Saints Francisco and Jacinta

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese shepherd children from Aljustrel received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima. Their calm, rural life was changed forever by the apparition of an angel in a field near Aljustrel. The angel, calling himself ""The Angel of Portugal,"" prepared them spiritually for a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On May 13, 1917, they received the first of six visions of Mary when they were tending sheep with their cousin, Lucia Santos. Francisco was nine years old, and Jacinta was seven at the time of the apparition.

Mother Mary asked the trio to pray for the Rosary for peace in the world and the end of the war that was raging then, as well as for the Pope, sinners, and Russia's conversion. Mary assured them of heaven, warning them that they would each have to suffer much. They faced doubt and suspicion, beatings and imprisonment until the miracle of the sun and all else that accompanied the last apparition of Mary at Fatima. A remarkable change came over them after the apparitions. Francisco was often seen with his Rosary in hand, seeking solitude or spending long hours before the Blessed Sacrament. His loving, innocent heart felt the special calling to ""console Our Lord"" for the sins of humanity. Jacinta was deeply troubled by the apparition of July 13, in which they were given a glimpse of Hell. After this vision, her every thought was of helping to save the souls of ""poor sinners,"" and she spared no prayer or sacrifice for that end. 

In 1918, the two were struck by the Spanish Flu epidemic that soon took their lives. During their months of illness, they insisted on walking to church for Mass and Eucharistic devotions. They would also kneel and pray for hours with their heads on the ground, according to instructions they received in their vision. Francisco was called to his eternal reward on April 4, 1919, and Jacinta on February 20, 1920. They were buried at the Our Lady of Fatima Basilica in Portugal. Their cousin Lúcia became a Carmelite nun and was still living when Jacinta and Francisco were beatified in 2000; she died five years later. Pope Francis canonized the younger children on his visit to Fátima to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first apparition on May 13, 2017.

Saints Francisco and Jacinta help us to pray and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.

Prepared and updated by:

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.