Saints celebrated on the 7th of July
Prayer to the Angels and the Saints
Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.
In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.
Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.
Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.
BL. MARIA ROMERO MENESES, VIRGIN
Blessed Maria Romero Meneses was born in Granada, Nicaragua, on January 13, 1902 to a well-to-do-family. Her father, a minister in the Government of the Republic, was generous with those who had nothing. Maria learned from her earliest years what it meant to offer practical charity even when it was difficult. The family had great dreams for her: she studied music, played the piano and the violin.
THE FAMILY HAD GREAT DREAMS FOR HER
At twelve she went to the school run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Don Bosco’s charism seemed to have been taylor-made for her. In the novitiate [for the Salesians] she taught music and worked at the Festive Oratory, where, for the first time, she came into contact with poor girls.
SHE LOOKED OUT FOR THE POOR AND ABANDONED
After her perpetual vows, she was sent to San Jose in Costa Rica. It would become her second homeland. She was asked to teach in a school for rich girls but she always was on the lookout for “the poor and abandoned,” like Don Bosco.
THE DISCIPLES
From among her best students she chose ‘disciples’ for the Oratories and called them “las misioneritas”. They went into the houses of the poor, helped clean, and distribute food and clothes collected by Sr Maria and taught catechism. She then began the festive oratories for poor children.
Mary Help of Christians, whom she called her Queen, ensured that many offerings came to support her works. Thanks to voluntary medical specialists she succeeded in setting up a fully equipped clinic. There were also rooms in which catechism was taught and a chapel in which they prayed.
She carried many great works because of her great faith and with the help of generous people who all began to experience the effects of devotion to Mary.
A CONTEMPLATIVE IN ACTION
She was a contemplative in action. Many of her “Escritos Espirituales” have been printed. She died of heart failure on July 7, 1977. The government of Costa Rica declared her an honourary citizen of the nation. Her remains lie in San Jose de Costa Rica. John Paul II beatified her on April 14, 2002.
(This article was published in “Don Bosco’s Madonna”, paper edition, issue July 2012)
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