Among the various museums in Fátima, there is one that stands out for its simplicity and discretion: it is the Casa das Candeias, dedicated to Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
Belonging to the Francisco and Jacinta Marto Foundation, the Casa das Candeias, a few hundred meters north of the Shrine, “is a space for pilgrims, using objects that the Cause [of beatification] possessed, to take them on a spiritual journey that, on the one hand, allows them to learn about the life and holiness of Francisco and Jacinta, but, on the other hand, touches them in their own lives,” explained the director, Ângela Coelho.
The Superior General of the Covenant of St. Mary said that the name “house” came from the fact that they wanted “something with an intimate dimension and also with the dimension of everyday life, because holiness takes place in a very concrete time and space and history”.
“On the other hand, ‘of the Candles’, because Candles was the word that John Paul II, on the day of the beatification, used during his homily to define them. He called Francisco and Jacinta two lamps that God lit to illuminate humanity in the dark and restless hours,” said the nun, who is also a doctor.
The space opens with a photo of a sketch of a painting by Dina Belotti, which would have been used on the façade of St. Peter’s Cathedral if the beatification of the little shepherds had taken place in Rome, and two sculptures by Carvalheira da Silva, one of the Angel [with wings, contrary to Lucia’s description] and Our Lady of Valinhos.
Afterwards, it is possible to see objects from the lives of Francisco and Jacinta, “precisely to indicate that their holiness and life and ours is in everyday life, it is nothing that is asked of us extra,” emphasized Sister Angela.
A mug, a fork, the bench where Jacinta sat for some of the interrogations she was subjected to, a scarf she used to put on her head, as well as a rosary bead or Francisco’s lunch bag or a fragment of a bandage from one of the treatments the youngest of the three shepherd children underwent, are also part of the set of relics on display.
Dois retratos de Francisco e Jacinta, que estiveram na origem das primeiras pagelas feitas [nos anos 60 do século XX], idealizadas pelo padre Luís Kondor [sacerdote húngaro, radicado em Fátima desde 1954, e que foi vice-postulador da Causa da Beatificação de Jacinta e Francisco Marto, falecido em 2009], compõem um núcleo mais dedicado às crianças, que são convidadas a entrar num jogo, respondendo a questões sobre os pastorinhos e a sua experiência nas aparições.
Quadros pintados por uma religiosa carmelita, retratando as aparições de acordo com as indicações de Lúcia, a veste batismal dos pequenos videntes e as fotos dos certificados de nascimento, batismo e morte estão também patentes neste espaço visitado, desde 2014, por mais de 58 mil pessoas de 18 nacionalidades.
Em exposição estão, também, os decretos da beatificação [lido por João Paulo II em 13 de maio de 2000] e canonização [lido por Francisco em 13 de maio de 2017].
Um espaço especial é dedicado a João Paulo II, pois “a partir do dia 13 de maio de 1981 [data do atentado de Ali Agca, na Praça de S. Pedro], a sua vida nunca mais ficou desligada [de Fátima] e tinha um grande carinho por esta causa, sobretudo pela Jacinta”, lembrou Ângela Coelho.
“We have some very precious relics here, which are fragments of John Paul II’s hair. We have a pectoral cross, a skullcap, a scarf and some shoes that he also gave. And we have one of his rosaries, which he gave and which was the first object to be placed in the Casa das Candeias before the inauguration,” she said, before drawing attention to the photograph of the pontiff’s last public appearance at the window of the papal apartment, when he could no longer speak.
Finally, reliquaries in the shape of lamps contain fragments of Jacinta’s hair and a rib from Francisco.
“When the children come here, they immediately identify with them [the little shepherds], because they are their own age, and this alone is a great surprise for many,” he said.
Ângela Coelho also expressed great satisfaction that the cult of Francisco and Jacinta is growing, “because of a sign that is very significant, which is that parishes, institutions, religious groups are asking for relics to place in their chapels or parishes. There are lots of requests all over the world”.
On the other hand, there are “chapels or altars in the parishes that are being dedicated to the little shepherds”.
For the future, Casa das Candeias could be included in the itinerary that pilgrims already follow, with a trip to Aljustrel, Valinhos or Loca do Cabeço, “concrete spaces where they experienced” the apparitions.
“This is an opportunity to get to know the spirituality behind the objects or spaces. Including the Casa das Candeias in this itinerary of the houses of the seers is very enriching for the pilgrims,” said the director.
