Fatima, Portugal, May 13, 2017 / 03:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Saturday officially declared Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints of the Catholic Church 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.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/francisco-and-jacinta-have-officially-been-declared-saints-38630/

May their lives inspire us to a life of sacrifice and holiness.

Wow thats great after about 100yrs.

I remember the song we sang those days about the little children......

na obodo fatima na 1917 ezenwayi nke eligwe biawuteru umuaka ito osifa kpebe ekpere osifa mebe opipia.......

St francisco and st jacinta

Lalasticlala and seun .......this news wont make front page but RCC sunday school manual will make front page every sunday.

Trueigbo:
Lalasticlala and seun .......this news wont make front page but RCC sunday school manual will make front page every sunday.

Thou shall not bow before any graven image

free2ryhme:
Thou shall not bow before any graven image

Clap for yourself, you just memorized your first bible passage.

free2ryhme:
Thou shall not bow before any graven image

Ode be reading back of bible



The first commandment of God is: I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt
not have strange gods before Me.
Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me. Thou shalt not make to
thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the
waters under the earth. (Exodus 20:3-4)

Where did u see bow? And have u seen any catholic bow to another God be wallowing in ignorance

Wow.... i love this

Trueigbo:
Lalasticlala and seun .......this news wont make front page but RCC sunday school manual will make front page every sunday.

One man Declaring another as SAINT. It is well o

God knows his Saints.

Pope aye

Wondering how Lucia will be feeling right now.

Please is there someone that can explain what it means?? I no understand​...

Wow I'm impressed

God bless the Church

Iamzik:
One man Declaring another as SAINT. It is well o
God knows his Saints.

Will you keep qwayet

Our Lady of Fatima.. Pray for Us
SS Fransisco and Jacinta Marto.. Pray for Us
Blessed Lucia Santos.. Pray for Us

Sinner declaring another saint, funny..

laughing at the comments.

free2ryhme:
Thou shall not bow before any graven image

And the pastor abi daddy G.O you kneel down to greet is ungraven?

proudly catholic

Trueigbo:
Wow thats great after about 100yrs.

I remember the song we sang those days about the little children......

na obodo fatima na 1917 ezenwayi nke eligwe biawuteru umuaka ito osifa kpebe ekpere osifa mebe opipia.......

maka njo nke uwa

Trueigbo:
Wow thats great after about 100yrs.

I remember the song we sang those days about the little children......

na obodo fatima na 1917 ezenwayi nke eligwe biawuteru umuaka ito osifa kpebe ekpere osifa mebe opipia.......

Osifa kpewe ekpere make a njo umu uwaa....

Good old days.

Ave..

That verse you just quoted betrays you. I wonder how you people reason. You who are obviously shallow are calling someone else ode.

Now read the bolded part slowly this time, if you still can't comprehend then you're a lost cause.

iaamxavier:


Ode be reading back of bible



The first commandment of God is: I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt
not have strange gods before Me.
Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me. Thou shalt not make to
thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the
waters under the earth. (Exodus 20:3-4)

Where did u see bow? And have u seen any catholic bow to another God be wallowing in ignorance

Trueigbo:
Wow thats great after about 100yrs.

I remember the song we sang those days about the little children......

na obodo fatima na 1917 ezenwayi nke eligwe biawuteru umuaka ito osifa kpebe ekpere osifa mebe opipia.......

Osiha kpebe ekpere maka njo nke uwa uwa aaaaa. Otito diri Jesu na ndu ebebe amen

You would have made sense if you had said proudly Christian.

Eddygourdo:
proudly catholic

Trueigbo:
Lalasticlala and seun .......this news wont make front page but RCC sunday school manual will make front page every sunday.

That's true bro
Seun and lala