Centennial of the Birth of Blessed Francisco Marto, the Little Shepherd of Fatima

Centennial of the Birth of Blessed Francisco Marto

The Shrine of Fatima started celebrating on June 10, 2008, the second day of the Children´s Pilgrimage to Fatima (always held on June 9/10),  the Centennial of the Birth of Francisco Marto, the Little Shepherd of Fatima, born on June 11, 1908; and intends to conclude these celebrations on June 2009, also at the time of the next Children´s Pilgrimage.

The commemorations in memory of the Blessed Little Shepherd will last a year.

Francisco was beatified, together with his sister, the little Jacinta Marto, on May 13, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.

 

Blessed Francisco Marto (1908-1919, a few biographic lines by Fr. Luciano Cristino

Francisco Marto was born on June 11, 1908, in Aljustrel, parish of Fatima, and was baptized on June 20.

He was a child of Manuel Pedro Marto and Olímpia de Jesus, brother of Jacinta Marto (1910-1920) and cousin of Lúcia de Jesus (1907-2005), the three little shepherds, to whom, in the Spring, Summer and Fall of 1916, and Angel appeared in 'Loca do Cabeço' (hilltop grotto); also Our Lady of the Rosary on the 13th of May, June, July, September and October of 1917, in Cova da Iria (Iria's Hole) and on August 19,1917, in the place of Valinhos.

He got ill on December 23, 1918, after having contracted the pneumonic flu, and died on April 4, 1919, after having gone to Confession and received Holy Communion. He was buried in Fatima's parochial cemetery on April 5. The local Pastor wrote on an attachment to the parochial process, dated April 18, ordered, in October 1917, by the Archbishop of Mytilene and sent on April 28, 1919, to the Patriarchate of Lisbon: "Francisco – the seer – died at 22h00, this April 4th, victim of a prolonged 5-month illness of pneumonic flu, after having received the sacraments with great lucidity and devotion. He confirmed to have seen a Lady in Cova da Iria and Valinhos". His mortal remains were exhumed from his grave on February 17, 1952, and translated on March 13 of the same year to the Basilica of Fatima, where they were entombed on the right side of the transept.

His process of beatification, together with that of his sister Jacinta, was begun on April 30 of that same year of 1952. However only on August 3, 1979 it was sent to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints and opened on December 20th of the same year. In April 1981 their virtues were judged to have been heroic and, therefore, they could now be beatified and canonized, despite the fact that the children were not martyrs. The decree on the heroic virtues of the two little shepherds was signed by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1989 and the title of venerable granted to them.

On June 28, 1999, the decree of the Congregation for the Cause of the Saints regarding the miracle attributed to Francisco and Jacinta in favor of Maria Emília Santos was promulgated in the presence of the Pope.

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From the homily of Pope John Paul II of May 13, 2000:

"Francisco, one of three privileged children, used to exclaim: «We were burning in that light which is God and were not consumed. How is God? We can't say. This really is something we are not able to express in words»".

"What most impressed and absorbed Blessed Francisco was God in that immense light which penetrated the heart of the three. However only to him God revealed Himself «so sad», as he used to say. One night his father heard him moaning and asked him why he was crying. The child replied: «I was thinking about Jesus Who is so sad because of the sins committed against Him». He lives motivated by the only desire – so revealing of the way children think – of «consoling and cheering up Jesus»".