Fatima, a small town in Portugal, became a significant pilgrimage site after the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917 to three shepherd children. Mary's messages were simple, namely, pray the Rosary daily and make reparation for sinners. The "secret of Fatima" revealed three parts, including a vision of hell, devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart, and the persecution of Christians. Pope John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1984, fulfilling Mary's wish. The events described in the third part of the secret may have seemed to belong to the past, but Mary's call to conversion and penance is still relevant today.