Francisco and Jacinta, Children

One has a tendency to think that, short of martyrdom, saints lived relatively long lives devoted to prayer and good works. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, ages 11 and 10 at their deaths, demonstrate to us that even young children ─ maybe especially young children ─ are very close to God and can also become saints. These children lived in a small village near Fatima, Portugal. Like other children, they were sent out into the fields to shepherd the flocks. Beginning on May 13, 1917, the children were visited several times by the Blessed Virgin Mary near Fatima. During these visits, Our Lady also exhorted them to pray for sinners and revealed three “secrets” to them. Today, Fatima is a holy shrine visited by many pilgrims.

We are all “our brother’s keepers” and our prayers and sacrifices are vital to the salvation of souls. In a world that seems to move further away from God with each passing year, we must redouble our efforts to bring about the conversion of sinners.