Bl. Jacinta Marto
Patron of bodily ills; captives; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; sick people; against sickness
1910 - 1920
Beatified By: May 13, 2000, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fátima, Portugal, by Pope John Paul II
Francisco Marto (June 11, 1908 – April 4, 1919) and his sister Jacinta Marto (March 11, 1910 – February 20, 1920), also known as Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto, together with their cousin, Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005) were the children from Aljustrel near Fátima, Portugal, who said they witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917. Their reported visions of Our Lady of Fátima proved politically controversial, and gave rise to a major centre of world Christian pilgrimage.
The youngest children of Manuel and Olimpia Marto, Francisco and Jacinta were typical of Portuguese village children of that time. They were illiterate but had a rich oral tradition on which to rely, and they worked with their cousin Lúcia, taking care of the family's sheep. According to Lúcia's memoirs, Francisco had a placid disposition, was somewhat musically inclined, and liked to be by himself to think. Jacinta was affectionate if a bit spoiled, and emotionally labile. She had a sweet singing voice and a gift for dancing. All three children gave up music and dancing after the visions began, believing that these and other recreational activities led to occasions of sin.
Following their experiences, their fundamental personalities remained the same. Francisco preferred to pray alone, as he said "to console Jesus for the sins of the world". Jacinta was deeply affected by a terrifying vision of Hell reportedly shown to the children at the third apparition. She became deeply convinced of the need to save sinners through penance and sacrifice as the Virgin had reportedly instructed the children to do. All three children, but particularly Francisco and Jacinta, practiced stringent self-mortifications to this end.
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I and a few other women in my family were named after Jacinto Marto. But being Italina imagrents they did not know how to spell the name "the American way" and asked their priest. He did not know either so he spelled it incorrectly as Jessenda. The weirdest part is reading about this little girl and seeing so many simularities to myself, kind of freaky. And its been that way for all the women in our fa,ily thats been named after her (except we all lived past the age of nine years old, thank God!). I'm really proud to be named after such a spiratul and devoted person who has been beatified, and a non-martyred child at that. God Bless you Jacinta Marto.
happy feast day Bl. Jacinta Marto. we pray that you will soon reach sainthood. please intercede for my mom and i with our health issues. thank you