What's in a number? If you ask one priest, Father Robert J. Fox, potentially a lot. And particularly with the number "13" -- that is, 13 as it relates to dates at the famous apparitions of Fatima.

Why did they start on May 13 (1917)? Why did they then recur on the 13th of nearly every subsequent month -- culminating in the famous sun miracles of October 13, 1917?

Why was Pope John Paul II shot on May 13 (1981)?

And, finally: was there any significance to the fact that the last living Fatima seer, Sister Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, died on February 13 (2005)?

We present it for your evaluation. "It seems one of the best explanations for 13 is found in the Book of Esther, where the number 13 denotes a time of danger to God's people," says Father Fox. "The Book tells of a plot in the fifth century B.C., instigated by the evil Haman, to kill all the Jews living in Persia. Haman convinced King Ahasuerus that the Jews were rebellious and should all be killed on the 13th of Adar."

As Father Fox points out, however, Queen Esther of Persia interceded with the king, convinced him of Haman's evil intentions, and destruction was averted.

"The number 13 reveals a key role in denoting a time of danger for God's people which was transformed into victory through the intercession of Queen Esther."

Early fathers of the Church, points out this priest, in a book called Fatima Is Forever, "saw Esther as a type of the Virgin Mary."

And so it is that the first secrets of Fatima were granted on July 13, 1917, warning of the rise of Communism and great dangers to the world while the third secret -- which was later revealed on May 13, 2000 -- revealed an image of the Blessed Mother drowning out the flames from a chastising angel.

Sister Lucia herself pointed out that one of the Fatima predictions, the beginning of World War Two, could be traced to the first territorial aggressions of Hitler in Austria, which he annexed in 1938 -- on April 13.

Fascinating too: Pope Pius XII, who would lead the Church through that war, was consecrated as a bishop on May 13, 1917 -- at the exact hour that Our Lady appeared at Fatima.

The promise at Fatima was that if Russia was consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, Russia would be converted and there would be a period of peace. Such was done by John Paul II in 1984 and in the summer of 1989, says Father Fox, "Sister Lucia felt a great urgency to get the message out to the world that the Collegial Consecration of Russia for its conversion was accomplished."

The priest says that he "had the privilege of being informed months in advance on behalf of Sister Lucia of what was to happen in the second half of 1989 (as far as the fall of Communism). After I was given this message in 1989 the world saw the Communist nations change rapidly in a few months' time, the end of 1989." Father Fox says the seer also strongly assured him that the third secret has been revealed in full.

Last but not least, Father Fox reveals that Pope John Paul II had a chunk of marble chipped off the Tomb of Peter and sent to Fatima to use in the cornerstone of its new basilica.

This occurred during a meeting between the Pope and the shrine's rector, Monsignor Luciano Guerra, for what is known as the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, the construction of which began in 2004.

"It adds to the significance," says Father Fox, "of Fatima as 'altar of the world.'"

The laying of the cornerstone was accomplished during a ceremony on June 6, 2004 -- coinciding precisely with the day when the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the very name, of course, given the new church, which will hold 9,000.

As John Paul once said about Fatima: "In the designs of Providence, there are no mere coincidences."

As for Benedict XVI, there is reason to believe that Fatima and specifically the third secret helped propel him to his first encyclical, which was on love.

"Allow me to add here a personal recollection," he had written back when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger. "In a conversation with me Sister Lucia said that it appeared ever more clearly to her that the purpose of all the apparitions was to help people to grow more and more in faith, hope, and love -- everything was intended to lead to this."

"Fatima is more than a simple devotion," says Father Fox. "It has depth that is Trinitarian, Christological, Ecclesial, Marian, and Contemplative -- all at the same time. Being Ecclesial, it must therefore be Eucharistic."

And indeed it was an angel who administered the Eucharist to the three Fatima children in 1916 before Mary appeared. Lucia never could recall the date, although one would be forgiven for guessing that it had been the 13th.

[resources: Fatima Is Forever and Calls From the Message of Fatima]

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