February 20 | Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories, because today, imagine, just for a second, that you are sitting in a cold, dark room. The smell is terrible. The floor is hard. You look to your left, and you see your little sister. She is only seven years old. You are only nine.

You aren't in a time-out. You aren't in the principal's office. You are in a real jail cell. The man in charge, the mayor of your district, is furious. He has been interrogating you, demanding that you admit you were lying. He is powerful, he is angry, and he is anti-Catholic. He wants you to crack. He wants you to say that it was all a game.

But you can't say that, because you know what you saw, and despite the fear, the threats, and the darkness of that prison cell, you remain completely unflinching. Today, we are looking at two of the toughest kids in history. They weren't soldiers, and they weren't kings or queens. They were shepherds, Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

When Jacinta and Francisco were declared saints, they became the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized in the history of the Catholic Church. These two siblings, along with their cousin Lucia, are famous for being the children to whom the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in Fatima, Portugal. Because of what they went through, they are the patron saints of bodily ills, captives, and people ridiculed for their piety. But let's rewind a bit. Before the jail cells and the crowds, life was pretty simple for the Mardo family.

Jacinta was born in 1910, and her big brother Francisco was born in 1908. They were regular kids, living in Portugal. Their job was a humble one. They shepherded their family's sheep together in the fields. Everything changed on May 13, 1917. Jacinta was seven. Francisco was nine. While they were out with the sheep, their first Marian apparition occurred. Our Lady appeared to them, and she had a serious mission for them. She asked them to pray the rosary and to make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.

These kids took it seriously. In response to this request, they started doing things that most adults would struggle to do. They would often give their own lunches away to beggars who needed food. Imagine being out in the hot Portuguese sun all day watching sheep. You're thirsty. Your throat is dry.

But Jacinta and Francisco wanted to offer something up. So, on those scorching hot days, they would refrain from drinking water. They voluntarily chose discomfort to help others. That is intense focus for a seven- and nine-year-old. But, not everyone was happy about their visions. Throughout the duration of the apparitions, these children were subject to intense ridicule from people who did not believe them. The anti-Catholic mayor actually had them arrested. He interrogated them, he threw them in jail, he threatened them, he tried to scare them into saying they made it all up.

But here is the fascinating part. Eventually, they let the children go. Why? Because the kids remained unflinching in their testimony of their heavenly visitor. No matter how scary the mayor was, the truth was stronger. The story of Jacinta and Francisco is short, but it burns bright. In October of the year following the final apparition, tragedy struck the world, and it found the Marto family too.

Both children caught the Spanish flu. This was a global pandemic, and it was devastating. The Blessed Mother had told them that she would soon take them to heaven. Francisco's journey ended first. While he was confined to his bed, sick with the flu, he requested his first communion. He died the next day, on April 14, 1919. He was barely 11 years old.

Jacinta held on a little longer, but her suffering was severe. She endured a prolonged illness and even had an unsuccessful operation. She died on February 20, the following year, 1920. Their lives were short, but their impact was massive. In 2017, nearly 100 years after they died, Pope Francis traveled to Fatima. There, he canonized Jacinta and Francisco, officially recognizing them as saints.

You don't have to be a grown-up to be holy. You don't have to live a long life to change the world. You just have to be brave, tell the truth, and care about others more than you care about your own comfort.

This week, you might find yourself in a situation where it's embarrassing to do the right thing. Maybe someone makes a joke about religion, or maybe it's just uncool to be kind to the kids sitting alone. Be unflinching. And if you want to take on a small sacrifice like they did, try giving up one small treat, maybe a soda or a video game session, and offer that sacrifice up as a prayer for someone who is having a really hard time. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.