Actor Goran Visnjic is just one of the cast members in the film Fatima, who believes this true story of a miracle that happened more than 100 years ago, has relevance today.
Five Things You Need to Know:
- The story starts in the spring and summer of 1916, when 9-year-old Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto were herding sheep at the Cova da Iria near their home village of Aljustrel in the parish of Fátima, Portugal. They later said they were visited three times by an apparition of an angel. They said the angel, who identified himself as the "Angel of Peace" and "Guardian Angel of Portugal," taught them prayers, to make sacrifices, and to spend time in adoration of the Lord.
- In May 2017, the production filmed the 100th Year Anniversary Mass in Fátima, celebrated by Pope Francis, and portions of the footage are used in the end credit sequence.
- The Croatian born actor Goran Visnjic, 48, is perhaps best known for his role in ER from 1999 to 2009 and has homes in Los Angeles and on the Croatian island of Hvar. Married with four children, Visnjic says he's an optimistic person. "I am, sometimes I’m dreading things and things are difficult and things are very difficult, but at the end of the day I’m full of hope, I’m just an optimist," he said.
- This is the 3rd film about this story. The other two include 1952's The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima and The Song of Bernadette, released in 1943.
- There are several different names associated with this event that include "Three Secrets of Fátima," "Miracle of the Sun," "Fátima prayers," "Consecration of Russia," "Guardian Angel of Portugal," "Pontevedra apparitions First Saturdays Devotion."