Feast Day of St. Maria Goretti Activities

St. Maria Goretti

Feastday: July 6

Patron of youth, young women, purity, and victims of rape

Birth: 1890

Death: 1902

The life of St. Maria Goretti is an inspiration in the trust she had in God and the forgiveness she had shown to her attacker. This is a great lesson to teach to our children. Heer are a few quick fun activities you can do with your children on today's Feast Day of St. Maria Goretti.

Coloring Pages

This is a great book that is sold on amazon that you can purchase for future use here 

Here are a few pictures that you can print online at home

they came from this site here  if you have problem printing form my page 

St. Maria Goretti is sometimes pictured holding white lillies. The story behind this is from a dream that her attacker Alessandro had while he was in prison. The dream was so vivid he could not distinguish it from reality. The prison bars and walls fell away and his cell was a sunlit garden blooming with flowers. Towards him came a beautiful girl dressed in pure white. He said to himself: 'How is this? Peasant girls wear darkish clothes.' But he saw it was Marietta. She was walking among flowers, smiling, and without the least fear. He wanted to flee from her but could not. Marietta picked white lilies and handed them to him saying, 'Alessandro, take them!' He accepted the lilies, one by one, fourteen of them. But a strange thing took place. As he received them from her fingers, the lilies did not remain lilies but changed into so many flaming lights. There was a lily turned to purifying flame for every one of the 14 mortal blows he struck her on the fatal day in Ferriere. Marietta said smilingly, 'Alessandro, as I have promised, your soul shall someday reach me in heaven. 

Ultimate forgiveness and he was converted!

Handprint Lily Craft

   

What you'll need for this craft: 

Pencil

White card stock

Scissors

Green card stock

Hole punch

Green plastic straw

Tape

Yellow pipe cleaner

How to make it

Have your child trace his hand onto a piece of white card stock (regular paper works too but isn't as durable) and cut out the shape. Cut two double leaves from green card stock and punch holes in the centers where the leaves meet, as shown.

Curl the paper fingers and leaves by wrapping them around a pencil.

Wrap the hand around the top of a green plastic straw and secure it with tape. Slide the leaves onto the straw and tape them in place. For the flower's stamen, fold half of a yellow pipe cleaner in half and curl down the ends. Insert the folded end in the straw.

You can see this craft from Spoonful

St Maria Goretti Movie

There is also a movie that was done about her and you can purchase it on Amazon here 

Prayers for St. Maria Goretti

Traditional Prayer to St. Maria Goretti 1
Heroic and angelic Saint Maria Goretti, we knee before thee to honor thy persevering fortitude and to beg thy gracious aid.

Teach us a deep love for the precepts of our holy Church; help us to see in them the very voice of our Father in Heaven. May we persevere without stain our white baptismal robe of innocence.

May we who have lost this innocence, kneel humbly in Holy Penance; and with the absolution of the priest may the torrent of Christ's Precious Blood flow into our souls and give us new courage to carry the burning light of God's love through the dangerous highways of this life until Christ our King shall call us to the courts of Heaven.

Traditional Prayer to St. Maria Goretti 2
Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed thy blood and sacrifice life itself to defend thy virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.

God Bless! 

Jennifer 

What Popular Erotic "Romance" Is Teaching Our Children

      I was just browsing on Facebook today when I saw on the top right of my page what was "trending" today. Apparently they have picked the actors for the new 50 Shades of Grey movie. Now I am one of those people that will read books that are creating a buzz if I get a chance. Well one of my friends told me I needed to read the book 50 Shades of Grey. So I read it, and hated it. I had to push my way through the other 2 books because I like to review books on websites and wanted to make sure I finished it. Now yes there were very sexual scenes in the book , I skipped as much as I could and would try to find where they were "done". But I was also able to get an idea of what the main character wanted in a "physical" relationship. 

    I sometimes fell like I and the only woman that thinks 50 Shades of Grey books were poorly written and no where close to romantic in anyway. This was a prime example of an abusive and controlling relationship. Women want to know why men are more abusive and controlling in today's society because books like this make them think this is want you want. Law & Order: SVU actually created an episode off this idea from books like this. I have been in a physical and emotionally abusive relationship before and this is something I will never want to experience ever again and never want any type of actions to simulate this. 

     Just imagine all the pre-teen/teenagers that have read these books and are going to see this movie. Teach them that this is what they want. Just like the horribly obsessed, controlling, stalking vampire in the Twilight series, with a female character that thought she was nothing without him. This is not romance. Why as woman do we feel the need to step down and degrade ourselves for love, why do you want to be controlled. What happened to being equal and strong in a relationship. 

     Its hard to find strong female characters in books now a days. Please if you love this book then love it - but think if you have or would have a daughter, would want them to be in relationship, of control like this. Because I know for sure that I don't want my daughter to look up to any of these female characters or be in a relationship like this. Nor would I want my son to think this is the way he needs to treat woman to make them happy or fulfill their physical needs. When you think about it, it goes both ways for men and woman on this one. Maybe if woman stopped reading what you call "romance" novels and spent more time with your husband you might get the romance you need...and usually its not even physical that you need. I have read some amazing books that never needed sex or dominance to express a beautiful romance. 

     But sadly this is what society wants. This is what they want to teach our children, this is the new normal. I had a woman ask me "Well what am I supposed to do if my 13 year old daughter wants to read it?" The answer for me is easy, Be a parent, not their friend! Don't buy the book, don't let her read it. Yes she could hide it from you and read it at school or at a friends house. Well if you don't have open communication with your child's teacher or her friends parents then you might have another problem as well. Parents for some reason just don't want to get to involved in their teenager(even earlier) lives or walk on egg shells because their child needs to "express themselves" or say "at least they are reading". For me those all just sound like excuses. What happened to the society where we watched Little House On the Prairie, The Waltons, The Brady Bunch, Saved by the Bell, The Wonder Years and started watching reality TV,  Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girls. Do I even need to watch the shows to even decided if they would teach my teenager strong morals and values based just on the titles of the shows themselves, and the little I have seen in previews. 

     For those of us who homeschool I feel like we are given a gift to be able to guide our children on a more moral and spiritual path then their peers that are in a school environment. There are also amazing parents who can do that as well in a school environment. People say I am too controlling and monitor my kids too much....Really, well thank you! I am their parent that's what my job is, what do you do??? This is not how it should be, but is sadly reality. We can change this though and one of the most important thing we can do is pray! We can pray in any sort of challenge we face. Praying for our children is the greatest form of love I believe we can show. Here are a few prayers in different situations to help us guide our children in this challenging world.
God Bless 


A Mother’s Prayer to the Guardian Angel of her child

Holy Guardian of my child,

from the first moment that I conceived

You were made by the all loving God,

Guardian and Protector of my child.

Guide this child in all his(her) ways.

Show him(her) the will of God,

Teach him(her) the commandments,

Obtain for him (her) the grace and strength

to do God’s will and obey His laws.

Help him (her) to overcome

the temptations of the world and of the flesh,

to walk the narrow part of virtue and after death

to live with You in the eternal bliss of Heaven and

Praise God for ever.

Amen.

 A Parents Prayer for the Grace to Correct a Child

Dear God, in giving me the great gift of being a parent,

You have also conferred on me the sacred and weighty responsibility

of patterning my charge on the model of your Divine Son.

May I not shirk my duty of correction,

and may I fulfill this duty according to Your holy will.

May I realize that in administering correction,

I am taking Your place, speaking for You.

May my corrections be such, as to be worthy of this trust.

May I never correct or punish my child while I am angry,

but learn to correct in a calm manner and

to administer punishment with a gentle firmness

born of tender love rather than with any excitement of passion.

May I learn to pray to You for light

before I give correction or punishment,

that such acts of mine may be according to Your holy will,

and in each case, bring my child closer to me

and both my child and myself closer to You.

Amen.

A Parents Prayer to Obtain Confidence of a Child

Mary, please pray that I may obtain the gift

of having the confidence of my child (children).

As you know, a parent needs this confidence

in order to guide their children properly.

When there are difficulties or troubles,

May they share their problems with me trustingly.

so that I may be able to more readily perform

a parent’s task of helping my child.

Mother most prudent,

when this confidence is shown,

teach me how to help and instruct my child.

Be to me a Mother of Good Counsel

and direct me at all times in the responsibilities

of my holy office of parenthood.

Amen.