St Jacinta and St Francisco Marto

Left to right: St. Jacinta, Sister Lucia and St. Francisco

Even though three were the children to whom the Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima in 1917, only two of them were canonized so far. This is because Sister Lucia dos Santos lived until 2004 and died at the age of 97. Jacinta and Francisco died of the Spanish flu in 1919 and 1920 respectively. These three unknown children became the center of attention in the small village of Fatima, Portugal when the Blessed Mother appeared to them on May 13, 1917, and encouraged them to say the Rosary. No one would believe them at first, and were also arrested for a while, but when the Blessed Mother appeared again on October 13, thousands of people witnessed various spectacular scenes, including a dancing sun.
The children were even given some secrets which they only revealed to the Pope, and one of the secrets was about the end of communism in Russia, which happened in 1989, 70 years later. As they were described by Sister Lucia, Francisco was fairly quiet, loved music and was often found alone, reflecting and praying. Jacinta, on the other hand, was more outgoing, loved to sing and dance, and was loved by everyone. After the apparitions, their disposition towards life changed and they made many sacrifices and prayed constantly for the souls in purgatory. Both children became very sick soon afterward, and Francisco died on April 9, 1919, after refusing to go to the hospital. Jacinta had some heart problems and died on February 20, 1920. Both of them are buried in the Fatima Basilica. They were beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in the year 2000 and were canonized on May 13, 2017, by Pope Francis during his visit to Fatima. With the exception of some martyrs, they are the youngest saints of the Catholic church.