St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood: Reflections on the “Miracle of the Sun”

On October 13, 1917, just before the great "Miracle of the Sun" was manifested to some 70,000 spectators at Fatima, Portugal, there appeared to the three child-visionaries an unusual scene. To the right of the sun, they saw the Blessed Virgin Mary robed in white with a blue mantle. Standing to the left of the sun was St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus, both blessing the world.

Msgr. Joseph A. Cirricione, a 40-year student of the Fatima apparitions, appears to be the first writer to study and...