A Short interview with the Niece of St. Jacinta and St. Francisco

(I met with Jacinta Marto, the niece of St. Jacinta, on Sunday, it was the second time I have met her, the last time being in 2023. See a short video at the end of today’s blog. I wish I had taped her retelling the story of her father, Joao, who was given two coins by Lucia to run to get Jacinta, because she felt the Blessed Mother coming – it is in the book. Also, she discussed how her father and the village were so excited when Lucia visited both in 1946 and the times when St. John Paul II visited for the beatification of the two saints.)

Why did Mary ask us to pray the Rosary daily and not daily Mass? This was a question frequently posed to Ven. Sr. Lucia and I understand the logic very easily. While it has been easy for me to attend mass daily here in Fatima, it is also easy to attend mass when I go home to America, since many churches offer different mass times. However, there are times when one of my children may need help with childcare, or another need may require my time that might not be avoidable. Having traveled to other countries, I am fully aware of how often the luxury of having a Holy Mass offered close by is not available.

Never should we allow ourselves to think that the Rosary will take the place of attending Holy Mass, especially on Sunday, which is obligatory for Catholics and would be considered a mortal sin if missed without good cause. There are options for those who truly cannot attend Mass; contact your pastor.

Note: I am placing a link to those who might be interested in Lucia’s writings on Devotion to the Immaculate Heart; the link will also provide a wide variety of books on Fatima and other spiritual interests. I recommend “In Lucia’s Own Words,” which offers a more complete view of the apparitions. CLAY Ministries does not profit in any way from the sale of these books. Just click here: World Apostolate of Fatima Blue Army.

Per Lucia: (taken from her personal writings, “CALLS” Published by the Secretariado dos Pastorinhos, Fatima, Portugal. “I think that God is Father; and as Father He adapts Himself to the needs and possibilities of his children. Now, if God, through Our Lady, had asked us to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion every day, there would undoubtedly have been a great many of people who would have said quite rightly, that this was not possible. Some on account of the distance separating them from the nearest church where Mass was celebrated, others on account of the circumstances of their lives, their state in life, their job, the state of their health, etc. On the other hand, to pray the Rosary is something everybody can do, rich and poor, wise and ignorant, great and small.”

June 13, 1917 – Our Lady Comes a 2 nd Time

The key calls to this message are:

Pray the daily rosary, the promise of salvation to those who have a TRUE devotion to her Immaculate Heart, the call for reparation.

Location: Cova da Iria

Date: June 13, 1917

People present: 50 to 60

«- What do you want of me? I asked.

I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray the Rosary

every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want.

 I asked for the cure of a sick person

lf he is converted; he will be cured during the year.

I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.

Yes. I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” [l promise salvation to those who embrace it, and those souls will be loved by God like flowers placed by me to adorn His throne.].

Am I to stay here alone? I asked, sadly.

No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands and for the second time, she communicated to us the rays of that same immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was poured out on the earth. In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.»

The apparition then concluded as on the first occasion, with the Lady going off toward the east and disappearing in the "immensity of heaven.?

Fatima in Lucia's own words, Fátima, p. 177 (IV Memoir); the section between square brackets includes the addition indicated by Sister Lucia in her December 17, 1927 letter from Tuy: cf. Fatima in Lucia's own words, p. 177.

The picture above Sts. Jacinta and Francisco are of Jacinta’s grandfather, father, herself, and her brother Francisco. They were named after the two little saints.

Pray the Rosary – daily!

-Theresa