Two Jesuit priests who had served as chaplains in World War II decided that they would use their discharge allowance to build a retreat in Beaconsfield, Québec, after the war. The grassy wooded property acquired by them for this purpose was the perfect site for Eleanor Milne's monumental group, Our Lady of Fatima and Three Children. The larger than life sculpture depicted Our Lady of the Rosary in a vision that appeared to some Portuguese children in 1917.

Devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, named after a small settlement in Portugal, has spread throughout the world. The apparition of the Virgin Mary was reported by three children playing in Cova de Iria, a pasture near Fátima. The Virgin was said to have appeared on six occasions between May 13 and October 13, 1917. Repentance for sins with frequent recitation of the rosary was urged upon the world during these appearances. The Roman Catholic Church recognized the apparitions as genuine in 1930. A basilica was completed in 1944, and it is now a popular destination for pilgrimages. In 1958 a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected on the site.

Reference:
"Fátima." Collier's Encyclopedia. Toronto: Maxwell MacMillan Canada, 1992.

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