March 9

ST. FRANCES OF ROME

St. Frances was born in 1384. Her parents were wealthy, but they taught Frances to be concerned about people and to live a good Christian life. She was an intelligent little girl. Frances informed her parents when she was eleven that she had made up her mind to be a nun. Her parents encouraged her to think of marriage instead. As was the custom, they selected a good young man to be Frances' husband. The bride was just thirteen.

Frances and her husband, Lorenzo Ponziano, fell in love with each other. Even though their marriage was arranged, they were happily married for forty years. Lorenzo admired his wife and his sister-in-law, Vannozza. Both women prayed every day and performed penances for Jesus' Church, which had many trials at that time. Frances and Vannozza also visited the poor. They took care of the sick. They brought food and firewood to people who needed it. Other wealthy women were inspired by their example to do more with their lives too. All the while, Frances became more and more prayerful. She really grew close to Jesus and Mary in her everyday life.

Frances and Lorenzo were compassionate people. They knew what it was like to suffer. They lost two of their three children from the plague. This made them even more sensitive to the needs of the poor. During the wars between the legitimate pope and the anti-popes, Lorenzo led the armies that defended the true pope. While he was away at battle, his enemies destroyed his property and possessions. Even then, Frances cleaned up a part of the family villa that had been wrecked and used it for a hospital. As hard as things were for her family, the people out on the street were in greater need. Lorenzo was wounded and came home to be nursed back to health by his loving wife. He died in 1436. Frances spent the remaining four years of her life in the religious congregation she helped to start.

St. Frances of Rome died on March 9, 1440. She was declared a saint by Pope Paul V in 1608.

Frances truly loved Jesus and his Church. She knew that the best way to show that love was to pray for the Church. Other ways were to take good care of her family and to look after the interests of the poor. We, too, can ask St. Frances to help us know how to show our love for Jesus and his Church.

ST. DOMINIC SAVIO

St. Dominic Savio was born in northern Italy in 1842. One day when he was just four, he disappeared and his mother went to look for him. Dominic was in a quiet corner on his knees, hands joined in prayer. At five, he was an altar boy. When he was seven, he received his First Holy Communion. On that day, Dominic chose a motto for himself. He promised Jesus in his heat, "Death, but not sin!" And he prayed every day to be true to his promise.

When he was twelve, Dominic went to the school run by St. John Bosco in Turin, Italy. Dominic missed his family, but he was happy to be at Don Bosco's school. Here he would learn everything that he would need to become a priest. That was his great goal to become a priest. He was a good student, but fun, too. He was the kind of person Don Bosco and the students knew they could depend on.

Once Dominic broke up a fight between two angry boys. He was armed only with a crucifix. Another time, Dominic noticed a group of bigger boys huddled in a circle. He worked his way through to see what was so interesting and found pornographic magazines. He grabbed them and ripped them up. The boys had never seen Dominic so angry. "Oh, what's so wrong with looking at these pictures anyway?" one of the boys blurted. "If you don't see anything wrong," Dominic said sadly, "this is even worse. It means you're used to looking at dirty things!"

Dominic began to feel sick. He was sent home to his family to get better. But even in his hometown, his health did not improve. He grew worse instead and received the last sacraments. He began to realize that he would not be going back to Don Bosco's school. His great hope of becoming a priest was not to be. Just before he died, he tried to sit up. He said to his father, "I am seeing wonderful things." He rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Dominic died in 1857; he was fifteen years old.

We can make many wonderful plans and set great goals for our life. But Dominic Savio reminds us that we don't know how long we have on this earth. He never did become a priest, but he became a saint. That is because he tried his best to live by the motto he set for himself: "Death, but not sin." We can ask Dominic to help us live his motto, too.