A História dos Pastorinhos de Fátima-

The Story of the Little Shepherds of Fatima Videos: The Secrets of Our Lady of Fatima told by Sister Lucia    • Os  Segredos de Nossa Senhora de  Fátima c...   The Life of the Little Shepherds of Fatima    • A Vida dos Pastorinhos de Fátima   The Angel of Portugal    • O Anjo de Portugal   Let's learn about the lives of Saint Francisco Marto and Saint Jacinta Marto, two of the children who, along with their cousin Lucia, witnessed the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. Francisco and Jacinta were the children of Olímpia de Jesus dos Santos and Manuel Pedro Marto. They were typical children from the rural area of ​​Aljustrel in Fatima, Portugal, and worked as shepherds along with their cousin Lucia. They prayed the rosary daily and went to Mass on Sundays. Francisco was born on June 11, 1908, and was 9 years old when he witnessed the apparitions. Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910, and was 7 years old when she saw Our Lady. In 1916, the three little shepherds witnessed three apparitions of the "Angel of Portugal" or "Angel of Peace," who taught them to pray a prayer and warned that God had designs of mercy for them. Prayer "My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love you. I ask forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love you. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly and I offer you the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the Earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I ask you for the conversion of poor sinners." The little shepherds led a very simple life: they cared for sheep, played, and prayed together. From these visions, the three shepherd children began to intensify their prayers and penances for the conversion of sinners, as well as in reparation for the sins committed against God. The first apparition of Our Lady took place on May 13, 1917, after the shepherd children returned from Mass. They went to tend the sheep and, after praying the rosary, decided to leave because they saw lightning. They were on the land of Lucia's parents, and, as they passed through a part of the lower terrain known as Cova da Iria, the Mother of God appeared to them. Then, "they saw a Lady, dressed in white and radiant with light, who said to them: 'I have come to ask you to come here, every 13th of the month, for six consecutive months, at this same hour. “I will tell them, in due course, who I am and what I want.” She asked them to pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world. After the first apparition, it was Jacinta who told her family what had happened, even though the three had agreed to keep it a secret. During the following months, she suffered, along with her brother and cousin, the persecution of the authorities who doubted what they said and pressured them to recant. Our Lady appeared six times, from May to October 1917. During these apparitions, she revealed three secrets to the children. After the apparitions, Francisco and Jacinta were impressed by having seen hell during the third apparition (in July 1917). Desolate by the sad fate of sinners, in their simplicity, Jacinta decided to heed the call of the Virgin Mary and do penance and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners, and Francisco began to prefer praying alone. Marked by Our Lady's words "that they may no longer offend God," he withdrew into solitude "to console Jesus for the sins of the world." Jacinta and Francisco practiced so many mortifications and penances. Our Lady, in one of her apparitions, asked for moderation, as Francisco had stopped going to school and was hiding to make reparation for sinners. In 1918, both siblings contracted the flu that was ravaging all of Europe. Francisco became seriously ill, spent his illness at home, and died on April 4, 1919, at the age of 10. Jacinta died on February 20, 1920, at the age of 9 in Lisbon. Before her death, Jacinta had several visions and messages from Our Lady, in which she foresaw future events and offered herself as a victim for sinners. Her body, like Francisco's, is in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima. Francisco and Jacinta Marto were beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 2000. They are the youngest non-martyr saints canonized in the history of the Catholic Church. The canonization of the two siblings was carried out by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, during the centenary celebrations of the apparitions on May 13, 1917. The legacy of Francisco and Jacinta Marto lives on through the messages of Fatima, which continue to inspire millions of people around the world. Their story reminds us of the importance of prayer, penance, and devotion to Our Lady.