Room 11
St. Faustina Room (Handicap Accessible)
In Loving Memory of Terry Huck, Adopted by his family
St. Faustina Room
St. Faustina was born on August 25,1905, in Glogowiec, Poland, into a poor and religious family. She was the third of ten children. Her father was a carpenter and a peasant.
St. Faustina was first called to the religious life at the age of seven, while attending the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Faustina worked as a housemaid to save money to pay for her religious habit to enter the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the age of twenty. She took the name Sister Maria Faustina.
Externally, nothing revealed her rich mystical life. St. Faustina had visions of Jesus and conversations with Him. St. Faustina was chosen by Our Lord as the “Apostle” and “ Secretary” of His Mercy so that she could tell the world about His great message. The Lord revealed to her the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and requested an image be made in His honor. Three purposes of the Divine Mercy Chaplet are to Obtain Mercy, to Trust in Christs Mercy and to Show mercy to Others.
Between 1934 and her death in 1938, St. Faustina recorded her conversations with Jesus in a diary that was later published in dozens of languages and led to the worldwide devotion to the Divine Mercy. In her diary, she herself recounts what the Lord worked in her for the benefit of all: listening to Him Who is Love and Mercy, no human wretchedness could measure itself against the mercy which ceaselessly pours out from the heart of Jesus.
St. Faustina was canonized on April 13, 2000 by St. John Paul II who had a great devotion to The Divine Mercy. St. Faustina is known as the Divine Mercy Image, Divine Mercy Sunday [the first Sunday after Easter] and the Divine Mercy Devotions. St. Faustina is the “Apostle of Divine Mercy.” St. Faustina’s Feast Day is October 5th.
St. Maria Goretti Room
St. Maria was born on October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, Province of Ancona, Italy, the third of seven children to a poor family. She died on July 6, 1902 at the age of eleven. She is an Italian virgin and martyr and one of the youngest saints canonized.
St. Maria Goretti was born into a farming family. After her father died when she was nine, her family shared a house with another family named Serenelli. Maria took over the household duties while her mother, brothers, and sister worked the fields.
One day while Maria was eleven, twenty year old Allesandro Serenelli made sexual advances to her. Maria refused to submit to him, knowing it was a sin against God. Alessandro stabbed Maria fourteen times. Maria was taken to the hospital where she later died, forgiving Alessandro. Alessandro was arrested, convicted, and jailed. Repenting during his imprisonment, he was released after twenty seven years. He visited Maria's mother asking for forgiveness. He later became a lay brother in a monastery. He died in 1970.
The Passionist especially venerate St. Maria Goretti. Her remains are kept in a crypt of the Passionist Basilica in Nettuno south of Rome.
St. Maria Goretti is represented in art as a wavy haired young girl in farmer clothes or a white dress with a bouquet of lilies in her hands. Lilies and white garments are traditional icons of virginity.
St. Maria Goretti was beatified in 1947 by Pope Pius XII. She was canonized a saint in 1950 outside of St Peter's Basilica with Alessandro present. Her feast day is on July 6. She is a patroness of chastity, rape victims, girls, poverty, purity, and forgiveness.
St. Agnes Room
St. Agnes was a virgin and martyr who lived from 291-304, dying a martyr at the age of 12 or 13 at the hands of Emperor Diocletian. She was from a family of Roman nobility and raised by a Christian family.
St. Agnes refused to offer prayers and incense to Minerva, knowing that it would be a sin against God. The soldiers tied, tortured, and dragged her through the streets. One young Roman offered to marry her so she would be protected against further persecution. St Agnes replied,” I belong to my savior alone”, after which she lowered her head to the sword. The angels took her soul to heaven.
St. Agnes is shown in art with a lamb and a martyr's palm. The name Agnes comes from the Latin word angus, meaning lamb.
St. Agnes feast day is January 21. She is the patron saint of girls and chastity.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla Room
St. Gianna Beretta Molla was born October 4, 1922, the tenth of thirteen children. She died April 28, 1962.
St. Gianna enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She received her first Holy Communion on April 4,1928 and was confirmed on June 9, 1930. She began her studies in Milan in 1942. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia, eventually specializing in pediatrics.
Her medical career went in tandem with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, which gave her strength to come to the aid of others who required assistance. St Gianna dedicated herself to charitable work for the poor through involvement in Catholic Action and St Vincent De Paul groups.
While pregnant with her fourth child, St. Gianna developed uterine fibroids. She refused an abortion or hysterectomy which could have saved her life but would have sacrificed her baby. She developed septicemia and died. St Gianna’s daughter was saved because of her refusal for surgery.
St. Gianna was beatified on April 24.1994. Her four daughters are the only living children with a mother who has been canonized a saint. The daughter , born when St. Gianna gave her life, has become a doctor of geriatrics.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified on May 16,2004 by St. John Paul II at St Peters Square. Her feast day is on April 28. She is the patron of doctors, mothers, wives, families, and unborn children.
St. Elizabeth Room
St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born on July 7,1207 and died on November 17,1231 at the age of 24.
She was born into a noble family as a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary. Her ancestry included many noble figures of European nobility. She was an early member of the Third Order of Saint Francis and is honored as its patroness.
St. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14 to Louis IV of Thuringia. She was kind to her husband and loved her children. As a queen she felt that she should care for the people as if they were her own children. She welcomed the poor and sick to her palace. When they could not come to Elizabeth, then she would go to them carrying food in her cloak. Her husband, Louis IV, stopped her on the way to the hospital one day and asked her what she was carrying in her cloak. When Elizabeth opened her cloak, dozens of red and white roses tumbled out. To her husband this was a sign that Elizabeth was a saint. He was not troubled by her charity and supported it. Elizabeth built a hospital in Margurg for the poor and sick with money from her dowry.
St. Elizabeth is often depicted holding a basket of bread and other foods and also portraying roses. She was canonized on May 24,1235 by Pope Gregory IX.
Her feast day is November 17. She is patronage of hospitals, nurses, bakers, brides, countesses, dying children, exiles, homeless people, lace makers, and widows.
St. Anne Room
St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, wife of Joachim, and grandmother of Jesus. She was born in Bethlehem and married Joachim who was from Nazareth in Galilee. After twenty years of marriage they had no children. Once when Joachim overheard ridicule because of their childless state, he is said to have gone to the desert to plead with God to give them a child. After a time of fasting an angel appeared to assure Joachim that he and Anne would be given a child. They were to name her Mary and dedicate her to God.
After her birth Anne and Joachim dedicated Mary to God at the temple and Mary spent much of her childhood there.When she was fourteen they betrothed her to Joseph of Narareth.
St. Anne was a holy woman and was always praying. Her name means”full of grace”. She is depicted in art as teaching scripture to Mary. She is often portrayed wearing red and green representing love and life. She is not shown with adult Jesus so it is regarded that she died during Jesus’s youth. Her sister, Sobe, is the mother of Elizabeth.
St Anne's relics have been preserved and venerated in many cathedrals and monasteries dedicated to her name. We celebrate her feast on July 26.
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