From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   March 26th - Blessed Maddalena Caterina Morano (AC)   
      
   Born at Turin, Italy, 1847; died at Catania, Sicily, on March 26, 1908;   
   beatified November 5, 1994.   
      
   At the age of eight, Maddalena had to begin working to provide for her   
   family after the death of her father and older sister. Nevertheless, she   
   continued her studies to earn a teaching diploma. But her studies did not   
   end with secular subjects. Instead her exploration of Christian doctrine   
   fanned the fire of her faith and instilled a desire for the religious life.   
   Because family obligations barred immediate fulfillment of this desire, she   
   taught at a school in rural Montaldo while serving as a catechist at the   
   local parish for 12 years. In 1878, when she had accumulated enough savings   
   to provide for her mother, Maddalena joined the Daughters of Mary Help of   
   Christians, which had been founded six years earlier by Saint John Bosco. In   
   1881, Don Bosco permitted her to be sent to Trecastagni (near Catania),   
   Sicily, to head an institute for women, to which she gave a new orientation   
   inspired by the principles of the Salesian method.   
      
   Sicily became her second home, where she carried out a varied and fruitful   
   apostolate. She opened new houses, set up after-school activities and sewing   
   classes, trained teachers, etc. Her real love, though, was for catechism   
   class, since she was convinced that the formation of Christian conscience   
   was the basis of personal maturity and all social improvement. She   
   coordinated catechetical instruction in 18 of Catania's churches and trained   
   lay and religious catechists to bring the Christian message to needy boys   
   and girls.   
      
   She spent 25 years in Sicily and served her community as local and   
   provincial superior. She was an attentive mother and caring guide for many   
   local vocations, faithfully living the charism of Mother Maria Mazzarello,   
   co-foundress of the institute.   
      
      
    Saint Quote:   
   God wanted to redeem men and open the way of salvation to those who seek   
   Him. But men make themselves so unworthy of it that it is only just that God   
   should refuse to some because of the hardness of heart what He gives to   
   others from a compassion that they do not deserve. If He had wanted to   
   overcome the obstinacy of the most hardened, He could have done so by   
   revealing Himself to them so obviously that they could not have doubted the   
   truth of His Being - just as He will appear at the last day with such a clap   
   of thunder and such an upheaval of nature that the dead will revive and the   
   blindest will see. It is not in this way, however, that He willed to appear   
   at His gentle coming: because so many men had made themselves unworthy of   
   His mercy, He willed to leave them deprived of the good which they did not   
   desire. And so it would not have been fair for Him to have appeared in an   
   obviously divine manner, absolutely capable of convincing all men. But also   
   it would not have been fair for Him to appear in a manner so hidden that   
   even those who were sincerely seeking Him should not be able to recognize   
   Him... So He has tempered His knowledge, by giving marks of Himself which   
   were visible to those who seek Him, and not to those who seek Him not.   
   -Blaise Pascal, Pensées   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Now those men, when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This   
   is of a truth the prophet, that is to come into the world.  (John 6:14)   
      
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   The third glorious mystery prayer of the Eucharistic Rosary,   
   to be offered before the Blessed Sacrament:   
      
   The Decent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, offered for   
   the gifts of the Holy Ghost, for love of God and zeal for the   
   salvation of souls:   
      
   O Jesus, scarcely hadst Thou entered into Thy glory at the   
   right hand of the Father, when Thou didst show Thy   
   munificence by sending forth the Holy Ghost with His many   
   and various gifts to Thy growing Church.  From the   
   Eucharist, as if from another heaven, wherein Thou hast set   
   up Thy throne of love, Thou dost impart to souls the spirit of   
   life and strength, and Thou dost enkindle in them the fire of   
   Thy divine charity.   
      
   O Jesus, King in heaven, King also in the Eucharist, we adore   
   Thee and we beg of Thee, through the intercession of Thy   
   holy Mother, fidelity to grace in order to reap all the fruits   
   produced in the souls of men by the gifts of the Holy Ghost.   
      
   Imprimatur:  + John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York,   
   Sept 19, 1908.   
      
      
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   Memorare   
      
   Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, That never was it known that any one   
   who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession   
   was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of   
   Virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.   
   O Mother of the Word Incarnate despise not my petitions, but in your mercy   
   hear and answer me. Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)