in front of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Fatima, Portugal – teaching us that even young children can become saints.
“For the
honor of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the
increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and
frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of
our brother Bishops, we declare and define Blessed Francisco Marto and Jacinta
Marto to be saints,” Pope Francis exclaimed May 13 as the crowd roared with
applause.
“We enroll
them among the Saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the
whole Church. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.”
Pope Francis
presided over their canonization Mass during his two-day pilgrimage to Fatima,
Portugal May 12-13 to take part in celebrations for the 100th anniversary of
the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima.
The brother
and sister, Francisco and Jacinta, who tended to their families’ sheep with
their cousin Lucia Santo in the fields of Fatima, witnessed the apparitions of
Mary, now commonly known as Our Lady of Fatima.
In her
message to the children, Mary brought with her requests for conversion, prayer
(particularly the recitation of the rosary), sacrifices on behalf of sinners,
and a three-part secret regarding the fate of the world.
The children
followed Mary’s requests, praying often, giving their lunch to beggars and
going without food themselves. They offered up their daily crosses and even
refrained from drinking water on hot days.
With
anti-Catholic sentiment very prevalent in the country, the mayor in the
district of Fatima had grown suspicious of the growingly popular apparitions,
and had unsuccessfully tried to get the children to renounce their story.
Wanting to
stop the children from seeing the fourth apparition, Artur Santos, an apostate
Catholic and high Mason who was the local mayor, devised a ruse to kidnap the
children before the scheduled day of her appearance.
Despite
bribes, threats of death by burning oil, and threatening to lock them in a cell
with criminals, the children never recanted their story.
Convicted by
Mary’s requests and the vision of hell, both children lived lives of prayer and
penance after the apparitions, offering themselves for sinners as Mary had
asked. Francisco was known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his strict
physical mortifications, while Jacinta was especially known for having a heart
for the poor and the suffering.
Both
children fell victim to the influenza epidemic of 1918 that swept through
Europe. In October 1918, Mary again appeared to the sick siblings and promised
to take them to heaven soon. On April 3, 1919, Francisco declined hospital
treatment for influenza and died the next day.
Jacinta was
given hospital treatment in hopes of prolonging her life, but she knew that she
would soon join Francisco in heaven. On February 19, 1920, Jacinta asked the
hospital chaplain who heard her confession to bring her Holy Communion and
administer the last rites, because she was going to die “the next night.” But
the priest said that her condition was not that serious and that he would
return the next day. The next day Jacinta was found dead – she had died in her
sleep.
Pope John
Paul II beatified Francisco and Jacinta May 13, 2000, on the 83rd anniversary
of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. Both under 12 years old, they
were the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the history of the Church.
Sister
Lucia, the third visionary, lived much longer, dying in 2005 at the age of 97.
The Church is currently examining documents and collecting testimonies for her
beatification cause.
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