On June 13, 1929, Sister Lucia was in the chapel of the Dorothean convent in Tuy (Spain) when, unexpectedly, she experienced a singular apparition, which she recounts as follows:
“Having obtained permission from my superiors and confessor, I made the Holy Hour from eleven o’clock until midnight, from Thursday to Friday. One night, while alone, I knelt between the altar railings in the middle of the chapel, prostrate, praying the prayers taught by the Angel. Feeling tired, I stood up and continued praying with my arms outstretched in the form of a cross. The only light was that of the sanctuary lamp.
Suddenly, the whole chapel was illuminated by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a Cross of light reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light, on the upper part of the Cross, there appeared the face of a man with His body visible to the waist; on His chest was a Dove, also of light, and nailed to the Cross was the body of another Man. Slightly below the waist, suspended in the air, there was a Chalice and a large Host, upon which drops of Blood were falling from the face of the Crucified and from a wound in His chest. Flowing over the Host, these drops fell into the Chalice. Beneath the right arm of the Cross was Our Lady (it was Our Lady of Fatima, with her Immaculate Heart... in her left hand... without sword or roses, but with a crown of thorns and flames...). Beneath the left arm, large letters, as if made of crystal-clear water flowing toward the altar, formed these words: ‘Grace and Mercy.’
I understood that the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity was being shown to me, and I received insights concerning this mystery which I am not permitted to reveal.
Then Our Lady said to me: ‘The moment has come when God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. So many souls are condemned by the justice of God for sins committed against Me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.’
I informed my confessor of this, and he instructed me to write down what Our Lady wished to be done.
Later, through an interior communication, Our Lady said to me in complaint: ‘They did not wish to heed my request... Like the King of France*, they will repent and do it, but it will be too late. Russia will already have spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions against the Church; the Holy Father will have much to suffer.’”
In 1689, one year before her death, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque tried, through various means, to deliver to the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, a message from the Sacred Heart of Jesus containing four requests: that the Sacred Heart be placed on the royal standards; that a church be built in His honor; that the King consecrate himself to the Sacred Heart; and that he use his authority with the Holy See to obtain a Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Nothing came of these efforts, and it appears that the message never even reached the King.
Only a century later did the royal family respond, as far as possible, to this message. In 1792, Louis XVI conceived the idea of consecrating himself to the Heart of Jesus, but he did so while imprisoned in the Temple, promising to fulfill all the requests communicated through Saint Margaret Mary after his release. For Divine Providence, however, it was already too late: Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.
