Jacinta Marto

Portuguese child

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July 17, 2026

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Jacinta Marto, along with her brother Francisco, are recognized as the youngest saints canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. They were Portuguese siblings who, in 1917, reported witnessing apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal. These reported visions led to Fátima becoming a major pilgrimage site.1234

Tragically, both Jacinta and Francisco died during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, at the ages of 9 and 10, respectively. They were canonized by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, marking the 100th anniversary of the first reported apparition. The third witness to the apparitions, their cousin Lucia dos Santos, later became a nun and was declared "Venerable" in 2023.123

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14 Young Roman Catholic Saints
Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto
…canonized Roman Catholic saints are Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Portuguese siblings who are said to have witnessed a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus) in Fátima, Portugal, in 1917. Since that revelation, millions of people have made pilgrimages to the site where Mary, commonly called…
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…canonized Roman Catholic saints are Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Portuguese siblings who are said to have witnessed a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus) in Fátima, Portugal, in 1917. Since that revelation, millions of people have made pilgrimages to the site where Mary, commonly called…
Read More