Venerable Jacinta Marto (1910-1920)
Fatima Archives Photo
Congregation for the Causes of Saints: Decree regarding the Canonization of the servant of God, Jacinta Marto.
"Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt. 18:3).
The Servant of God, seventh child of the marriage of Manuel Pedro Marto and Olimpia de Jesus dos Santos, was born in the village of Aljustrel, parish of Fatima, in Portugal, on March 11, 1910. On the nineteenth day of the same month, she received the grace of Baptism.
Her parents, who were humble farmers and pious Christians, gave her a sound moral and religious education. She learned Christian doctrine in the family and at catechism lessons which her maternal aunt Maria Rosa dos Santos taught to the local children. According to custom she did not attend any school, as one did not exist in the village, and by the time one was established, Jacinta was already ill.
From a tender age she showed a love for prayer, concern about the truths of faith, prudence in the choice of friendships and a serene spirit of obedience. Endowed with a lively, expansive and joyful disposition, she loved to play and dance; she captured the sympathy of others, although she had a certain inclination to domineer and disliked being contradicted so much that she pouted easily and was possessive of what belonged to her. Afterwards, however, she changed completely and became a splendid model of humility, mortification and generosity.
As soon as she was able, Jacinta began to work, her particular charge being to accompany her brother Francisco, who was a little older than she, in pasturing the flock. They both loved to join their cousin, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, who was also a shepherdess. In this manner, the three children, united in a close friendship, passed the entire day in this activity, which, although arduous, they executed diligently and even with pleasure, because it left them time for playing and praying and they were able to enjoy the beauties of nature.
What unexpectedly changed their life, came to pass in the year 1916. They said they had seen an angel three times, who urged them to pray and do penance for the remission of sins and to obtain the conversion of sinners. From that moment onward, the little Jacinta made use of every occasion to do what the angel had asked her.
From May 13 to October 13, 1917, together with Francisco and Lucia, she had the privilege of seeing the Virgin Mary in a place called Cova da Iria, near Fatima. Full of joy and gratitude for the gift she had received, she wished to respond immediately with all her strength to the exhortation of the Virgin Mary, who asked their prayers and sacrifices in reparation for sins that offend God and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of sinners. At the same time, docile to the action of grace, she separated herself from the things of earth in order to turn her attention to heavenly things, and voluntarily consecrated her life so as to enter Paradise one day. She was constantly immersed in the contemplation of God, in intimate colloquy with Him. She sought silence and solitude, and at night she got out of bed to pray and freely express her love for Our Lord. In a little while, her interior life became distinguished by a great faith and by enormous charity.
Concerning this she said: "I love Our Lord so much! At times, I seem to have a fire in my heart, but it does not burn me." She dearly loved to contemplate Christ Crucified and she was moved to tears on hearing the account of the Passion. She then declared that she would never wish to commit sin in order not to make Jesus suffer. She nourished an ardent devotion to the Eucharist, which she visited frequently and for long periods in the parish church, concealing herself in the pulpit where no one could see or distract her. She longed to receive the Body of Christ, but that was not permitted because of her age. However, she found some consolation in spiritual communion. In the same way, she venerated the Virgin Mary with a tender, filial and joyful love, responding constantly to her words and desires, and honoring her many times with the recitation of the Rosary and with pious ejaculations
Although at a tender age, the Servant of God well knew that she was a living member of the Church, and as such, had the duty to contribute according to her powers to its growth and prosperity. Therefore she conscientiously offered prayers and sacrifices for the Supreme Pontiff, for the salvation of souls and for the conversion of sinners. Even during the apparitions of Our Lady, she was already able to share in the Passion of the Lord. In fact, not a few of her sufferings were caused by those who doubted or did not believe the apparitions to be true; she was called a liar and a fraud; she was even beaten and put in prison for some days. She bore all of this in silence, happy to complete in the body what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church (cf. Col. 1:24). With admirable courage and patience, she resisted the threats and flattering promises of the municipal authorities who wanted at all costs to prevent her from attending the parish church and sought to discover the "secret" revealed by the Virgin Mary to the three children. Subsequently, she underwent the trial of having to speak with many people who had come to Fatima, moved by piety or persistent curiosity. Actually, in similar cases, despite her preference to remain hidden, she did everything that was possible for her.
Besides all this, she bore many other crosses spontaneously, as if she had an insatiable hunger for immolation. She restrained her will and her temperament, and was obedient to her parents and to her older brothers and sisters; she deprived herself of food to give it to the poor; she did not drink water, especially in the summer heat; as a form of penance she wore a rope around her waist; she endured everything that was disagreeable in a spirit of penance and oblation. She expressed her manner of acting in praying: "O my Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
Her desire to suffer became more noticeable during the long and grave illness which attacked her from October 1918 onwards. Infected by the broncho-pulmonary epidemic, called the "Spanish influenza," her state of health deteriorated little by ltitle to such a point that she had to accept the idea of having an operation. Knowing that only a short span of life remained for her, she multiplied her sacrifices, penances and privations as a way of cooperating to the fullest of her possibilities in the work of Redemption. But what cost her most was having to leave her family in order to undergo treatment in a hospital. Foreseeing that she would die alone, that is, far from her dear ones at home, she said: "O my Jesus, now You can convert many sinners, because this is really a big sacrifice!"
While the strength of her body was failing, her soul became more beautiful as the days passed by, through the resolute, constant, joyful and perfect exercise of the Christian virtues. Indeed her abondonement to the will of God was complete. Not only did her strength in surrendering to the Lord, in responding to his graces and in avoiding any kind of sin never fail her, rather it increased more and more. Even in adverse and difficult circumstances, she gave witness of possessing to a high degree the theological virtues and also the virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, humility, sincerity and modesty. Therefore the words of Wisdom seem to be very appropriate: "Being made perfect in a short space, she fulfilled a long time." (Wis. 4:13).
On February 20, 1920, she asked for the sacraments. She only received the Sacrament of Penance. Conscious of being near death she requested Holy Viaticum, but the priest notwithstanding the pleas of the Servant of God, deferred it to the following day. On that same day, at night, far from her parents and acquaintances, she died in the Lisbon hospital where she had beeen a patient for some time. She had finally reached the goal of her desires: eternal life.
The people, who already considered her a saint, began immediately to show their spontaneous marks of veneration for her. Her body was buried first in vila Nova de Ourem and later translated to the cemetery of Fatima, and finally to the sanctuary built on the spot where the Virgin Mary appeared to her. In virtue of the fame of sanctity and of the graces through which the servant of God had become known, the first steps to initiate the Cause of Canonization were taken, in the year 1946, together with that of her brother Francisco, who had died a holy death in the year 1919. The Informative Process was introduced by the Episcopal curia of Leiria in the year 1952 and concluded in the year 1979. The rogatory Process was also conducted in Coimbra, in order to hear the testimony of Lucia who had become a Carmelite.
The Positio about the virtues having been prepared by Rev. Fr. Paul Molinari, Postulator General of the Company of Jesus and legitimately constituted postulator of this Cause, the Special Congress of Consultant Theologians, presided over by Rev. Msgr. Antonio Petti, Promoter General of the Faith, took place with a favorable outcome on the sixteenth day of December in the year 1988. The cardinals and bishops, in the Ordinary Congregation, on the eighteenth day of April in the year 1989, having as Proponent of the Cause, His eminence Cardinal Edouard Gagnon recognized that the girl Jacinta Marto had practiced to an heroic degree the theological virtues, the cardinal virtues and their associates.
The written report of all these facts having been finally given to the supreme Pontiff, John Paul II, by the undersigned cardinal prefect, his Holiness, willingly accepting the desires of the congregation for the Causes of Saints, ordained the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God be duly recorded.
This being done, on the same day, the cardinals, the Prefect of the congregation and Proponent of the Cause and I, the Bishop Secretary, being convoked, together with the remainder according to custom, and all being present, the Holy Father declared solemnly: it is certain that the servant of God, in the case and for the end in view, practiced to an heroic degree the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity towards God and towards neighbor, and also the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude and their associates.
The Holy Father ordered this decree to be published and recorded in the acts of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Given in Rome, on the thirteenth of May in the Year of Our Lord 1989.
Angelus Card. Felici, Prefect
Venerable Francisco Marto (1908-1919)
Fatima Archives Photo
Congregation for the Causes of Saints: Decree regarding the Canonization of the servant of God, Francisco Marto.
"Let the little children come to Me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." (Lk. 18:16).
Among the little children who responded best to the love and predilection of Jesus, we believe that the Servant of God, Francisco Marto, can be included. He made the gifts of grace which were granted him bear abundant fruit and, in a few short years, attained great perfection in the imitation of Christ and in the exercise of the Christian virtues. In spite of his tender age he left us an eminent example of obedience to the will of God, of ardent love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary and of diligent attentiveness in consoling Our Lord, so offended by the sins of men, and of praying and suffering for the needs of the Church and for the conversion of sinners.
The servant of God was born in a village called Aljustrel, belonging to the parish of Fatima, in Portugal, on June 11, 1908, son of Manuel Pedro Marto and Olimpia de Jesus dos Santos, modest farmers and good Christians. On the twentieth day of the same month he received the sacrament of Baptism, becoming a member of the people of the new covenant.
Of a docile character, he received to good effect the sound education which his parents gave him. He began, at home, to know and to love God, to pray and to participate in the sacred parish functions, to help his neighbor in need, to be sincere, just, obedient and diligent. He regularly attended the catechism lessons taught by the parish priest and by his aunt, Maria Rosa dos Santos. He lived in peace with everyone, whether adults or those of his own age. He was not irritated when contradicted, and at games he found no difficulty in adjusting to the will of others. He was sensitive to the beauty of nature, which he contemplated with simplicity and admiration; he delighted in the solitude of the mountains and remained enraptured before the rising and the setting of the sun. He called the sun "Our Lord's lamp" and was filled with joy at the appearance of the stars which he named "the Angels' lamps." His innocence was such that he said, on reaching heaven, he would have to put oil in the lamp of the virgin Mary.
He could not attend primary school as there was none in Fatima at the time, and when it did open he only went there now and then. In compensation, he learned very well the science of God and the means of actively cooperating in the growth of the kingdom off Christ in souls. As soon as he was able, or rather when he had reached the age of six years, he was entrusted with the task of keeping the flock, which he took out daily to pastsure. As was customary he went out early in the morning, taking a bag containing his lunch and his flute with which he amused himself, and returned at sunset. Many times he was accompanied by his little sister Jacinta, and both would join their cousin, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, who was pasturing her flock as well. These children declared that they had seen the vision of an angel in the year 1916. This unexpected and unforeseen happening constituted for the Servant of God the beginning of a spiritual experience that became more generous, more efficacious and more intense day by day. Suddenly he began to be more pious and reserved; he frequently recited the prayer taught by the angel; he was always ready to offer sacrifices for the salvation of those who do not believe, do not hope or do not love. After these apparitions he seemed to have received the vocation of an anchorite; he hid behind the rocks and trees in order to pray alone, while at other times he climbed to the highest and most solitary places and there gave himself so intensely to meditation and prayer that he did not hear the voices of those who called him. At the same time he felt a strong and continuous longing to approach the sacred Eucharistic table, which in fact was only permitted to him just before he died.
These were not the only gifts of God, for there were other greater ones too. From May 13 to October 13 in the year 1917, he, together with Jacinta and Lucia, was granted the privilege of seeing the Virgin Mary, a certain number of times, in a place called the Cova da Iria. From then on, ever more and more inflamed with love for God and for souls, he had only one aspiration: to pray and suffer according to Our Lady's request. If the measure of divine benevolence towards him was extraordinary, the manner in which he wished to correspond with divine grace, in joy, fervor, and constancy, was also extraordinary. He did not limit himself only to being a messenger, announcing penance and prayer, but more than that, with all his strength he conformed his life to the message which he announced, more by the goodness of works than by words. Thus he fulfilled the exhortation of Peter: "Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others."(1Pet. 4:10).
He used to say: "How beautiful God is, how beautiful! But He is sad because of the sins of men. I want to console Him, I want to suffer for love of Him." He maintained this resolve to the very end. During the apparitions he bore with firm spirit and admirable fortitude the malicious interpretations, the injuries, the persecutions and even some days of imprisonment. He respectfully and firmly resisted the local authority who tried everything in order to discover the "secret" revealed to the three children by the Most Holy Virgin, instilling courage at the same time in his sister and his cousin. Every time they threatened him with death he replied: "If they kill us we'll soon be in heaven! Nothing else matters!" The parish preist tried to make him deny what had happened in the Cova da Iria, but he, although he revered priests very much, eagerly confirmed what he had seen. The prodigious events in which he was the protagonist turned all eyes towards him, but he remained simple and humble. He continued to carry out his daily tasks, to obey his parents and to be attentive towards all. He was patient with the curious, welcoming towards pilgrims, humane with the impious and merciful towards those who placed their supplications before him. He mortified his will and his character, overcoming fatigue, depriving himself of food in order to give it to the poor, not drinking water for entire days, especially in the hot weather, fasting during Lent, wearing a rope around his waist as a penance, giving up his favorite games in order to devote more time to prayer. He lost no occasion of uniting himself to the Passion of Christ and of cooperating in this manner in the salvation of souls and in the growth of the Church.
Another striking mark of his apostolate was prayer. He already prayed before the apparitions. Afterwards, however, moved by a more living and mature spirit of faith, he became conscious of being called to dedicate himself zealously and constantly to the duty of prayer according to the intentions of the Virgin Mary. He sought silence and solitude in order to immerse himself totally in contemplation and in dialogue with God. He assisted at Mass on feastdays, and also on weekdays when it was possible. He nurtured a special devotion to the Eucharist and spent much time in church, adoring the Sacrament of the Altar which he called the "Hidden Jesus". He recited the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary daily, and many more times besides, in order to fulfill Our Lady's desire; to that he loved to add prayers and ejaculations which he had learned at the catechism classes, and which the angel, the Most Holy Virgin and pious priests had taught him. He prayed with the intention of consoling God, of honoring the Mother of the Lord, whom he loved so much, of being useful to the holy souls who were expiating their penalties in the fire of purgatory, and of helping the Supreme Pontiff in the fulfillment of his important office as universal pastor; he prayed for the needs of the world ravaged by hatred and sin; he prayed for the Church and for the eternal salvation of souls. He prayed alone, with his family, and with the pilgrims, manifesting a deep interior recollection and a sure confidence in the divine goodness.
With the firm resolve of desiring and doing only that which was pleasing to God, he dedicated himself constantly in heart and soul to the immortal things of the spirit, avoiding every form of sin and, at the age of seven years, he began frequently and piously to approach the Sacrament of Penance. Docile to the precepts of the Lord and to the words of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, he progressed continually on the path of sanctity and, in a short time, attained a great and solid Christian perfection. Indeed his was a living faith, his charity was tender and zealous and his hope was full of joy. He was upright in word and deed. He had total disregard for earthly goods and for his own life and health. Since it had been made known to him by the Virgin Mary that his life would be brief, he spent the days in ardent expectation of entering heaven. And in fact the time of waiting was not long delayed. Indeed, though he was robust and enjoyed good health, in October 1918 he was attacked by a serious broncho-pulmonary epidemic, called the "Spanish influenza." Once confined to bed he never managed to get up again; on the contrary, his state of health deteriorated in the year 1919. With great interior joy, he suffered his infirmity and severe pains as an oblation to God. When Lucia asked him if he was suffering he replied: "Quite a lot, but never mind. I am suffering to console Our Lord, and afterwards, within a short time, I am going to heaven." In spite of being so sick, he nevertheless prayed many Rosaries, exhorting the others to pray with him. On April 2, he devoutly received the Sacrament of Penance, and on the following day he was finally nourished by the Body of Christ, as Holy Viaticum. In bidding farewell to those present he promised to pray for them in heaven. He piously entered into eternal life, which he so ardently desired, on April 4, 1919. He was buried in the cemetery, but later his relics were translated to the sanctuary, which has been built meanwhile on the spot where Our Lady appeared.
The fame for holiness which he already enjoyed in life was consolidated and increased after his death. Many of the faithful who had recourse to the intercession of the Servant of God affirmed that they had been heard and had received spiritual and corporal graces. The first steps towards the Cause of Canonization were taken in 1946, but the Informative Process was only begun in the Episcopal curia of Leiria in 1952 and concluded in 1979. A rogatory Process was also conducted in Coimbra, with the purpose of hearing Lucia's testimony. The Positio about the virtues having been prepared by Rev. Fr. Paul Molinari, Postulator of this Cause, the Special Congress of consultant Theologians, presided over by Rev. Msgr. Antonio Petti, Promoter General of the Faith, took place with a favorable outcome on the sixteenth day of December in the year 1988. The cardinals and bishops, in the Ordinary congregations, on the eighteenth day of April in the year 1989, having as Proponent of the Cause, His eminence Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, recognized that the boy Francisco Marto had practiced to an heroic degree the theological virtues, the cardinal virtues and their associates.
The written report of all these facts having been finally given to the Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II, by the undersigned cardinal prefect, his Holiness, willingly accepting the desires of the congregation for the Causes of Saints, ordained that the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God be duly recorded.
This being done, on the same day, the cardinals, the Prefect of the Congregation and Proponent of the Cause and I, the Bishop Secretary, bing convoked, together with the remainder according to custom, and all being present, the Holy Father declared solemnly: it is certain that the servant of God, in the case and for the end in view, practiced to an heroic degree the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity towards God and towards neighbor, and also the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude and their associates."
The Holy Father ordered this decree to be published and recorded in the acts of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Give in Rome, on the thirteenth of May in the Year of Our Lord 1989.
Angelus Card. Felici, Prefect
Lucia of Jesus
Fatima Archives Photo
The main protagonist of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Lucia was born on March 22, 1907, in Aljustrel, in the parish of Fatima. On June 17, 1921 she went to the Asilo of Vilar in Porto, and was taught by the Dorothean Sisters. After, she went to Tuy, where she took the habit, with the name of Mary Lucy of Sorrows. She made temporary profession on October 3, 1928 and after six years, on October 3, 1934 she made her solemn vows. On March 24, 1948 she transfered to Coimbra and entered the Carmel of Saint Teresa, taking the name of Sister Mary Lucy of the Immaculate Heart. On May 31, 1949 she made her profession of solemn vows.
Sister Lucy is still living. Her memoirs, written under obedience, are a principal source of information on Fatima. They have been published in book form as Fatima, in Lucia's Own Words.