Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person's good.
-Pope Saint John Paul II
Friendships feed our souls in a very particular way. During these times of social distancing, fall out from a global pandemic, and the ensuring separation we've experienced from our friends and family, we have a special place to turn to for friendship.
The holy women of our Catholic Faith: the Saints, the venerables, the servants of God. We have reason to believe through the Church's guidance that these multitude of unique, relatable, remarkable women are worshipping before the throne of God, taking our intentions before Him. They want us to join them in Heaven, after all.
The Saints, Our Friends
We've assembled a grouping of a dozen women who fit this description, lived in the last century or so, and span all walks of life from vocation to nearly every continent, to a plethora of challenges they faced. Eleven are lay women!
The complete discussion of their lives and reflections on how they lived the Works of Mercy out is available in our Misericordia study.
Let's get to know our heavenly friends better and allow a beautiful friendship (or friendships!) to blossom.
Find more companionship with our sister Saints
and be inspired by their Works of Mercy in Misericordia!
Saint Maria Goretti
Maria was a farm girl born into an Italian family in 1890 and is one of the youngest canonized Saints. Her father died when she was nine, and her poor family shared a farm and living quarters with another family. When she was twelve, the son of the other family Alessandro who was eighteen, attempted to rape her.
She fought back, shouting that it was a mortal sin and that she’d rather die than submit to him. He stabbed her nearly fifteen times, and she ultimately died from her wounds. Before she died, she forgave him and wished he would be in Heaven with her. The year was 1902.
This was a man who was unrepentant and uncommunicative for the first three years of his sentence until she appeared to him in a dream, handing him lilies. When he was released twenty-seven years later, he begged forgiveness from her mother. He lived a changed life, one of devotion to the faith and prayer.
As he stood there at her canonization surrounded by her mother, siblings, and hundreds of thousands of people, he wept for joy. It was her forgiving heart that visited his jail cell and brought him healing. May we bring love and healing to those imprisoned in our lives.
Friends with Saints Series // Maria Goretti #BISblog //Click to tweet
Saint Maria Goretti, pray for us.
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