Sister Lucia de Jesus, the seer who, together with her cousins Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta Marto, witnessed the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, has been declared Venerable on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

After 15 years and after the detailed analysis of a process which contains more than 15,000 pages, the decree which recognizes the heroic virtues of this religious Carmelite Sister was promulgated by Pope Francis. This is a central step in the process that leads to the beatification and the penultimate step towards the declaration of holiness. For the beatification, the recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the now venerable Lucia of Jesus is required.

After the death of her cousins, who died shortly after the apparitions, Sister Lucia remained the sole custodian of the message entrusted to her by Our Lady until her death in Coimbra, on 13 February 2005, where she lived many years of her life as a cloistered Nun. Her body is now buried in the Shrine of Fatima, next to her cousins Francisco and Jacinta.

Sister Lucia spent her whole life devoted to living and spreading the message she received from Our Lady. She lived in humility, obedience and fidelity to God and to the Church. She wrote a few books being the main one the Memoirs of Sister Lucia, the best reference to know the story and message of Fatima.