monika and I sporting our matchey-matchey blue, which turned into the running joke of the schoolyear.
The part of Fatima that gave me chills: a section of the Berlin Wall, displayed to draw the connection between Our Lady's warnings in 1917 and the emergence of Communism. A great reminder of how prayer led to its ultimate defeat.
Francisco's tomb within the Cathedral. He's on one side of the Church close to the altar, the girls are on the other.
Jacinta and Lucia's tombs. And, in the bottom left corner, the baskets for the wax prayer offerings. I kid you not. If you prayed to God for Him to cure your foot or liver and your prayer was answered, you can obtain a wax representation of the particular cured body part at the religious goods store and place the wax representation on a grill with flames shooting up (located near the candles). They have representations for everything - sick children, hands, breast cancer, heads . . . use your imagination. A little too earthy for me, but it made for alot of reverent humor.
Me lighting a candle. Just a candle. Not lighting up a head, finger, or spleen.
My classmates offering Mass at the apparition site. The little house marks where Mary appeared; nothing is left of the tree. The statue which Pope John Paul II crowned in gratitude to Mary for interceding for his life is encased in glass in front of the chapel/sanctuary/mini-house. Have to say, the site was a little anti-climatic. But it fit with the poverty and simplicity of the region.
A statue of Pope John Paul II kneeling in supplication, faced towards the main plaza. He's located in front of the massive concrete vat of a building which apparently serves as the major church for large events. San Giovanni beats that structure in the Massive Church Department hands down . . .those pictures coming as soon as I'm bored during class (very soon).
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