Sister Lúcia, O.C.D., a Catholic Carmelite nun and one of the three visionaries to whom the Virgin Mary appeared in Fátima, Portugal, passed away on February 13, 2005 at the age of 97. Born Maria das Dores de Jesus in Aljustrel, Portugal in 1907, Sister Lúcia entered the convent of Our Lady of Carmel in 1926 and remained a cloistered Carmelite nun until her death. Sister Lúcia had requested that the Virgin Mary's messages eventually be made available to all. During the 1917 apparitions, the Virgin Mary revealed three secrets to Sister Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto, two of her cousins and fellow Visionaries. Sister Lúcia wrote the secrets down in 1941 and the Virgin Mary's message was eventually released by the Vatican in 2000. The accomplishments of Sister Lúcia included not only a faithful devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but a life dedicated to contemplative prayer and service to others through the Carmelite Order. She was a reverent witness to the message of Fátima and humbly devoted the last years of her life to promoting the message of faith, hope, and love throughout the world.