I think the most touching thing of all is that Alessandro, Maria's killer converted after her death after she appeared to him in a vision in Spain. Alessandro visited Maria's mother and they attended her canonisation together in Rome. Allesandro's cause for Beatification is ongoing in Rome. I read reports of people who had met Allesandro and they were very impressed with him. His downfall was reading pornography which would have been very small beans compared to what we have on the internet now. I hear a huge amount of Catholic men are addicted to it. Even women. So sad. I read lately that St Maria Goretti is appearing regularly to Irish mystic Denis O'Leary. So interesting. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/189...kGd9ik4Heo1bie9hoCe2MQAvD_BwE&lang_mismatch=1
My mother had an incredible devotion To St Maria Goretti and she passed away on this day 40 years ago. Incredible Saint!
Her relic is in altar at our little parish. She has always been a saint to inspire me...more so since my accident in helping with grace needed to continue forgiving young lady who hit us while drunk driving. I pray she finds peace and the love of Jesus Christ for her
From Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp FSP: "Happy feast day to one of my earliest Saint-friends! Sitting in the pew on July 4th at St. Thomas More Cathedral, I looked to my left and there she was. Such a lovely statue of St. Maria Goretti. I read her story when I was 13…just a year older than she was when she was martyred. It impressed my fervent Protestant heart to know there were heroes my own age. She, along with Bernadette, were my first introduction to Saints in the Catholic Church. I guess you could say they were my “sponsors.” That was many years ago. But true friends STAY friends, and I have her picture and relic next to my bed. Hoping she and Bernadette will sponsor me all the way to the pearly gates!" .
From Catholic Ireland.net: "This is believed to be a real photograph of Maria, one of only two photos that are known of."
SAINT OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 7 JULY, 2026 SAINT PANTAENUS DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND APOSTLE TO THE INDIES (2nd Century) This learned father and apostolic man flourished in the second century. He was by birth a Sicilian, by profession a Stoic philosopher. His esteem for virtue led him into an acquaintance with the Christians, and being charmed with the innocence and sanctity of their conversation, he opened his eyes to the truth. He studied the Holy Scriptures under the disciples of the apostles, and his thirst after sacred learning brought him to Alexandria, in Egypt, where the disciples of St. Mark had instituted a school of the Christian doctrine. Pantænus sought not to display his talents in that great mart of literature and commerce; but this great progress in sacred learning was after some time discovered, and he was drawn out of that obscurity in which his humility sought to bury itself. Being placed at the head of the Christian school some time before the year 179, by his learning and excellent manner of teaching he raised its reputation above all the schools of the philosophers, and the lessons which he read, and which were gathered from the flowers of the prophets and apostles, conveyed light and knowledge into the minds of all his hearers. The Indians who traded at Alexandria entreated him to pay their country a visit, whereupon he forsook his school and went to preach the Gospel to the Eastern nations. St. Pantænus found some seeds of the faith already sown in the Indies, and a book of the Gospel of St. Matthew in Hebrew, which St. Bartholomew had carried thither. He brought it back with him to Alexandria, whither he returned after he had zealously employed some years in instructing the Indians in the faith. St. Pantænus continued to teach in private till about the year 216, when he closed a noble and excellent life by a happy death. PRAYER: Lord God, you counted Saint Pantaenus among your holy pastors, renowned for faith and love which conquered evil in this world. By the help of his prayers keep us strong in faith and love and let us come to share his glory. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 8 JULY, 2026 SAINT GRIMBALD OF WINCHESTER ABBOT (820 - July 8, 901) Grimbald became a monk about 840, was ordained priest in 870, and was abbot of Saint-Bertin. He entertained King Alfred on his way to Rome in 885. As a well-known scholar, he went to Rheims in 886. Upon the advice of Archbishop Eldred of Canterbury and through Fulk of Rheims, Alfred invited Grimbald to England in 887. Grimbald accepted the offer. He lived in Winchester in a small "monastery" and served as a court-scholar, assisting Alfred with his translations of Latin works into Old English, including Saint Gregory's Pastoral Care (Liber regulae pastoralis). Eventually, Grimbald was appointed the first professor of divinity at Oxford (some say that he actually founded the university). Upon the death of Eldred in 889, Alfred tried to persuade Grimbald to become archbishop of Canterbury, but he refused and became instead dean of the secular canons of New Minster at Winchester, the town-church where prominent citizens had burial rights. Alfred's son, King Edward, reburied his father and mother (Queen Alswithe) in this new church, which probably absorbed the small community that Grimbald had previously governed. (Later, King Henry I removed New Minster to Hyde, now called Saint Grimbald's monastery.) Grimbald restored learning in England. He may have brought to England the 9th-century manuscript of Prudentius, now at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, as well as the famous Utrecht Psalter. During his last illness, the extremely feeble Saint Grimbald rose out of bed and prostrated himself on the ground to receive the holy viaticum. Thereafter, he asked to be left alone with God for three days. On the fourth day the community was called into his chamber, and amidst their prayers the saint calmly breathed forth his happy soul. St. Grimbald of Winchester: Pray for us!
Imagine being called Grimbald! It reminds me of the Book the Lord of the Rings. So many of the saints have had extraordinary deaths. Many of them forecast their deaths to the hour. In others all kinds of visions and extraordinary events. Even at their funerals. I was told a wonderful story about a little old lady who used to go to daily mass at a monastery in Ireland. One day she turned up for confession to the Abbot and told him Our Lord has told her she was going to die that night. The priest of course poo poohed this all as a crazy notion. Next day they found the old lady dead at home. She had spring cleaned her house from top to bottom so it sparkled. She was wearing her habit as a Third Order of St Francis lying neatly in bed with her arms crossed on her chest and a smile on her face.
From Catholic Ireland.net Saint Kilian of Kilmore (640 - 689) Martyr Summary of St Kilian: an Irish monk, who like Columbanus, Fiacra, Fursey and Feargal went on an adventure to Europe spreading the good news from Mullagh, Co Cavan. He was put to death in 689. Patrick Duffy traces his story. From Mullagh, Co Cavan St Kilian was born in the parish of Mullagh, Co Cavan. which has a church and heritage centre dedicated to him. Here in 1989 the people of the parish celebrated the 13th centenary of his death. There is also a church dedicated to him at Lauragh, Tuosist, Co Kerry and a pattern is celebrated in his honour every 8th July. Kilian is believed to have received his religious training at the monastery in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork founded by St. Fachtna in the fourth century. St. Kilian later founded his own monastery off Kilmakilloge harbour in the Kenmare area, where he trained his fellow monks and laid plans for one of the greatest pilgrimages ever undertaken from the shores of Ireland. From Kilmakilloge harbour, Kilian and his twelve companions , their heads tonsured in the traditional fashion of the Irish monks, set sail on their mission in a hide-covered boat. Their journey finally brought them to Rome where Pope Conan directed them to Germany and to the province of Franconia, where they set up their headquarters at Wurzburg in the year 686. All around, the countryside was pagan, with perhaps a few pockets of Christians here and there. The influence of the earlier Barbarian invasion was still felt. Up the Rhine and the Main to Würzburg, Germany Kilian is said to have sailed from neighbouring Kilmacillogue harbour with eleven companions on a mission to Germany. The group landed at the mouth of the Rhine and travelled up the river until they reached the mouth of its tributary, the Main; then they sailed up this as far as the town of Würzburg. To Rome From there he went on to Rome arriving during the pontificate of Pope Conon (686-7) and stayed there for two years. Some accounts say Pope Conon confirmed him in his mission to Thuringia and Eastern Franconia. Martyrdom On his return to Würzburg, however, Kilian found that the Duke Gosbert had married his brother’s widow, Geilana. When Kilian explained that according to Canon Law the marriage was unlawful, the duke agreed to separate. But Geilana was not happy and plotted against Kilian. She had him murdered along with two companions Colman and Totnan, probably in 689. Cult grows, Fifty Years Later Kilian and his companions seem to have been forgotten after their martyrdom. But fifty years after their death when the English missionary St Boniface and his companion Burchard of Wessex arrived in the area, they found evidence of Kilian’s influence. Burchard became the first bishop of Würzburg in 752 and transferred the relics of Kilian and his companions, which were being revered for many cures from illnesses, into the cathedral he built in Würzburg and dedicated to St Kilian. St Kilian’s Cathedral, Würzburg The present-day cathedral named after Kilian is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany. Kilian is the principal patron of Würzburg; his figure appears on seals and coins and a Kilianfest held every year is the occasion of an annual mystery play about his life. Martyrology of Tallaght News of Kilian’s martyrdom was brought back to Ireland and is recorded in the ninth-century Irish Martyrology of Tallaght: hymns and folk-songs were composed in his honour. There was a house of Irish monks in the city of Würzburg from the ninth century until the fifteenth and there are manuscripts of commentaries written in Old Irish on the Scriptures. In 1989 the late Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich visited the city to lecture about these writings and contacts. P.S. Links between Würzburg and Ireland Today Irish influence remains in Würzburg today as there is a GAA club called St Kilian’s with hurling and football teams that compete successfully at European level. St Kilian’s is the name of a German school (Deutsche Schule) in Dublin. It is situated on the Eurocampus in Clonskeagh, quite near to University College, Dublin. It provides a German language education from kindergarten, through primary and secondary levels. ******************************
SAINTS OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 9 JULY, 2026 SAINT AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG, PRIEST AND 119 COMPANIONS, MARTYRS PRIEST AND MARTYRS (1648 – 1930) The Syro-Persian Church of the East is believed to have first reached China around the year 630 when two monks arrived to engage in silk trade. Although they were Christians, they followed the Nestorian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. The Chinese emperor welcomed them and permitted them to share their faith. Over the next two centuries, some Christian churches were erected and converts were made. However, by the mid-ninth century, Christians were being persecuted. In the year 987, an Arab writer from Baghdad wrote of a conversation he had with a monk who had traveled to China. The monk explained, “Christianity is extinct in China; the native Christians have perished in one way or another; the church which they had has been destroyed and there is only one Christian left in the land.” In the mid- to late-thirteenth century, Emperor Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, showed greater tolerance of Christianity, especially since his mother was a Nestorian Christian. Franciscan and Dominican friars were permitted to spread the faith, but their efforts yielded little. By the following century, with the rise of the Ming Dynasty, Christianity was once again all but driven out. In 1552, Saint Francis Xavier began his missionary activity in India, Malaysia, and Japan. Though he never made it to China, his missions paved the way for the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci and his companions to help found the Chinese Jesuit Mission on mainland China in 1582. Their approach was to learn the language and culture and try to assimilate as much as possible, winning over hearts and minds with kindness and teaching the people math, science, astronomy, and mapmaking. Ricci and his companions won over some influential converts and managed to translate a catechism into the Chinese language. However, their efforts later drew criticism from the Church hierarchy for blending Confucian religious beliefs with the Catholic faith. The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The first to be martyred was Father Francisco Fernández de Capillas, a Spanish Dominican priest. Father de Capillas spent his first two decades as a priest working in the Philippines as a missionary. In 1642, Father de Capillas arrived for his final mission in mainland China. He and his companions worked fervently for the next several years, winning over many converts and even establishing a lay order of Dominicans. In 1644, the less-tolerant Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty, immediately threatening the missions. In 1647, Father de Capillas was captured, imprisoned, and tortured. While in prison, he wrote a letter in which he said, “I am here with other prisoners and we have developed a fellowship. They ask me about the Gospel of the Lord. I am not concerned about getting out of here because here I know I am doing the will of God. They do not let me stay up at night to pray, so I pray in bed before dawn. I live here in great joy without any worry, knowing that I am here because of Jesus Christ. The pearls I have found here these days are not always easy to find.” Two months later, he was sentenced to death and immediately decapitated on the charge of teaching false doctrine and opposing the new emperor. He died while praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. From the martyrdom of Father de Capillas until 1930, 119 other Catholic saints would follow in his footsteps as martyrs in China. Eighty-seven were native Chinese Christians who were lay catechists, merchants, cooks, farmers, and even a young boy. Thirty-three were foreign missionaries from various religious orders, working to spread the Gospel at the risk of their lives. The next several decades after Father de Capillas' death were relatively peaceful, as successive emperors tolerated Christians. That all changed, however, when in 1707 the Pope issued a decree forbidding the co-mingling of Confucian religious practices with the Catholic faith, such as ancestor worship. This infuriated the emperor and over the next fifteen years, most of the Catholic missions were suppressed. In 1724, the new emperor officially banned Christianity and expelled all Catholic priests. Churches were confiscated and turned into public buildings. By the end of the eighteenth century, there remained just a little over 100,000 Catholics in China who practiced their faith in secret. In 1747–1748, five more Spanish Dominicans were martyred. In 1814, persecutions picked up again as a result of new imperial decrees forbidding the practice of the Christian faith. This time, the persecutions were directed towards native-born Chinese Christians. Among them was Father Augustine Zhao Rong, a priest of the diocese of Chengdu, China. Father Augustine, whose name is attached to today's memorial, was the first native-born Chinese priest and the first Chinese priest to be martyred. He was originally a soldier entrusted with the task of transporting to Beijing French Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse who had been arrested and would also be martyred. During the long journey, the bishop greatly impressed Zhao Rong with his kindness and peaceful demeanor in the face of persecution. Zhao Rong requested and received baptism after learning about the Catholic faith. Taking the name Augustine, he was later ordained a priest. After his arrest, he was offered the opportunity to renounce the Catholic faith but refused. After horrific tortures, Father Augustine died of his injuries in prison in 1815. Between 1814 and 1862, twenty-six Christians were martyred in China. In the summer of 1900, a fierce persecution of foreigners and Christians broke out. The Boxer Rebellion claimed the lives of eighty-six martyrs, including many religious sisters, priests, catechists, and other laity. In addition to the eighty-six canonized martyrs, thousands of other Christians died. The final two martyrs honored today, an Italian priest and bishop, died in 1930. Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000 by St Pope John Paul II. PATRON: Catechizing and Missionaries. PRAYER: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, you gave your lives for the love of Christ, taking great risk to share the Good News. You were brave in keeping a tight grip on the pearl of great price. Your unshakable faith and fervent evangelical ministry. Your deaths planted seeds of faith that have grown in the hearts of many. Please pray for me, and also for the people of China, that the saving message of the Gospel will continue to be preached and that many hearts will respond with generosity and faith. Help all Christians to value their faith in easy times so that when times of persecution come, we may stand upright in the storm. Saint Augustine and Companions, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
No one will ever know how many Christian Martyrs there have been in China down the centuries. It reminds me of the long centuries of persecution in Ireland during the penal times. It is a paradox but the Church thrives best in persecution. I read the story of a Chinese Catholic who endured incredible persecution and even wound up in prison. But through it all he stayed Faithful. Eventually he emigrated and moved with his family to Texas in the USA. He became very successful and made lots of money through his hard work there. But he totally lost his Faith. It reminds me of the old saying that the Holy Spirit in sent to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. That is why comfortable people in comfortable countries loose their Faith. They don't like their comfort being afflicted. Who needs the promise of heaven when they are in their very own heaven already?
