A Mom's Call to Holiness

Do you feel called to holiness?

Radio chat on the saints, motherhood, and Catholic stuff!

I'll be chatting with Dina Marie Hale this morning on KBVM Radio at 11:00 AM Eastern time. We'll be discussing the saints, motherhood, Mother Teresa, cool stories, and all kinds of good Catholic stuff! 

11:00 AM to 12:00 noon Eastern time

Catholic Broadcasting NW 88.3 FM KBVM

PO Box 5888; Portland, OR 97228

503-285-5200 ext. 305 – listen LIVE on: http://www.kbvm.fm

Happy feast of St. Maria Goretti!

"Asked if she forgave her murderer, she replied, 'Yes, for the love of Jesus I forgive him...and I want him to be with me in Paradise.'"~ Pope Pius XII

"One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria Goretti.
She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When she made her First Communion not long before her death at age 12, she was one of the larger and somewhat backward members of the class.

On a hot afternoon in July, Maria was sitting at the top of the stairs of her house, mending a shirt. She was not quite 12 years old, but physically mature. A cart stopped outside, and a neighbor, Alessandro, 18 years old, ran up the stairs. He seized her and pulled her into a bedroom. She struggled and tried to call for help, gasping that she would be killed rather than submit. “No, God does not wish it. It is a sin. You would go to hell for it.” Alessandro began striking at her blindly with a long dagger.

She was taken to a hospital. Her last hours were marked by the usual simple compassion of the good—concern about where her mother would sleep, forgiveness of her murderer (she had been in fear of him, but did not say anything lest she cause trouble to his family) and her devout welcoming of Viaticum. She died about 24 hours after the attack.

Her murderer was sentenced to 30 years in prison. For a long time he was unrepentant and surly. One night he had a dream or vision of Maria, gathering flowers and offering them to him. His life changed. When he was released after 27 years, his first act was to go to beg the forgiveness of Maria’s mother.

Devotion to the young martyr grew, miracles were worked, and in less than half a century she was canonized. At her beatification in 1947, her mother (then 82), two sisters and a brother appeared with Pope Pius XII on the balcony of St. Peter’s. Three years later, at her canonization, a 66-year-old Alessandro Serenelli knelt among the quarter-million people and cried tears of joy." (From American Saint.Org)

***
My prayer to St. Maria Goretti from my book Catholic Saints Prayer Book (OSV, 2008):

Dear St. Maria Goretti, you were a brave and holy young woman who knew the importance of preserving your purity for the glory of God. Please help young people everywhere understand the importance of staying close to God so they do not give in to the deceptive allurements of the world. Pray that they have the strength and ability to discern what is of God and what is not, so they one day reach Heaven. Dear Maria, your powerful forgiving love converted your attacker's heart and soul. Teach us all to be holy souls and to be forgiving to all. St. Maria Goretti, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid. If it is God's holy will, please grant me (here mention your request). Amen.

St. Bernadette Soubirous's feast day today

Saint Bernadette was the first saint I learned about. I was fascinated about her life of holiness and the fact that she was visited by the Blessed Mother.

Here's an excerpt from my book, Catholic Saints Prayer Book:

Marie Bernarde Soubirous was born at Lourdes,
France, on January 7, 1844. As a child she
was called Bernadette. She lived in bleak poverty with
her family, being uneducated and suffering from asthma.
On February 11, 1858, Bernadette went out to
collect firewood on the banks of the Gave River near
Lourdes. There, in a cave above the riverbank, the
young girl was granted a vision of a beautiful lady who
eventually identified herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When Bernadette revealed the vision to others,
they responded with severe skepticism and jealousy.

Bernadette received additional daily visions from February
18 through March 4, which drew curious
crowds once the word got out. The civil authorities
were hostile toward Bernadette and tried to frighten
her into recanting her story.
Bernadette persisted in her claims. On February
25, a spring began to flow at the cave where there was
previously none, and the water proved to be miraculous,
capable of healing the sick. In the vision on
March 25, the beautiful woman said to Bernadette,

“I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Our Lady directed the girl to have a chapel built
on the site. Many authorities tried to shut down the
spring and prevent the construction of the chapel. But
the influence and fame of the visions eventually
reached Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon
III, who made sure that construction went forward.
In 1866, Bernadette was sent to the Sisters of
Notre Dame in Nevers, where she became a sister of
the community. She was treated harshly by the mistress
of novices. Eventually it was discovered that
Bernadette suffered from a painful, incurable illness
and she died April 16, 1879.

Lourdes has become one of the major pilgrimage
destinations of the world. The spring continues to
produce miracles, as well as over 27,000 gallons of
20 water each week. After investigation, the apparitions
were approved by the Church. Bernadette was beatified
in 1925 and canonized in 1933.

Prayer to St. Bernadette

Dear St. Bernadette, how I would have loved to be
with you during your privileged times with the
Blessed Mother! Your unwavering faith, trust, and
humility are an awesome inspiration for us all. Please
pray for me to the Blessed Mother for the graces that
I need most. Pray that I can have an increase in faith
to do the things that God calls me to do, no matter
how contrary they may seem to the world. Remind
me to pray for the conversion of sinners, as you were
called to do. St. Bernadette, pray for us and for all
who invoke your aid. If it is in God’s holy will, please
grant me (here mention your request). Amen.


[Excerpt from Catholic Saints Prayer Book: Moments of Inspiration from Your Favorite Saints (Our Sunday Visitor, 2008) available at my website: www.donnacooperoboyle.com]