By Carla Barbosa Rocha
Saint Francisco Marto
It was in 1908, on June 11, that Francisco de Jesus Marto was born, the son of Olímpia and Manuel Pedro Marto.
According to his parents, he was the “don’t worry” child – nothing ever seemed to upset or annoy him.
When the apparitions occurred, Francisco experienced them differently from his cousin and sister because he was unable to hear what Our Lady was saying. However, this fact helps us understand how obedient he was and how fully he surrendered to God’s will. He showed serene patience as he waited for the girls to share with him what Our Lady had said, accepting all Her requests and instructions in a way that deeply moves us.
Francisco had a deep desire to console Our Lord. He would spend hours in the parish church, close to the tabernacle, because “Jesus looked so sad”. He knew how to teach us the true hierarchy of devotion: “I really liked seeing the Angel, but I loved Our Lady even more. What I cherished most was seeing Our Lord in the light that Our Lady placed in our hearts. I love God so much!”
He received Communion on the eve of his departure to Heaven. According to his father, he “looked happy”, and his greatest concern was whether he had confessed all his sins. According to Sister Lúcia’s memoirs, his sins were taking a coin from his father to buy a barrel organ and throwing stones at the boys from the neighboring village when they threw rocks at him. He ascended to Heaven on April 4, 1919.
He was beatified on May 13, 2000, by Saint John Paul II and canonized on the same date, May 13, 2017, by Pope Francis.
Saint Jacinta Marto
Born on March 5, 1910, Jacinta was the youngest child of Olímpia de Jesus and Manuel Pedro Marto. She was a sweet and lively girl, with a deep love for dancing. According to her cousin, Sister Lúcia, she “easily pouted” and had a slight tendency to be “clingy”—traits that changed after the apparitions of Our Lady in the Cova da Iria.
During the May apparition, Jacinta was captivated by the beauty of the “Lady more radiant than the Sun”. Along with her brother and cousin, she promised not to tell anyone, but the image of the “beautiful Lady” stayed with her. As soon as she saw her mother, she couldn’t hold back and said, “I saw Our Lady in the Cova da Iria”…
This revelation granted us one of our most cherished gifts: the assurance that “We have a Mother”, as affirmed by Pope Francis during his visit to Fátima on May 13, 2017, for the canonization of Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
Her primary mission was to pray for the sinners and for the Holy Father. She often said that if we truly understood the reality of eternity, we would do everything in our power to change our lives.
She returned to Heaven on February 20, 1920, in Lisbon, a victim of the pneumonic plague. Alone, away from her loved ones, her final act was one of surrender on our behalf.
She was beatified by Saint John Paul II on May 13, 2000.
Sister Lúcia de Jesus and the Immaculate Heart
From a young age, she was always devoted to “Jesus”, starting with the name given to her at baptism, which took place on Holy Saturday. It seemed that from the very beginning, her destiny was set. She was born on Holy Thursday, March 28, 1907.
She received her First Communion at an earlier age than usual, as the priest who heard her confession the day before remarked that she was better prepared than some who had followed the regular preparation and were of the appropriate age. On that day, Our Lady would have smiled at her through the image of Our Lady of the Rosary, which can still be seen today in the parish church of her village, Aljustrel.
During the apparitions, from May to October of 1917, on the 13th of each month, she became the central figure, being the only one of the three who could see, hear, and speak with Our Lady. Through this, she became the foremost apostle of the message of Fátima.
A few years later, she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy and moved to Tuy and Pontevedra in Spain. However, the charism of the Carmelite order called to her. She entered the cloister of the Carmelite Monastery in Coimbra, yet she continued to “speak” to the world, spreading the Message of the Virgin of Fátima and showing everyone the certainty of a maternal presence in our lives, brought through her total surrender to God’s will.
She peacefully passed away on February 13, 2005, after “reading” a fax sent by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, and gazing into the eyes of all the sisters who were with her at the Carmelite Monastery in Coimbra.
She was initially buried in the cloister of the Carmelite Monastery for one year, and on February 19, 2006, her remains were moved to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fátima.
On June 22, 2023, she was declared Venerable by Pope Francis, marking another step forward in the process of her beatification and canonization.
Learn more about the story of Our Lady’s apparitions to the three little shepherds of Fátima by clicking here.
