Brave and Free · Week 4 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
Three shepherds in a hard year
In blank 1 Europe was deep in the First World War, and Portuguese soldiers were fighting in it. Portugal’s government at the time was often hostile to the Church.
In Aljustrel, a hamlet of blank 2, Francisco Marto, age 8, and his sister Jacinta, age 7, herded sheep with their cousin Lúcia dos Santos. None of them could read.
On May 13 they reported seeing a lady brighter than the sun above a small oak tree. She asked them to pray the blank 3 daily for peace and to return on the 13th for six months.
Fátima, step by step
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1908–1910 | Write your answer |
| 1916 | Write your answer |
| May 1917 | Write your answer |
| Aug. 1917 | Write your answer |
| Oct. 1917 | Write your answer |
| 1919–1920 | Write your answer |
| 1930 | Write your answer |
| 2017 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
Why was 1917 a difficult time to report a vision of Mary in Portugal? Circle one.
- A The Pope had forbidden all pilgrimages
- B Fátima was a large and crowded city
- C The government was hostile to the Church
- D Children were not allowed to herd sheep
Why is that the right answer?
Pressure from every side
Word spread fast, and so did doubt. Lúcia’s own mother thought she was lying. On August 13 the local administrator took the children to the town of blank 4, questioned them and threatened them. They would not change their story.
On October 13 tens of blank 5 gathered in the rain. Many, including newspaper reporters, said they saw the sun spin and seem to fall toward the earth.
The children did not seek blank 6 afterward. Francisco slipped away to pray alone in church. Jacinta gave up treats and offered her prayers for sinners and for the Pope.
Why hold firm?
What did the children do when the administrator threatened them in August 1917? Circle one.
- A They refused to change their account
- B They admitted inventing the whole story
- C They asked the crowds to stop coming
- D They agreed to stay away from the site
Why is that the right answer?
Noise or stillness?
After 1917 the children chose prayer and quiet over attention. Sort each habit: does it build stillness, or feed the noise? Check one box for each.
| Item | Builds stillness | Feeds the noise |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving your phone in another room while you pray | ||
| Refreshing a post to count the likes | ||
| Spending ten minutes in church with no device | ||
| Scrolling short videos until midnight | ||
| Turning off notifications during homework | ||
| Sharing a shocking story before checking it | ||
| Praying a decade of the Rosary on the bus | ||
| Asking a chatbot to fill every bored moment |
Becoming saints
Why is the canonization of Francisco and Jacinta unusual? Circle one.
- A They were the first saints from Portugal
- B They were named saints without any miracle
- C They were canonized while Lúcia was alive
- D They were young children who were not martyrs
Why is that the right answer?
Talk it over
Thousands of people wanted to see and question the children, yet Francisco chose to slip away and pray. When attention is easy to get online, what would it look like to choose stillness as he did?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “One place I look for attention online is ...”“Francisco’s choice makes me think ...”“A time of day I could keep silent and screen-free is ...”“The hardest part would be ... because ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, give us hearts that love silence and prayer.
Make us brave enough to tell the truth.
Grant peace to our world and to our homes.
Sts. Francisco and Jacinta, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Two children from a tiny village showed that holiness has no minimum age. Their feast day is February 20.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Choose one of the three virtue practices and do it every day until next week’s saint.