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Margaret33
Guest
And my daughter’s favorite is… St Maria Goretti 
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C
Cadellin
Guest
Short of Our Lady it has to be St Maria Goretti. Why? Because her story is one of matyrdom, forgiveness and reconcilliation in a way few other stories are.
Maria Goiretti was not quite 12 years old, and very mature looking for her age, when 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli tried to get her to go to bed with him. She refused on the grounds it would offend God. Alessandro persisted over time and took to threatening her with a knife. She continued to refuse. He got fed up eventually and stabbed her. Maria spent the following 24 hours in agony in hospital before dying. In her final agony - like Christ in his final agony, likewise inflicted with wounds - Maria asked God to forgive Alessandro.
Maria held out to the end heroically and died in triumph. The story of a saint’s life usually ends in such triumph, but not in the case of Maria Goretti.
Alessandro was tried and sent to prison for 30 years. He raged against the church initially, but then one night he had a dream of Maria. She gave him some lillies, one for each stab wound he inflicted on her. The lillies began to glow like candle flames. In this experience Alessandro felt Maria’s forgiveness. After that he repented and became a model prisoner. He was released four years early. He then found work as a builder and worked for nine years untill he had enough money to go back to Maria’s mother, Assunta, and ask for her forgiveness. Assunta forgave him because, she said, Maria had done so and on Christmas Day 1937 Assunta and the murderer of her daughter went to Midnight Mass together.
On 24 June 1950 Maria Goretti was canonised. Her mother was present at the ceremony, the first mother ever to be present at the canonisation of her child. Sitting beside Assunta was none other than Alessandro, Maria’s murderer.
Alessandro worked as a gardner in a monastery until his death in 1969. His last words were, ‘I’m going to be with Maria.’
That has to be the most beautiful saint’s story ever.
(Sorry for such a long reply when all the others are short ones, but this saint really touches me, so deeply and so intensely. Why? I don’t know, but then that probably what makes her a saint.)
Maria Goiretti was not quite 12 years old, and very mature looking for her age, when 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli tried to get her to go to bed with him. She refused on the grounds it would offend God. Alessandro persisted over time and took to threatening her with a knife. She continued to refuse. He got fed up eventually and stabbed her. Maria spent the following 24 hours in agony in hospital before dying. In her final agony - like Christ in his final agony, likewise inflicted with wounds - Maria asked God to forgive Alessandro.
Maria held out to the end heroically and died in triumph. The story of a saint’s life usually ends in such triumph, but not in the case of Maria Goretti.
Alessandro was tried and sent to prison for 30 years. He raged against the church initially, but then one night he had a dream of Maria. She gave him some lillies, one for each stab wound he inflicted on her. The lillies began to glow like candle flames. In this experience Alessandro felt Maria’s forgiveness. After that he repented and became a model prisoner. He was released four years early. He then found work as a builder and worked for nine years untill he had enough money to go back to Maria’s mother, Assunta, and ask for her forgiveness. Assunta forgave him because, she said, Maria had done so and on Christmas Day 1937 Assunta and the murderer of her daughter went to Midnight Mass together.
On 24 June 1950 Maria Goretti was canonised. Her mother was present at the ceremony, the first mother ever to be present at the canonisation of her child. Sitting beside Assunta was none other than Alessandro, Maria’s murderer.
Alessandro worked as a gardner in a monastery until his death in 1969. His last words were, ‘I’m going to be with Maria.’
That has to be the most beautiful saint’s story ever.
(Sorry for such a long reply when all the others are short ones, but this saint really touches me, so deeply and so intensely. Why? I don’t know, but then that probably what makes her a saint.)
M
MrsCinMI
Guest
St. Luke and St. Monica.
It started with a miracle back in the early 90’s on a Sunday evening. This guy I had a crush on took me on a date to a rural chapel all decked out for Christmas - It was Beautiful! So was he, along with vain & pompous. I missed church that morning, and as he was praying at the alter, I looked like mad for the day’s readings, but there were no hymnals, nothing on the walls, just Bibles - and no reference to the year in the back! UGH! I felt guilty and sad, asked God to forgive me for being so lazy, and just sat there feeling crummy. I then heard a male voice (not my date’s
) say to open the Bible and with a prayful heart, read the Bible as a prayer. Slightly freaked out, I did what I was told, and I opened the Bible and began to read.
I opened it to a random page and began reading. 'And Jesus taught them to pray, ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven…’
So I read/prayed the Our Father and a few minutes into Luke’s Gospel. I thanked Jesus, and thanked St Luke for writing this stuff down. And sat there pondered all this (actually, I was quietly freaking out) while my date finished up praying. (You try to randomly open up on this verse - not easy.)
No, we didn’t go on another date,and I wasn’t that sad about it either.
St. Monica is my Confirmation name, and she is a good role model: the power of prayer, faithful committment to God, love of your family, perserverance, living the Christian Life, bringing her child to God. So much she has done. I like what she’s done with her life, and I hope to meet her and her son, St. Augustine, as well as St. Luke.
Mrs. C.
It started with a miracle back in the early 90’s on a Sunday evening. This guy I had a crush on took me on a date to a rural chapel all decked out for Christmas - It was Beautiful! So was he, along with vain & pompous. I missed church that morning, and as he was praying at the alter, I looked like mad for the day’s readings, but there were no hymnals, nothing on the walls, just Bibles - and no reference to the year in the back! UGH! I felt guilty and sad, asked God to forgive me for being so lazy, and just sat there feeling crummy. I then heard a male voice (not my date’s
) say to open the Bible and with a prayful heart, read the Bible as a prayer. Slightly freaked out, I did what I was told, and I opened the Bible and began to read.I opened it to a random page and began reading. 'And Jesus taught them to pray, ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven…’
So I read/prayed the Our Father and a few minutes into Luke’s Gospel. I thanked Jesus, and thanked St Luke for writing this stuff down. And sat there pondered all this (actually, I was quietly freaking out) while my date finished up praying. (You try to randomly open up on this verse - not easy.)
No, we didn’t go on another date,and I wasn’t that sad about it either.
St. Monica is my Confirmation name, and she is a good role model: the power of prayer, faithful committment to God, love of your family, perserverance, living the Christian Life, bringing her child to God. So much she has done. I like what she’s done with her life, and I hope to meet her and her son, St. Augustine, as well as St. Luke.
Mrs. C.
F
frail
Guest
Saint Philomena. For never denying Christ even in the face of great trials.
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Margaret33
Guest
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koinonia_girl
Guest
Padre Pio
What a Priest!! His life story is amazing. Suffered the stigmata for 50 years. Heard confessions sometimes for 15 to 18 hours a day or more.He was gruff at times but always loved and served our Lord. Had difficultys with the Church at times but never never gave up.There are plenty of books about him he died in 1967 I think. There also is a new movie that was made in the last year you can get it a Ignatious Press. Pope John Paul 2 cannonized him.
There are so many wonderful Saints.
God Bless
What a Priest!! His life story is amazing. Suffered the stigmata for 50 years. Heard confessions sometimes for 15 to 18 hours a day or more.He was gruff at times but always loved and served our Lord. Had difficultys with the Church at times but never never gave up.There are plenty of books about him he died in 1967 I think. There also is a new movie that was made in the last year you can get it a Ignatious Press. Pope John Paul 2 cannonized him.
There are so many wonderful Saints.
God Bless
K
koinonia_girl
Guest
E
emrys250
Guest
St. Josemaria Escriva
“Don’t say, ‘That’s the way I am—its my character.’ It’s your lack of character. Esto vir!—Be a man!”
“Your duty is to sanctify yourself. Yes, even you. Who thinks that this task is only for priests and religious? To everyone, without exception, our Lord said: Be ye perfect, as my heavenly Father is perfect.”
“Don’t say, ‘That’s the way I am—its my character.’ It’s your lack of character. Esto vir!—Be a man!”
“Your duty is to sanctify yourself. Yes, even you. Who thinks that this task is only for priests and religious? To everyone, without exception, our Lord said: Be ye perfect, as my heavenly Father is perfect.”
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