Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto
Feast day: February 20
Brother and sister shepherds of Fatima who saw Mary in 1917 and prayed and sacrificed for sinners (20/02)
Who are they?
Saint Francisco Marto (1908–1919) and Saint Jacinta Marto (1910–1920) were brother and sister in a farming family: Francisco the older brother, Jacinta his younger sister, from the village of Aljustrel, near Fatima. Together with their cousin Lúcia, they saw Mary appear in 1917. They are the youngest saints in the Church who were not martyrs.
Their story
Francisco was gentle, loved playing his flute and liked to pray alone. Jacinta was younger, lively and loved to dance. On 13 May 1917, while tending their sheep at the Cova da Iria, the three children saw a very bright Lady standing above a small oak tree. The Lady asked them to come back to the Cova da Iria on the 13th of each month (in August only, Mary appeared at Valinhos, near the village) and to pray the Rosary every day for peace. At the last apparition, on 13 October 1917, the Lady said she was Our Lady of the Rosary.
After those apparitions, the two children changed completely. According to Lúcia’s memoirs, Francisco often sat for hours in church, near the tabernacle, to “console Jesus,” because he saw that the Lord was sad when many people offended him. Jacinta felt great love for sinners. Lúcia tells us that she often gave her lunch to poor children, and offered small sacrifices to God to pray that sinners would receive the grace to return to God.
In 1918, a great flu epidemic reached the village. Both children fell ill. Francisco died at home on 4 April 1919, after receiving Holy Communion. Jacinta was ill longer, was taken to a hospital in Lisbon, and died there on 20 February 1920. She stayed peaceful and offered all her pain to God.
Why are they saints?
They were very young, but they answered Mary’s words with their whole hearts: praying, saying the Rosary, making sacrifices and loving those who were far from God. In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified them at Fatima. On 13 May 2017, exactly 100 years after the first apparition, Pope Francis declared them saints.
A lesson for you
- Jesus says the Father reveals wonderful things to the little ones (cf. Mt 11:25). Don’t think that because you are young you can’t do anything for God.
- Pray at least one decade of the Rosary every day for peace.
- Offer a small sacrifice, like giving the tastier treat to a younger child or cheerfully doing chores (while still eating properly), to pray for someone who is far from God.
Identifying marks
- A boy in a long black wool cap and a dark jacket: Francisco dressed like the shepherd children of the village of Aljustrel; his real cap is still kept in Fatima.
- A girl with a white scarf tied under her chin and a long dark skirt: the way Jacinta dressed in photographs taken in 1917.
- Each child holding a Rosary: Mary asked them to pray the Rosary every day for peace in the world.
- The two children looking up, amazed: as at the moment they saw Mary appear above a small oak tree.
- A flock of sheep and an oak tree behind them: they were tending their sheep at the Cova da Iria when Mary appeared for the first time.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
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