Joseph A. Cirrincione - Venerable Francisco Marto of Fatima

Ven. Francisco Marto Of Fatima

Compiled by

Msgr. Joseph A. Cirrincione

(From Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words)

The Introduction to this booklet copyright 1994 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. The body of this booklet is excerpted from Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words, by permission of the Carmel of Coimbra and of Father Louis Kondor, SVD, Vice-Postulator of the Cause for Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 94-61207

ISBN: 0-89555-511-5

The type in this book is the property of TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission of the Publisher.

TAN Books
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.TANBooks.com

1994

"Thou hast taught me, O God, from my youth."

Psalm 70:17

OTHER BOOKLETS
BY THE SAME AUTHOR

The Rosary and the Crisis of Faith

The Forgotten Secret of Fatima

St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood

Fatima's Message for Our Times

I Wait For You (Editor)

Ven. Jacinta Marto of Fatima

"And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none."

Psalm 68:21

"At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:1-4

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Earlier this year (1994) as the 60th Anniversary of my priestly Ordination began to draw near (June 9), I began to feel a desire to observe it at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, if it was God's will. "If it was God's will" meant if everything fell into place that had to fall into place for me to go. At 84, one does not contemplate so strenuous a journey without qualms. First, I would take it as a favorable sign if plane space were available on the days I had in mind. Also, a room in my favorite hotel in Fatima had to be available.

But, most of all, my doctor had to assure me that I could stand the strain of a transatlantic flight with its normal attendant problems.

When I received my doctor's consent and approval for the trip, I took it as a sign that it was God's will that I should go to Fatima to observe there my 60th ordination anniversary.

I had another reason for wanting to go to Fatima. I wanted to correct in print a wrong impression I had unintentionally given of Venerable Francisco in a pamphlet I had written about Venerable Jacinta Marto two years previously. In consulting books on Fatima written before the publication of Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words I copied a version of the dialogue between Our Lady and Lucia that went as follows:

"Fear not," the Lady said, "I will not harm you."

"Where are you from?" Lucia asked.

"I am from Heaven," the beautiful Lady replied.

"What do you want of me?" Lucia asked.

"I come to ask you to come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day, at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I want."

"Am I going to Heaven?" Lucia asked.

"Yes, you shall," the Lady assured her.

"And Jacinta?"

"Yes."

"And Francisco?"

"He too shall go, but he must say many Rosaries."

In quoting the dialogue in the pamphlet on Jacinta, I wrote that Our Lady said regarding Francisco, "He will go also, but first he must recite many Rosaries." In her fourth memoir, Lucia quotes Our Lady as saying: "Yes, he shall go, but he must say many Rosaries." She did not say "But FIRST he must say many Rosaries."

This puts an entirely different complexion on the matter. Our Lady did not add a condition to Francisco's going to Heaven. She was not implying the existence of a defect in Francisco that would keep him from going to Heaven. My interpretation of the dialogue now is: Our Lady was simply declaring Francisco's mission. It would be the frequent recitation of the Rosary.

Incidentally, during the apparition, Francisco did not see the Lady nor hear her speak, though he could hear Lucia talking. When Lucia brought this to Our Lady's attention, she replied: "Let him say the Rosary and he too will see me."

Happy at Our Lady's promise that he would go to Heaven, Francisco exclaimed: "Oh, my dear Lady! I'll say as many Rosaries as you want.'' Later we will see how faithful the little boy was to that promise.

Thus I had two reasons for going to Fatima: in thanksgiving for my 60 years of priesthood and to obtain permission to use Sister Lucia's Memoirs in writing a booklet on Venerable Francisco.

Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words was published by Father Louis Kondor, SVD, Vice-Postulator of the cause for the beatifications of Venerable Francisco and Venerable Jacinta Marto. The Postulation Centre in Fatima which he heads has the rights to Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words.

Thus I needed not only Sister Lucia's permission, but Father Kondor's as well.

Before I left for Fatima, I wrote to Mother Prioress of the Coimbra Carmelite Community, of which Sister Lucia is a member, to tell her of my pilgrimage to Fatima and of my intention to pay her a visit while there. She replied by extending an invitation to visit the Convent and promised prayers for a safe trip.

While in Fatima, I paid a visit first to the Monastery Pius XII, a community of English-speaking cloistered Dominican nuns where I had been a guest many times before in their chaplain's quarters. They offered to keep in touch with Mother Prioress in Coimbra and let me know what day would be best for a visit to Coimbra.

Divine Providence, which had smiled so graciously on my pilgrimage thus far, continued to do so, for the day settled on for my trip to Coimbra was June 16, the very day the Dominican Sisters were to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of their foundation in Fatima. Father Kondor and the retired Bishop of Fatima-Leiria were both to be present for the occasion. I was invited as well, but had to pass it up because a flare-up of a chronic bronchial condition made it imprudent to attend the anniversary celebration and to travel to Coimbra on the same day.

I hired a car and driver for the hour's ride to Coimbra and reached there at the appointed time.

The visit with the Carmelite Community went very well, and I was more than repaid for my pains by receiving the permission I desired from both the Coimbra Carmel and Father Kondor, who was contacted while still at Fatima.

Which finally brings us to the story of Ven. Francisco Marto Of Fatima, as told by Sister Lucia in Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words.

Msgr. Joseph A. Cirrincione

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel July 16, 1994

FRANCISCO'S CHARACTER

(From Fatima, In Lucia's Own Words)

FRANCISCO'S SPIRITUALITY

I am going to begin then, Your Excellency, by writing what God wills to bring to my mind about Francisco. I hope that Our Lord will make him know in Heaven what I am writing about him on earth, so that he may intercede for me with Jesus and Mary, especially during these coming days.

The affection which bound me to Francisco was just one of kinship, and one which had its origin in the graces which Heaven deigned to grant us.

Apart from his features and his practice of virtue, Francisco did not seem at all to be Jacinta's brother. Unlike her, he was neither capricious nor vivacious. On the contrary, he was quiet and submissive by nature.

When we were at play and he won the game, if anyone made a point of denying him his rights as winner, he yielded without more ado and merely said: "You think you won? That's all right! I don't mind!"