Information for Parents on the Pilgrimage of Mercy of Saint Maria Goretti The Little Saint of Great Mercy Saint Maria Goretti Pilgrimage October 23-25, 2015 Schedule of Events Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church ~ Greensboro, NC Friday, October 23: 9:00am: Receiving of relics and beginning of public veneration 7:00pm: Solemn Mass in Honor of St. Maria Goretti Midnight: Veneration closes ~ Confessions as available ~ St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church ~ Charlotte, NC Saturday, October 24: 10:00am: Opening Mass in Honor of St. Maria Goretti 10:45am: Beginning of public veneration 5:30pm: Solemn Mass in Honor of St. Maria Goretti ~ Confessions as available ~ Sunday, October 25: 7:30 am: Closing Mass in Honor of St. Maria Goretti 8:30 am: Body of St. Maria Goretti is removed from the Church. August 25, 2015 Dear Parents, In March, Pope Francis proclaimed a Holy Year of Mercy beginning this December 8, 2015, and continuing to November 20, 2016. To mark the solemn occasion of this Jubilee Year, the Vatican, in conjunction with the Congregation of the Causes of Saints has announced the extraordinary pilgrimage of the bodily remains of Saint Maria Goretti. The glass and gold reliquary containing her body will leave her shrine in Nettuno, Italy, and begin the Pilgrimage of Mercy Tour in the United States of America this September. This is the first time that Saint Maria Goretti's body will travel to the United States and only the second time that she has left Italy. Saint Maria’s relics will travel to the parishes of Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro, and Saint Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte so that our Catholic community from all over the Diocese of Charlotte may venerate her. It is a spiritual gift to have the opportunity to be able to teach our young Catholics about the virtues she exemplifies, most especially: Forgiveness & Mercy and to receive the blessings that come with the Saint’s visit to the Diocese of Charlotte. To that end, the following Faith Formation Activities are recommended to all parents, although the materials may need to be adapted for students younger than 7th grade. These activities can be done all at once or in 10 minutes increments per class. Refer to the link http://mariagoretti.com/ for additional information on these points. The suggested dates for the activities are: 9/20/15 Read the story of her life (See Teaching Point 1. Her Life). Explain guidelines for the St. Maria Goretti Contest. Suggest as a family to rent and watch the movie Maria Gorretti by Ignatius Press, or have a movie night as a parish. 9/27/15 Teach the virtues of Forgiveness and Mercy (see Teaching Point 2 and link: http://mariagoretti.com/). 10/11/15 Venerating the Relics of the Saints (see Teaching Point 3 and link: http://mariagoretti.com/about-relics/ ). 10/18/15 Explain Her Relics. Link: http://mariagoretti.com/the-body/ 10/25/15 Discuss the Pilgrimage and answer any questions about the contest. 11/1/15 Submit the best entries of each category to a judging panel (Led by the Sponsor of the event, Benedict Press). 11/8/15 Best entries will be published in the Catholic News Herald in time to start the Holy Year of Mercy 12/8/15. Winners will receive a cash prize and a selection of books or DVD set. Pilgrimage of Mercy - St. Maria Goretti Student Contest Students in all grade levels are encouraged to participate. Students can do one of the following activities. 1. Draw a picture of St. Maria Goretti interpreting the virtues of Forgiveness & Mercy. (Grade 1-5). 2. Visit the relics at either Our Lady of Grace or St. Thomas Aquinas on October 23-25 and write a paper about the visit. (Grade 6 & up). 3. Write a report about St. Maria Goretti and describe what you learned from her re: the virtues of Forgiveness & Mercy. (Grade 6 & up). Each Entry must have the following information included: • Name, • Grade, • School, • Home Parish, • Parent’s Name, • Parent’s Email Address, • Parent address & phone number. Entry Submission: • Parents should submit all entries no later than All Saints Day (11/1/15). • Entries should be submitted to the Judging Committee, led by the Sponsor of this Event: St. Benedict Press & Tan Publishing. Parents: Please send entries by 11/8/15 to: St. Benedict Press & Tan Books Attn: Mrs. Jackie Gallagher 13315 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273 The winning entries will be published in the Catholic News Herald. Prizes for the winning entries are yet to be determined. Teaching Points Saint Maria Goretti The Little Saint of Great Mercy Virtues: Forgiveness and Mercy 1890 - 1902 Feast Day: July 6 Youngest Saint and Patron of: Chastity; Youth; Teenage girls; Poverty; Purity; Forgiveness. Talking Points for class presenters: 1. St. Maria Goretti’s Life 2. The virtues of Forgiveness and Mercy a. The Catechism and Scripture b. What are the Virtues of Forgiveness and Mercy? c. Why do we need the virtues of Forgiveness and Mercy? d. How is St. Maria Goretti a Model of Forgiveness? e. Practicing Forgiveness in everyday life 3. Venerating the Relics of the Saints Teaching Points 1. St. Maria Goretti’s Life a. Maria was born in 1890. Her parents were very poor farmers, but had great love for God, Our Lady and each other. The family lived in eastern Italy. b. Her parents along with Maria, her 2 sisters and 3 brothers moved to Ferriere, Italy, with the hope of improving their financial condition. Maria’s father, a hardworking, humble man, struck a deal with Signor Serenelli to be a tenant farmer, to work together and live in the same building with him and his son. c. At the age of 9, Maria’s father died of malaria. While her mother, brothers and one sister worked in the farm fields, Maria took care of the household chores and cared for her youngest sister, with dedication and cheerfulness. d. Although Maria and her brothers and sisters remained illiterate, they were well-schooled in their faith. Maria had a deep understanding of who she was as a child of God, with a keen sense of her personal dignity and self-worth. This understanding would prepare her to choose to preserve her innocence from which she derived a joyful and peaceful life with her family. Maria grew in prayer as she prepared to receive Jesus in First Communion. e. Signor Serenelli’s son, Alesandro, harassed Maria to perform difficult chores and to satisfy his impure thoughts. Although Maria refused to submit to Alessandro, he persisted. Although she should have told her family about Alessandro’s threat, Maria kept silent, realizing that exposing Alesandro would bring worry and grief to her mother and total financial ruin to the family. One day as Maria was sewing and watching her younger sister, Alesandro dragged her into the house and attempted to force her into sinful acts against chastity. Maria fought with all her strength to resist Alessandro and with great courage she warned him that this sin would condemn him to hell. Alesandro stabbed Maria 14 times and left her to die. f. Maria was treated in the local hospital but died 20 hours after Alesandro’s attack. She was 11 years old. Before she died, Maria forgave Alesandro with all her heart and stated that she hoped that he would join her in Heaven. g. While in prison, Maria appeared to Alessandro in a dream. She held out to him fourteen white lilies representing the fourteen times that he stabbed her, causing him to change from desperation to repentance and conversion. (Source: Office of Catechesis & Evangelization and Catholic Schools Diocese of La Crosse, WI) ACTIVITY WITH PARENTS: Rent the St. Maria Goretti movie and watch it as a family. Timeline of Events October 16, 1890: Maria Goretti is born in Corinaldo, Italy, to Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. October 17, 1890: She is baptized in the Church of San Francesco in Corinaldo with the names, Maria Teresa. October 4, 1896: She receives the Sacrament of Confirmation by Bishop Giulio Boschi, the Bishop of Senigallia. December 12, 1896: The Goretti family leaves Corinaldo and emigrates to Colle Gianturco, near Paliano, in the Latium region south of Rome in central Italy. February, 1899: The family moves again, this time to Le Ferriere di Conca. May 6, 1900: After being bit by a mosquito infected with malaria, Maria’s father Luigi dies of the disease. June 16, 1901: Maria receives her First Communion in the church of Conca (today known as Borgo Montello). July 5, 1902: At 3:30 pm she is stabbed by Alessandro Serenelli after resisting his violent attempt to rape her. July 6, 1902: Maria dies in Nettuno at the age of 11 years, 8 months and 21 days, after mercifully forgiving her murderer. July 8, 1902: She is buried in the cemetery of Nettuno. May 31, 1935: The information-gathering process for her canonization begins in the diocese of Albano Laziale. March 25, 1945: Pope Pius XII recognizes the authenticity of the martyrdom of Maria Goretti. April 27, 1947: Maria is beatified. June 24, 1950: Maria is declared a saint by Pope Pius XII in St. Peter’s Square. Having died at the age of 11, she is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church’s long and storied history. The attendance at her canonization exceeded one half million souls, the largest of any canonization up to that point and time. It was a crowd so large that for the first time in its history, St.