The Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, are some of the most well-known Marian apparitions. Mary appeared to the three Fatima visionaries once a month between May 13 and October 13, 1917.
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The purpose of this article isn’t to cover Fatima’s messages in detail. Overall, they cover topics like the Trinity, the Eucharist, penance, the Rosary, making sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I highly recommend Our Lady of Fatima by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle to learn more.
In this article, we’ll cover the lives of the three visionaries of Fatima.
The Three Visionaries of Fatima
The three visionaries of Fatima were brother and sister Jacinta and Francisco and their cousin Lucia. Jacinta and Francisco have now been canonized, and Lucia has been declared Venerable.
The three children were shepherds from the peasant class, and the apparitions took place while they watched their families’ sheep.
As word of the apparitions spread, the three children faced much suffering. Townspeople and even their families harshly ridiculed and rejected them (This eventually ceased as acceptance of the visions grew).
They were also arrested, taken away from their families, and subjected to cruel interrogations, in which the police separated the children and led them to believe the others had been killed.
In obedience to Our Lady’s message, the three children offered this suffering for the conversion of sinners.
St. Francisco Marto
Francisco was nine at the time of the apparitions. He was able to see Mary but could not hear her words.
During one of the apparitions, Lucia asked Mary if the children would go to Heaven. Mary said they would, but Francisco had to pray many Rosaries. She also revealed that he would die at a young age. Francisco took this very seriously and began praying many Rosaries, making sacrifices, and offering his sufferings to Jesus.
Francisco died only a year after the apparitions during the influenza epidemic. Throughout his illness, he offered his suffering to Mary and Jesus for the conversion of sinners.
St. Jacinta Marto
Jacinta was the youngest visionary, as she was only seven at the time. Jacinta, like the other visionaries, was very moved by the vision of hell they experienced and began praying and making sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
Like her brother, Jacinta also died of influenza, but her illness was much more lengthy. She underwent many surgeries, suffered from pneumonia and tuberculosis, and was hospitalized for many long periods. She offered all of this up for others, especially for the Pope, a special intention of hers.
Venerable Lucia dos Santos
Lucia was the oldest of the three visionaries. She faced the brunt of the ridicule and criticism, especially from her mother. It was so harsh that she feared going to further apparitions until her cousins convinced her.
Mary revealed that Lucia would outlive her cousins by many years. She tasked Lucia with spreading the message of the apparitions.
After the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta, Lucia was sent to the Dorothean Sisters, eventually professing vows in 1928. She later became a Carmelite sister and lived a quiet life, obediently spreading and living the message of Fatima until she died in 2005
Lessons from the Three Fatima Visionaries
The three visionaries faced much suffering: Ridicule, rejection, harsh interrogations, illness, and the deaths of loved ones.
But what made them holy wasn’t receiving the Fatima apparitions but living them out, especially by offering up their many sufferings to Mary and Jesus for the conversion of sinners. This offering up didn’t take away or ease their suffering, but gave them a purpose and a mission.
May the three Fatima visionaries intercede for us.
To learn more about saints who faced trauma, visit this page.