Sometimes our choices change our lives. In 1805, Elizabeth Seton chose to become a Catholic. This choice changed her life and ours.
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Sometimes our choices change our lives. In 1805, Elizabeth Seton chose to become a Catholic. This choice changed her life and ours.
Born in 1870 in a small town in Spain, Genoveva had a difficult childhood. By the time she was eight, her parents and four of her brothers and sisters had died. When she was 13, doctors had to amputate her leg because of an infection.
André Bessette was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1845. By the time he was 12 he was an orphan who had to take care of himself. He traveled to the United States and worked for a time in a textile mill in New England. But he soon returned home to Canada with a dream of entering religious life.
Hardship and danger can deter some people. But for St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, hardship and danger gave rise to an active and purposeful life.
Do you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37? Mother Marianne of Molokai brought Jesus’ story to life in her ministry to the lepers of Hawaii.
Marianne Cope was born Barbara Koob in Germany in 1838. When she was two years old, her family emigrated to the United States, to upstate New York, to find a better life. After eighth-grade graduation, she worked in a factory to earn money to help her family. Her dream of becoming a nun had to be delayed until her younger brothers and sisters could support themselves. She joined the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse when she was 24.
Maria Domenica Mantovani was born in 1862 in a small Italian village. Two things were always important to Maria: her love for God and her desire to help others. Her parish priest, Blessed Giuseppe Nascimbeni, encouraged her to teach religion classes to younger children, visit the sick, and join in parish activities. Maria asked our Blessed Mother Mary to guide her in all that she did.
María Domenica Mantovi nació en 1862 en una pequeña villa italiana. Dos cosas siempre fueron importante para María: su amor por Dios y su deseo de ayudar a los demás. Su párroco, el Beato Guiuseppe Nascimbeni, la animaba a que enseñara clases de religión a niños pequeños, a que visitara a los enfermos, y a unirse a las actividades parroquiales. María le pidió a nuestra Madre Santísima que la guiara en todo lo que hacía.
Paula Montal Fornés de San José de Calasanz was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1799. She was the oldest of five daughters. Her father died when she was only 10, and Paula had to go to work to help her mother support the family. She also helped her mother raise her younger sisters. Paula was disappointed that she could not attend school. She promised God that she would devote her life to the Christian education of girls and young women.
John of God knew that many poor people could not take care of themselves. Often if poor people got sick, no one helped them get better. John thought that animals were taken care of better than these poor and sick people. He decided to do something about it. Today he is the patron saint of the sick, nurses, and hospitals.
Rita was born in a small village near Cascia, Italy, in 1381. Her parents had waited many years for a child, and they gave thanks to God for Rita’s birth. As a child, Rita often visited the nuns at the Augustinian convent in town and hoped to be able to join them one day. Rita’s parents had other plans for her. It was the custom in Rita’s time for parents to arrange marriages for their children.Rita was born in a small village near Cascia, Italy, in 1381. Her parents had waited many years for a child, and they gave thanks to God for Rita’s birth. As a child, Rita often visited the nuns at the Augustinian convent in town and hoped to be able to join them one day.