Francisco Marto
Portuguese visionary and Roman Catholic saint (1908–1919)
Feast: 4 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 23 March 2017 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2017)
Who they were
Francisco Marto was born at Aljustrel, in the parish of Fátima, Portugal, on 11 June 1908. In 1917, with his sister Jacinta and their cousin Lúcia, he saw Our Lady at the Cova da Iria.
He and Jacinta were struck by the great influenza epidemic of 1918, and he died at home on 4 April 1919, aged ten. He and Jacinta are the youngest Catholic saints.
The miracles
Lucas Batista Maeda de Mourão, a five-year-old boy — Brazil — 3 March 2013
A five-year-old boy fell 6.5 metres from a window onto his head, suffering a severe brain injury with loss of brain tissue. He arrived in deep coma, his heart stopped twice, and after emergency surgery doctors gave him very little chance of survival. His family prayed to Francisco and Jacinta. Some days later, to the doctors' amazement, he got up, and he went home completely healed. At ten, he was at the canonisation in Fátima.
He was canonised at Fátima on the centenary of the first apparition, 13 May 2017, together with his sister Jacinta.
Why that counted as sanctity
Beatification followed on 13 May 2000 by John Paul II. The case of Lucas Batista Maeda de Mourão, a five-year-old boy was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 23 March 2017, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 13 May 2017 by Francis.
Connected on this site
- Jacinta Marto Saint Brother or sister
- America Magazine, May 2017 - Pope Francis canonises Jacinta and Francisco
- Shrine of Fátima (Pastorinhos) - about the miracle
- CNA - the miracle that led to the Fátima children's canonisation
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q1442116 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Francisco Marto (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.