Lúcia Santos

Lúcia dos Santos, O.C.D. Sister Lúcia of Fátima
Lúcia dos Santos (standing) with her cousin, Jacinta Marto, 1917.
Religious, Servant of God
Born	Lúcia de Jesus dos Santos 28 March 1907 Aljustrel, Fátima Kingdom of Portugal
Died	13 February 2005 (aged 97) Convent of the Discalced Carmelites Coimbra, Portugal
Honored in	Catholic Church
Attributes	Visionary to the Marian apparitions at Fátima

Lúcia de Jesus dos Santos,O.C.D. (March 28, 1907 – February 13, 2005), also known as Lúcia of Fátima and by her religious name Sister Maria Lúcia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart, was a Portuguese Catholic Carmelite nun and one of the three children to witness the 1917 Marian apparitions in Fátima.

Lúcia was the youngest child of António dos Santos and Maria Rosa Ferreira (1869-1942), both from Aljustrel, who married on 19 November 1890. She had six brothers and sisters: Maria dos Anjos (1891-1986), Teresa de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, Manuel Rosa dos Santos (1895-1977), Glória de Jesus Rosa dos Santos (1898-1971), Carolina de Jesus Rosa dos Santos (1902-1992), Maria Rosa (died at birth). Although peasants, the Santos family was by no means poor, owning land "in the direction of Montelo, Our Lady of Ortiga, Fátima, Valinhos, Cabeço, Charneca, and Cova da Iria."

Even though Lúcia's birthday is registered as March 22, 1907, her actual date of birth is March 28. In those days it was required that parents bring their children for baptism on the eighth day after birth or face a fine, and, because March 30 was a more convenient day, the 22nd was chosen as her birthday. Lúcia later recalled that, at the time, no one attached much importance to one's birthday.

Lúcia's father António, by her report, was a hardworking and generous man. Lúcia remembered him telling fairy tales and singing folk songs, but he was also the one who first taught her to make the Sign of the Cross. Contrary to popular hagiographical accounts of the apparitions, he believed the children and there is some evidence that he conspired to make sure Lúcia got to the Cova for the visitations after her mother had forbidden it. Lúcia said that her father was not a particularly heavy drinker, but liked to socialize in the tavern. Because he did not like Fr. Ferreira, he went to church in a nearby town.

Maria Rosa was literate, although she never taught her children to read. She had a taste for religious literature and storytelling. She gave catechism lessons to her children and the neighbor's children, if they were there, at siesta time during the summer and especially around Lent. During the winter, catechism lessons took place after supper and around the fire. According to her mother, Lúcia repeated everything that she heard "like a parrot."