Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto
Feast day: February 20
Francisco and Jacinta Marto were two of the three children (along with their cousin Lucia dos Santos) to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima from May to October 1917. The three lived in the village of Aljustrel, near Fatima, Portugal, and were tending sheep at the nearby Cova da Iria on May 13, 1917, when they beheld the first apparition of Our Lady. Mary asked the shepherd children to promote devotion to her Immaculate Heart and to pray the rosary daily. Francisco devoted his prayer life to penance, and Jacinta offered her suffering for the conversion of sinners. Both Martos died of influenza, Francisco at age 10 in 1919, and Jacinta at age 9 in 1920. Their cousin, who has been declared venerable, became a Carmelite nun. She died in 2005 at age 97. Francisco and Jacinta were canonized on May 13, 2017, by Pope Francis.
Prayer
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the example of your Saints may spur us on to a better life,
so that we, who celebrate the memory of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta,
may also imitate without ceasing their deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
