Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home December - 2007 Serving the Body of Christ as a Pro-Life Residential Shelter for Pregnant Women and their Children Come to the Stable room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). Saint Germaine Cousin is a shining So she and Saint Joseph did what you example for us. Born in 1579 into a life and I should do in the face of rejec- of poverty in the southwest corner of tion: they trusted in divine providence France, Germaine accepted her and found a different place. They did- difficulties as if her trials were the riches n't compare themselves with the other of Christ Himself. In canonizing her a travelers who had a place at the inn. saint, the Church used these words to They did not complain either. They describe Germaine: "A simple maiden, accepted something which they did not humble, and of lowly birth, but so greatly expect, and in doing so, acknowledged enlightened by the gifts of divine wisdom that God has His own ways which we and understanding, and so remarkable often do not anticipate or understand. for her transcendent virtues, that she So there is Jesus in a stable: lying on alone, shone like a star not only in her a bed of straw, the animals before their native France, but throughout the Creator, Saint Joseph and the Blessed Catholic Church." Was she, we can ask, Mother in adoration, and the angels one of the stars that enlightened the above singing with joy as they gaze manger of the Savior that night, in some upon His tremendous act of love. transcendent way, having been born Divinity is often found where we least some fifteen hundred years later? Away in a manger, expect It. Jesus, in total humility, is The proposition makes more sense No crib for His bed striking a death blow to the pride of when we consider her great humility in The little Lord Jesus Adam and his tempter. the face of rejection and ridicule - the Laid down His sweet head It is a powerful scene, and one same fate of the Savior. Born in the The stars in the bright sky which should give us pause. He could village of Pibrac, France, near Toulouse Looked down where He lay have come in awe and majesty. He (a Dominican stronghold and the burial The little Lord Jesus could have been born in Rome and continued on page 2 Asleep on the hay. demanded that Caesar Augustus pay him homage. He chose another way - es, the "little Lord Jesus laid down a way the world never would have Yhis sweet head." Christmas is a anticipated. He came as One like our- heartwarming time of the year which selves, helpless and weak, needing the conjures up sweet childhood memories assistance of others. He came as a and warm sentiments of love, generos- baby - something we appreciate very ity, and kindness. Jesus comes to save much at this maternity home. When us, and in a way which we would never we take care of God's little ones here have thought. Speaking about Christ- at Saint Gianna's, it is as if we are tak- mas, the great preacher Archbishop ing care of Him. Fulton Sheen said, "Divinity is often The Nativity story gives us a chance found where we least expect It." to reflect on the lives of his followers, Christmas leads us to the stable. The especially those who understood his Savior of the world, the One Who “has humility and imitated it in their own nowhere to lay his head," (Matthew lives. We can think of many saints who 8:20) is placed lovingly on a bed of were so moved by the example of the straw. His mother had no choice. On Christ Child that they willingly ac- Christmas night, she had to hear those cepted difficulty and hardship in their haunting words, that "there was no own lives. Saint Germaine Cousin Continued from page 1 place of Saint Thomas Aquinas), Germaine lost her mother as an infant. Her father Laurent remarried a woman named Hortense, who was a widow with children of her own. Germaine’s new mother disliked her because she had a withered hand that was paralyzed, and because she had scars on her neck caused by scrofula, a tubercular dis- ease of the lymph nodes that had caused her mother's death and left Germaine partially disfigured. Simply put, Germaine was not welcome in the house of her stepmother. She was often beaten out of contempt and was made to sleep in the barn. Saint Germaine understood all of that, and she made the best of a bad situation. She did not compare herself to the rest of the children in the household who were treated better than herself. Christ was her Exemplar. Sleeping on the straw in the midst of the Saint Gianna’s animals, Germaine realized that she was united to Jesus in a way the world could hardly understand. He had to sleep on straw. He lived in poverty. He was beaten. The more Maternity Home Germaine pondered the mystery of Christ and united all her suffering to His, the more she grew in grace and wisdom. Serving the Body of Christ Saint Germaine never had the chance for much schooling other than catechetical les- as a Pro-Life Residential Shelter sons, but that was all that she needed. Reflecting on all that she learned, she would go for Pregnant Women and their Children out each day as a shepherdess in imitation of the Good Shepherd. She grazed the sheep Vol. 6, No. 4 near the edge of the woods as she was told by her stepmother, even though there was December 2007 the danger of wolves present. Each day she would leave the sheep behind and run off to daily Mass. What a lesson for the modern world! Holy Mass mattered more than work. "But what about the sheep?" people might ask. She never lost one. In the records of her process of canonization there in an account of an incident that Spiritual Director occurred in the late winter and early spring, when the stream she had to cross in order Rev. John Kleinschmidt to get to Holy Mass was flooded and impassable. According to the report given, the waters of the full stream parted and Germaine passed through without getting wet, just Resident Director like the Israelites of old who passed through the sea "dry shod”! Mary Pat Jahner When Saint Germaine would return from grazing the sheep, she was often greeted with rejection and ridicule by her stepmother. In fact, Hortense would sometimes beat her, leaving Germaine to sleep in the barn, broken and bruised. Because of these suffer- Board of Directors ings, Germaine is invoked as the patron saint of those who have suffered from child Colleen Samson ~ President abuse. Todd Burianek ~ Vice President She was undaunted in spirit. Fed on the few scraps from the family table, she always Darrin Muggli made sure to give some away to the poor. One day, when Germaine took a small scrap of bread from the kitchen, her stepmother saw her and began chasing after her. The Robbyne Sands people of Pibrac saw the scene. By the time the stepmother caught Germaine, a whole Joan Schanilec crowd had gathered, and Hortense demanded that she show herself as a thief, but when Grant Shaft Germaine opened her apron to reveal its contents, a cascade of flowers fell from it! Jackie Shaft This happened in the middle of winter in 1599 in Pibrac! People recognized the incident Patricia Traynor as the miracle it was and began to see the girl in a new light. Because of the edifying life of the shepherdess in their village, especially Germaine’s example of attending Holy Mass daily, people began to realize that Germaine was a very Advisory Board saintly girl. Following Christ in rejection, poverty, poor treatment, and misunderstand- Most. Rev. Samuel J. Aquila ing, she never complained, nor spoke of her hopes and dreams for life. She united her- Rev. Gregory Schlesselmann self to Jesus from the very beginning and remained united to Him in everything she had David Hauff to endure. Told to sleep in the barn, she remembered that that was where the Savior Scott Hennen was told to be born: "There was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). Remembering Jesus’ fast of forty days in the desert, she embraced her own hunger. Seeing His love for Mike Hofer the poor, she gave her own mea- Terry McKenna ger portions away. Learning of Jed Carlson His scourging, she accepted the Jan George beatings of a stepmother who never loved her. Saint Germaine teaches us an abundance of lessons at Christ- Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home mas. Most of all, she teaches us 15605 County Road 15, Minto, ND 58261 to love Our Blessed Lord as He (701) 248-3077 toll free 1-877-701-3077 shows Himself to us. Initially, the www.saintgiannahome.com ways God shows us may be ways [email protected] we do not understand. With the An IRS 501© 3 nonprofit organization simplicity of Saint Germaine, continued on bottom of next page 2 Saint Gianna’s Maternity Home Christian Remember Your Dignity This exerpt is from one of the most famous homilies of Saint Leo the Great, given on the Nativity of our Lord. Saint Leo is one of the early Church Fathers and a Doctor of the Church. He was pope from 440 - 461.