History
Brief presentation of how it all started.
PORTUGAL – Portimão
1987-April
Brother Fernando Pires, baptized and having attended catechesis until his confirmation, on the present date was not a practitioner, did not attend church, or Holy Mass, or prayed the rosary. He was keeping himself away from all these matters, but helping the family to travel to the places needed for worship. The wife of brother Fernando Pires’ started attending a prayer group, for the daily prayer of the Rosary in a group of 3 persons, in the Algarve, Portugal.
1987-December
A charismatic group of 8 persons was formed for the weekly prayer of the holy Rosary, in which his wife participated.
1989-
The son of brother Fernando Pires, about 12 years old, started to attend the youth group of his parish, in Portimão.
1994-
The prayer group in which his wife participated, used to buy images of Our Lady of Fátima, from a Factory in Fátima, to offer them to some of the churches in Brazil, where they used to go on vacation to the region where some time ago a family member of the group passed away.
1997-June
On their son’s birthday, after the prayer group met at brother Fernando Pires’ house, one of these images remained in his house after the group was there in prayer without the presence of brother Fernando Pires, before taking the image to Brazil. During the night, one of the candles caught fire and burned everything that was on the table, including the table, and only the image of Our Lady of Fátima remained intact, which later was taken to Brazil. This event deeply touched Brother Fernando Pires’ heart, and shook his foundations of the faith, reviving it.
1998-June
Again on the son’s birthday, one of these images of Our Lady of Fátima , present at his home before being taken to Brazil, began to shed continuous human tears (salty) for 2 days, witnessed by hundreds of people who passed by his house. During this month, brother Fernando Pires started attending prayer meetings at his home, but without verbally participating in the prayers of the group.
1998-July-02
Brother Fernando Pires receives on his forehead a sign of a cross, in the presence of more than 15 people present at his home, during the prayer of the holy Rosary. The cross remained visibly, engraved on the forehead like a wound, for about 3 months. Brother Fernando Pires commented that when he was seated, he suddenly saw a Light brighter than the sun, and had no time to babble any words, falling to his knees and to the side, feeling attracted and invaded by an inner fire from head to toe, feeling his own heart beating very strong. Brother Fernando Pires revealed that he was almost a month seeing the same Light.
1998-Agosto-03
Brother Fernando Pires fixed his gaze on this Light that remained immobile, which later opened up and had the vision of another much brighter light that moved, talking to him, even without seeing any face.
This voice presented itself as the Blessed Virgin, and informed him that he had been chosen by His Divine Son Jesus, and by the Divine Holy Spirit, and that She would always be with brother Fernando Pires, and with all the other members of the prayer group, and as a sign for the group present, he would be marked on his forehead with a cross, for this group of people to believe. The voice that presented itself as the Blessed Virgin, asked him to pray more, especially with the members of the prayer group, and also said that would give more signs to the group from then on.
1999-February-15
In the family home of one of the persons in the prayer group, during the moment of prayer of the holy Rosary, in the 5th mystery, brother Fernando Pires had the vision of Archangel Gabriel, who asked him to take note of the directions and the map that he would reveal to him for the next day, to the place where the group should go, where at MIDDAY, with the beginning of the Holy Rosary, he would have the apparition of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and in that place he would be given the cross of Saint Benedict, which he had lost in Brazil a few months earlier (September 1998).
1999-February-16
( first apparition at Corgo da Igreja, in São Marcos da Serra)
(Carnival Tuesday)
On this day, at Corgo da Igreja, just after 12oclock and after the beginning of the Holy Rosary, in a much brighter light, he had the perfect vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, dressed in white, with a golden cord around Her waist, sandals on Her feet, a crown of twelve stars on Her head, doves resting on Her hands, and many doves flying around Our Lady and of the entire space in which the group that accompanied Brother Fernando Pires was. She had long, wavy, honey-brown hair, covered in a light pink veil, light brown eyes, an indescribable and incomparable voice of great softness and beauty.
Our Lady revealed to Brother Fernando Pires that She wanted him to be introduced to the world as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Goodness.
OUR LADY’S REQUESTS
Our Lady revealed to brother Fernando Pires, that from that day on, the group present there would go to this place where they were, every month, on the first Sunday of each month, at noon, to pray the Holy Rosary, and that She would always be there present to dictate a message of love, alertness and preparation for the times to come for all His children in the world. She also asked the group, every month on the last Sunday of each month, to go to Valinhos in Fatima, to realize the memory of the Passion of Christ, with the participation and meditation of the Way of the Cross, also praying the 3 Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, one decade in between each station.
From this day on, February the 16th 1999, brother Fernando Pires, together with the group that accompanied him, faithfully fulfilled the requests of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Mother of Goodness.
This group has grown and is now known worldwide in several countries, and has pilgrims especially in Portuguese- speaking communities.
