Blessed Franco Grotti

Blessed Franco Grotti – December 11th

Franco was born in the town of Grotti near Siena, Italy. He grew to be a lazy, nasty-tempered teenager who would not obey anyone. When his father died, Franco became worse than ever. He spent all his time and all his money in sinful acts and in gambling. Then he got into serious trouble, and to avoid being brought to trial on a murder charge, he joined up with a band of raiders.

In the company of these outlaws, Franco became a first-class criminal. He lived so wickedly that by the time half his life was over, he had ruined his health.

Franco Grotti was fifty years old when he suddenly became blind, and this event made him start examining himself. He began to think about what life is, and he took a good look at the kind of man he had become. Sorrow filled his heart. He made a good confession of his whole life and then set out on a long, hard trip to the Shrine of St. James in Spain. There his blindness was cured, but Franco by now was a completely different man who never again would go back to his evil ways.

One day, while he was praying in a Carmelite church, our Blessed Mother came to tell him that he must do penance and make up for the terrible scandal he had given to the people of Siena by his great sins. At once, Franco began going through the streets dressed like a penitent and whipping himself. By now he was sixty-five, but he still humbly begged the Carmelite monks to accept him into their order. They told him to try again in five years, because they were afraid to accept him. Who could forget what a terrible man he had been! But Franco did not give up, and at last they let him enter as a lay-brother.

Blessed Franco lived ten more years. That was time enough for him to give such wonderful examples of fervent penance that all the monks and people were amazed. He even received the grace of heavenly visions and of working miracles. Devotion to him began right after he died.

So how good God is! He is so patient and so merciful that as soon as a sinner turns to Him and sincerely asks for pardon, God fills that soul with blessings and graces.

St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross – November 24th

John was born in Spain and was the son of a poor weaver. He went to school for poor children and became a servant to the director of a hospital. For seven years, John worked as a servant while also studying at a Jesuit college. Even as a youth, he liked to do penance, and when he was twenty-one, his love of God prompted him to enter the Carmelite Order.

With St. Teresa of Avila, St. John was chosen by God to bring a new spirit of fervor among religious. But his life was full of trials. Although he succeeded in opening new monasteries where his holy way of life was practiced, he himself was criticized and even thrown into prison. He was beaten and made to suffer terribly by his enemies. At one time, too, he had fierce temptations. God seemed to have left him alone, and he suffered greatly.

Yet when these storms of trouble passed, the Lord rewarded his faithful servant by giving him deep peace and joy of heart. John was very close to his God. In fact, the Blessed Mother herself showed John how to escape from his prison cell!

St. John had a marvellous way with sinners. Once when a beautiful but sinful woman tried to make him do wrong, he talked to her so well that she was led to change her life. Another lady, instead, had such a sharp temper that she was nicknamed “the terrible.” Yet St. John knew how to calm her down by his kind manners.

Every time he could, this Saint chose what would bring him the most suffering. He prayed God to let him suffer every day for love of Jesus, and in reward, Our Lord revealed Himself to St. John in a special way.

St. John is famous for his spiritual books which show us how to grow close to God.

Today, if I have something to suffer, I will be patient.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila – October 15th

As a little girl in her parents’ rich home in Spain, Teresa and her brother Rodrigo loved to read the lives of the saints and martyrs. It seemed to them that the martyrs got to Heaven an easy way, so the two of them set out secretly to go to the land of the Moors. As they walked along, they prayed that they might die for Christ. But they had not gotten far when they met an uncle, who at once took them back to their worrying mother! Next the two little ones decided to be hermits in their garden, but they never could get enough stones together to build their huts!

St. Teresa herself wrote down these amusing stories of her childhood. The fact is that when she grew to be a teenager, however, she read so many novels and foolish romances that she lost much of her love for prayer, and she began to think more of dressing up to look pretty. But after she recovered from a bad illness, Teresa read a book about the great St. Jerome, and then and there, she made up her mind to become a Bride of Christ.

As a nun, St. Teresa often found it hard to pray and besides that, she was quite sick for some time. In those days many visitors used to come to the convent to talk with the nuns; and this practice, too, made it difficult for the Sisters to keep closely united to God. Teresa, like many others nuns, wasted much time this way. But one day, in front of a picture of Jesus, she felt great sorrow that she did not love God more. She started then to live for Him alone, no matter what sacrifice had to be made. In return for her love, Our Lord gave St. Teresa the privilege of hearing Him talk to her. She learned to pray in a marvelous way, too, and she wrote down in obedience all that she had experienced.

St. Teresa of Avila is very famous for having opened new Carmelite convents in which no worldly conversations with visitors disturbed their prayer. Her nuns made many sacrifices for Jesus and worked and prayed with great love. She herself gave them the example, not only by the way she prayed, but by the way she worked in spinning, cleaning, and sweeping the house.

Always St. Teresa placed all her hopes in God. Once in opening a new Convent, she had just a few coins to her name. “Teresa and this money are nothing,” she said. “But God, Teresa and this money are enough.” With a man-like courage, a heart full of love of God, and a wonderful sense of humor, this marvelous nun performed a great service for Christ’s Church.

From the life of this Saint, as well as of many other saints, we can see how the reading of books can change a person. From now on I resolve to choose good books as gifts for my family and friends.

St. Theresa of Lisieux

St. Theresa of Lisieux - Patroness of Foreign Missions and of Aviators

- October 3rd

St. Theresa, often called the Little Flower, was the youngest of the five daughters born to Louis and Zelie Martin. She was a very lively, lovable little girl, whose father called her his “little queen.” Yet she was quite sensitive and touchy, and in the story she wrote of her life, she tells how the Infant Jesus helped her overcome this defect.

It was Theresa’s great desire to enter the Carmelite convent where two of her sisters were already nuns. But since she was only fifteen, permission was not granted. Theresa felt sure that Jesus wanted her to spend her life loving Him alone, so she kept praying and asking to be admitted. She even dared to ask the Pope himself to grant her heart’s desire. And finally she was allowed to enter.

Although she was only fifteen, St. Theresa did not expect to be babied. “Obedience, prayer and sacrifice” were her program. She had a thirst to suffer for the love of God, and she had the spiritual courage of real heroine. “May Jesus make me a martyr of the heart or of the body-or even better, both!” she wrote, and she meant it. Whenever she suffered from the bitter cold in her plain cell or whenever she was humiliated, she would offer her pain to her beloved Jesus and hide it under a smile. She called herself Jesus’ little ball, and told Him to do with her whatever He pleased.

St. Theresa was very humble, and she called her great confidence in God her “little way” to sanctity. She always had a burning desire to become a saint and wanted to find a “short cut,” an “elevator” to take her quickly to sanctity. So she looked in the Holy Bible, and found the words, “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me.” When she lay dying, she could say: “I have never given the good God anything but love, and it is with love that He will repay. After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth.”

St. Theresa taught us her LITTLE WAY. Yes, it is a small and yet a great thing to offer Jesus the flowers of our little sacrifices moment by moment.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

- July 16th

Mt. Carmel is a mountain in Palestine. It became famous when the prophet Elias, who lived before Our Lord was born, worked a great miracle there. For many years there had been no rain in that land, and everything was dying. Elias went up Mt. Carmel to beg the Lord to send the rain, and his prayer was answered.


Much later, after Pentecost, some of the Jews who had become Christians decided to build a shrine on Mt. Carmel in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. There, several times a day, they went to pray together. For this reason the people started to call them “friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.” This was the way the Carmelite Order was begun.


Many, many years later, St. Simon Stock, an Englishmen, became Superior of all the Carmelites. Since they were bring persecuted, he prayed with great confidence to Our Lady. In her goodness, she appeared to St. Simon and gave him the brown scapular, promising her protection to all those who would wear the blessed habit. Many miracles proved her words.


St. Pius X said that the same blessings could be had by wearing the scapular medal, which has a picture of Our Lady of the Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other.


Let us wear the holy scapular or medal. We will be protected by Our Lady in life and helped by her in death. And after death, she will bring us to Heaven.

St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi

St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi - May 29th

This Italian Saint was the only daughter of very rich parents. When she was fourteen, she became a boarder at a convent school, and there she grew to love life in a religious house. But about a year later, her father took her home and began to think of choosing a rich husband for her. Her heart, however, was set on becoming a nun, and she told her parents that three years before she had already made a vow of chastity. They could not believe it, but finally they let her enter the Carmelite convent. Only fifteen days later, however, they came and took her home, hoping to make her change her mind. After three months of trying, they gave up and let her go back for good, with their blessings.

As a novice, St. Mary Magdalen fell very sick and was permitted to make her profession ahead of time. Since she was suffering greatly, one of the sisters asked her how could she stand the pain without a word. The Saint pointed to the crucifix and said: “See what the great love of God has suffered for my salvation. This same love sees my weakness and gives me strength.”

St. Mary Magdalen had great sufferings her whole life, and she also had very strong temptations to impurity and to greed for food. She overcame everything by her great love of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and for Mary. Often she ate only bread and water, and practiced other mortifications. Moreover, her love for Jesus became so great that she would say, “Lord, let me suffer or let me die.” With tears she would pray and offer her pains for sinners and pagans, right up until she died. She once said: “O my Jesus, if I had a voice loud and strong enough to be heard in every part of the world, I would cry out to make you known and loved by everyone!”

Our love for God and for souls will grow, too, if we look at the crucifix from time and think of how Jesus loved us.

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation - April 18th

Beautiful Barbara Acarie was a French girl who was married when she was seventeen. God sent her six children, and her home was a happy one. She was a very good wife and mother. All her children, her husband, and her servants, too, learned from her a great love for prayer and works of charity.

Once, when her husband was accused of a crime, Barbara herself saved him. She went to court, and all alone proved that he was not guilty.

Although she was so busy with her own family, she always found time to feed starving people, to teach heretics about the faith, to help the sick and dying, and to encourage sinners to change their ways.

When her husband died, Barbara entered the Carmelite Order. Her three daughters were Carmelites, too. Barbara’s new name as a sister was Sister Mary of the Incarnation. She joyfully worked in the kitchen among the pots and pans. When her own daughter became a superior, Blessed Mary willingly obeyed her. So humble was she that as she was dying, she said: “The Lord forgive me the bad example I have given.” But the truth was that she had only done good all her life.

God gives everyone the grace to become a saint in his state in life. Let us, then, pray so that we will do in life what god wants us to do.