BIG C CATHOLICS

He loves, He hopes, He waits. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting an instant. —  St. Maria Goretti __________________________________________ Prayer for St. Maria Goretti's Intercession Almighty God, author if innocence and lover of chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in her youth, grant, we pray, through her intercession, that, as you gave her a crown for her courage, so we, too, may be firm in obeying your commandments. Through Jesus Christ who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Saint Maria Goretti died on July 6, 1902. The following is excerpted from the homily by Pope Pius XII at her canonization Mass on June 24, 1950. It is found in the Divine Office of Readings for the Feast of St. Maria Goretti on July 6th. "It is well known how this young girl had to face a bitter struggle with no way to defend herself. Without warning a vicious stranger (actually Alessandro Serenelli who lived with his father in the same house as the Goretti's.) burst upon her, bent on raping her and destroying her childlike purity. In that moment of crisis she could have spoken to her Redeemer in the words of that classic, The Imitation of Christ: "Though tested and plagued by a host of misfortunes, I have no fear so long as your grace is with me. It is my strength, stronger than any adversary; it helps me and gives me guidance." With splendid courage she surrendered herself to God and his grace and so gave her life to protect her virginity. The life of this s

July 6th, is the optional memorial of Saint Maria Goretti. It is a rare thing for an immediate family member to be present at a saint’s canonization. It is even more uncommon for a murderer to be there as well—especially if that man was the one responsible for the death of the person being canonized. And yet, that is precisely what happened in 1950, when Pope Pius XII pronounced Maria Goretti a saint. Maria was born on October 16, 1890, in Corinaldo, Ancona, Italy, the eldest of five children. Her parents were poor sharecroppers and, in 1899 when Maria was only nine, her father Luigi moved the family to the tiny town of Ferriere, Italy, in hopes of finding work to feed his family. Little did he know that the business agreement he made there with a man known as Signor Serenelli would lead to such profound consequences for his oldest daughter. Serenelli had a son named Alessandro, who was older than Maria by six years. Although those who knew her often remarked on Maria’s “grace a

July 5th Years after Maria's death, when her assailant Alessandro was still in prison, she appeared to him in a dream, and forgave him once more. From that day forward, Alessandro experienced a conversion, repented of his sins, and went on to live a holy life, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother. St. Maria led him to God. Today we pray for the healing of those who have been sexually assaulted as well as for the contrition and conversion of their offenders. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 9 St. Maria Goretti, patron of the victims of rape and sexual exploitation, pray for all those who have been so offended. Intercede and pray for their healing, that they may experience comfort and peace. We pray that our society may be able to better protect those who are victimized and abused. We pray also that the perpetrators receive justice, but most of all, for their contrition and conversion. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O

July 4th Saint Maria was a deeply pious child. She couldn't read or write, but she learned her Catechism and received her First Communion just one year before she died. She attended Mass as often as she could. Today we pray that St. Maria will intercede for all children, that their faith may grow and prosper as hers did. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 8 St. Maria Goretti, patron of youth, please pray for the children in our lives and the youth across the world. that their faith may be as strong as yours when you were but a child. Help them prize their virtue and see their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Pray that we do all we can to support children in their faith, to encourage them to love our Lord, put Him first in their lives, and to follow Him. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in her youth, g

July 3rd When Maria was assaulted, her assailant Alessandro threatened to kill her if she did not submit to him. Maria refused. She would rather die than relinquish her virtue. Alessandro then stabbed her multiple times. Afterward, Maria was taken to the hospital where a team of doctors attempted heroically to save her life. Badly dehydrated due to her loss of blood, she begged for water, but was unable to receive it on account of complication from her wounds. Before surgery, a priest administered Last Rites, telling her that Our Lord also suffered from thirst during his agony on the Cross. He asked Maria if she would offer up her thirst to Jesus for the salvation of sinners. Maria agreed, and didn't ask for water again. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 6 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of christian suffering, pray for me. You carried your cross so courageously while you underwent surgery without anesthesia. You thirsted and were not able to be given wat

July 2nd Maria was born to a poor farming family in Italy, one of six children. Her father died when she was only 9 years old. After his death, Maria had to taking care of the rest of the children in the family while her mother worked. Maria also cooked and cleaned for their neighbors. Alessandro, her attacker, was her neighbor's son. In spite of having to take care of the children, cook and clean for her family and neighbors, it's said that she did so joyfully and with faith that God would provide. Today we pray that St. Maria will intercede for us to have faithful, holy lives. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 6 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of living a holy, everyday life, pray for us. We often feel as though our efforts must be extraordinary if we are to be a saint, but you show us another way. You show that we can achieve sainthood by loving our Lord completely, and serving others before ourselves. Please pray that we are selfless as you

July 1st It's said that St. Maria's greatest virtue was her forgiveness of her attacker, even in the midst of terrible physical suffering. That's why she is called the, "little saint of great mercy." St. Maria modeled Christ's mercy. We ask her help to do so also. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 5 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of mercy, pray for me. God’s mercy is the only hope for mankind. I know we are called to imitate our Father’s mercy to those around us, but it is hard, and I often fail. But you, even at a tender age, were strong and courageous enough to offer mercy to your attacker, the one who hurt you the very most. Pray that I will be able to do the same to those who hurt me. Pray that I will not consider their unworthiness, but only our Lord, as you did. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virg

June 30th Today we pray for chastity. It's something we are all called to practice, regardless of our vocation. The most basic definition of chastity is the virtue of saving sex for marriage and remaining open to life within marriage. The Catechism states that chastity allows us to imitate Jesus Christ in selfless love in everything we do. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 4 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of chastity, you guarded your virginity with such fervor. Even at the age of 11, you knew the value of the virtue of chastity. Pray that we practicing chastity in our own lives. Through your intercession, help us to conduct ourselves with modesty and humility, so as to make our desires subservient to reason and selflessly serve others in imitation of Christ our Lord. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in he

June 29th Today we pray that St. Maria Goretti will intercede for us to forgive those who sin against us. When Maria lay dying in the hospital, these were her last words: "I forgive Alessandro Serenelli (her attacker) and I want him with me in heaven forever." St. Maria forgave the man who killed her. May we forgive as she did. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 3 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of love, your love for God was so clear in how you cared for your family during such hardships and in how much you loved your enemies even while you were dying. At a tender age, you understood what it meant to love the Lord and to love your neighbor as yourself. Pray for me, that I may be able to do the same. Pray that I will be able to serve my family joyfully, and others who need my help. Most of all, pray that Jesus will enter my heart. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace

June 28th Today we pray that St. Maria Goretti will intercede for us to grow in our love of the Lord, our neighbor, and even our enemies. Maria's neighbor attacked her when she was only 11 years old. It was he who tried to rape her, and who ended up killing her. Yet, because she loved the Lord so greatly, Maria forgave him. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 2 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of love, your love for God was so clear in how you cared for your family during such hardships and in how much you loved your enemies even while you were dying. At a tender age, you understood what it meant to love the Lord and to love your neighbor as yourself. Pray for me, that I may be able to do the same. Pray that I will be able to serve my family joyfully, and others who need my help. Most of all, pray that Jesus will enter my heart. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyr

June 27th Saint Maria Goretti is the Church's youngest canonized saint. She was born near Ancona, Italy into a poor peasant family. Known for her cheerfulness and piety, Maria attended Mass often and loved God completely. At the age of 11, she was assaulted by her neighbor's son. Marie chose to die rather than lose her virginity. Enraged by her refusal, Maria's attacker stabbed her nine times. Before she died, she forgave her assailant. Her mother was present at Saint Peter's in 1950, the first time a parent witnessed their child's canonization. Over one half million souls attended St. Maria's canonization Mass, the largest attendance up to that time. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Today, we pray for purity. The Catechism states that purity of heart enables one to see according to God and to accept others as our brothers & sisters in Christ. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 1 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model

Saint Maria Goretti is the Church's youngest canonized saint. She was born near Ancona, Italy into a poor peasant family. Known for her cheerfulness and piety, Maria attended Mass often and loved God completely. At the age of 11, she was assaulted by her neighbor's son. Marie chose to die rather than lose her virginity. Enraged by her refusal, Maria's attacker stabbed her nine times. Before she died, she forgave her assailant. Her mother was present at Saint Peter's in 1950, the first time a parent witnessed their child's canonization. Over one half million souls attended St. Maria's canonization Mass, the largest attendance up to that time. St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 1 St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of purity, you defended your virginity unto death. Even at a young age, you held dear to your heart what is dear to our Lord's: your purity. Pray that we may do the same, especially when faced with temptation. Through your intercession

On July 6th, the Church celebrates the feast of its youngest canonized saint. Saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902) was born in Corinaldi, Italy, the third of seven children to a poor peasant family. Known for her cheerful piety, Maria grew in many virtues. When she was nine, her father, Luigi Goretti, died from malaria. To make ends meet, the Gorettis shared a house with Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro. Maria took over household responsibilities while her mother, brothers, and sister worked in the fields. Dispensing her duties, Maria was a source of encouragement, never complaining about her chores. Alessandro Serenelli noticed Maria's beauty and began to have impure thoughts. He would speak cruelly and make sexual advances toward her often. Maria always rebuked him saying, "No, never, that is a sin! God forbids that and we would go to hell!" The harassment continued for months. On July 5, 1902, Alessandro approached Maria and demanded she submit to him. Maria

July 5, 2016 Years after Maria's death, when Alessandro (her attacker) was in prison, Maria appeared to Alessandro in a dream, and forgave him once more. From that day forward, Alessandro experienced a conversion, repented of his sins, and went on to live a holy life, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother. Today we pray for the healing of those who have been sexually assaulted as well as for the contrition and conversion of their attackers. Day 9 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, patron of victims of rape, please pray for all those who have been sexually assaulted. Please pray for their healing, for comfort, and for peace for them. Please pray that we, as a society, may be able to better protect those who are victimized. Please pray for justice for their attackers, but most of all, for their contrition and conversion. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the g

July 4, 2016 Maria was a pious child. She couldn't read or write, but she learned her Catechism and received her First Communion just one year before she died. She attended Mass as often as she could. Today we pray that St. Maria will intercede for all children, that their faith may grow and prosper as hers did. Day 8 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, patron of youth, please pray for the children in my life and the youth across the world. Please pray that their faith may be as strong as yours was when you were 11 years old. Please pray that I may do what I can to support children in their faith, and to encourage them to love our Lord, to put Him first in their lives, and to follow His commandments Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in her youth, grant, we pray, through her intercession, that,

July 3, 2016 Shortly after being attacked, Maria was taken to the hospital where doctors tried to save her. She was badly dehydrated due loss of blood, and she begged for water. They were unable to give her any because doing so would have made her condition worse. Before surgery, a parish priest was called to administer Last Rites. The priest showed Maria a crucifix and told her that Jesus was also very thirsty as he suffered on the cross. He asked Maria if she would offer up her thirst to Jesus for the salvation of sinners. Maria agreed, and didn't ask for water again. Today we pray today that St. Maria will intercede for us to offer up our sufferings for the greater glory of God. Day 7 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of christian suffering, pray for me. You carried your cross so courageously while you suffered through surgery without anesthesia. You thirsted and were not able to be given water, and you accepted that cross bec

July 2, 2016 Maria was born to a poor farming family in Italy. She was one of six children. Her father died when she was only 9 years old. After his death, Maria had to begin taking care of the rest of the children in the family while her mother worked. Maria also had to cook and clean for their neighbors. Alessandro, her attacker, was her neighbor's son. In spite of having to take care of the children, cook and clean for her family and neighbors, it's said that she did all of this joyfully and with faith that God would provide. Today we pray that St. Maria will intercede for us to have faith and to live a holy life. Day 6 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of living a holy, everyday life, pray for me. I often feel as though my life must be extraordinary if I am to be a saint, but you show me another way. You show me that I can be a saint if I love our Lord with all my heart, and if I serve my family and put them before me. Pl

July 1, 2016 It's said that St. Maria's greatest virtue was her forgiveness of her attacker, even in the midst of terrible physical suffering. That's why she is called the, "little saint of great mercy." St. Maria modeled Christ's mercy. We ask her today to help us to do the same. Day 5 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of mercy, pray for me. God’s mercy is the only hope for mankind. I know we are called to imitate our Father’s mercy to those around us, but it is hard, and I often fail. But you, even at the age of 11, were strong and courageous enough to offer mercy to your attacker, the one who hurt you the very most. Please pray that I will be able to do the same to those who hurt me. Please pray that I will not consider their unworthiness, but that I may consider our Lord, as you did. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the

June 30, 2016 Today we pray for chastity. It's something we are all called to practice, regardless of our vocation. The Catechism states that chastity allows us to imitate Jesus Christ in selfless love.  Day 4 - The St. Maria Goretti Novena O St. Maria Goretti, beautiful model of chastity, you guarded your virginity with such fervor. Even at the age of 11, you knew the value of the virtue of chastity. Please pray that I will become better at practicing chastity in my own life. Pray that I will learn to live a life in which desire is subservient to reason. Please pray that I will be able to love as Jesus does: selflessly. Please pray also for (mention your intentions here). Amen. O God, author of innocence and chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in her youth, grant, we pray, through her intercession, that, as you gave her a crown for her steadfastness, so we, too, may be firm in obeying your command