Little saints

Title

Little saints

Language

English

Source

The Young Citizen. 2 (3) April 1936

Year

1936

Subject

Religious life of children

Saints

Wang, Marie Therese

Filippetto, Maria

Herrera, Antonito Martinez

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

80 THE YOUNG CITIZEN I April, I!J36 Little Saints THERE are children who are born with a deep Jove for God. Throughout their brief lives, they are so good and kind that they seem like little angels to those around them. They suffer patiently, looking forward to the time when they could be with the Lord. After their death, their examples live on, and very often, they are r?membered by the Christian Church and recognized as saints. There are several saintly children in the history of Christianity. Among them is a Christian-born little maiden of ancient Rome, St. Agnes. Agnes developed a love f01• God early in life. She vowed that she would never shame herself before God. She promised to remain pure and clean in the sight of the Lord. In spite of many dangers, she kept her promise, and when she was martyred at the age of twelve, she faced her Creator without sin or fault. This year, on her feast day, two chaste lambs were brought from the .church erected in her honor and given to the Holy Father in the Vatican. These two lambs will be taken care of very carefully in the Vatican, then their wool will be shorn and made into the pallia later on. The pallia are cloaks or robes which the Pope gives to archbishops 2nd other church officials as symbol of office. Younge1· than Agnes is little St. Hugh of Lincoln. At the age of 9, he was crucified or nailed on the cross, dying the cruel death of our Savior. It is supposed that Jews had killed little Hugh. This happened in 1255. Now, hundreds of years afterwards, the death of little Hugh is recognized as a sacrifice that had earned a saint's halo for him. In our own century, there are several candidates for s a i n ts. Bonaventure . Schwinn, a Benedictine, mentioned them in a book. Anne de Guigne is one of them. She was introduced in Rome by Canon Mugnier of Paris. She was a descendant of St. Louis, King of France. She died at the age of 11, in 1922, "in the odor of sanctity.'' Marie Therese Wang Maria Filippetto was another saintly child. She suffered patiently for the love of God. Little Maria was born in 1912, and she died in 1927. Antonito Martinez Herrera, another child 'who lived in saintly ways, was born in 1920. On his death nine years later, he was known and remembered for his humility and char. ity-virtues that very few children possess. Many of you are perhaps as young as Guy de Fontgalland when he died. Guy was born of a rich family. He made his First Communion when he was seven years old. He was a very religious child, and his ambition was to be a missionary priest. He was not able to realize this humble ambition, however, for he believed that he heard a voice say: "My little Guy, I shall take you; you will die young; you will not be my priest; I desire to make you my angel." He died when he was twelve years old. In non-Catholic China, a rare flower of Christianity bloomed iri Marie Therese Wang. She is called the "Rose of China." Marie Therese was named by her parents Ta-jun, meaning "All Gracious." When she was eleven years old and just out of elementary school, she was found danger(Pleaa,, tuni to pnge 100) I 00 Kiko's Adventures LITTLE SAINTS (Cuuli111'1'd from }){tge 811) rously ill of tuberculosis. Her p.1rrnts put her under the care of the Sisters of St. Michael's Hospital. Ta-jun became intcrcslcd ·in Cathc,lici.~m- She was baptized in l 92<J She chose the n:11nc of Marie Thcr~sc. in honor of the Little Flower of Lisicux whose life is similar to hers. During the 11 months that little Marie Therese was a Christian on earth. she was an example of .1 virtuous saint. She did not cm: for missals. because she said: 'Books THE YOUNG CITIZEN ;:.r;: a distraction to me I hav·,' so man~' things to tell Him." Ai I 2, she was cager to become a Daughter of Charity About two years later. she promised to remain always pure and good. Even when death was approach ing. Maril.' Therese thought of othShe prayed for two sick people, one ill with cholcr.-i. thi.' other wilh tuberculosis. Shi.' w.-is able to cl!re them. She also hdped anothi.'r die happily. while another escaped from cruel men through her aid. Through one marl.' miracle. she was April, J 9.16 by gi I mo ba ldovi "° able to secure clw paymenr of a debt or $25,000 for someone. She nevl'i' ceased ro think of God, feeling His goodness, lhough she knew very lirtle about Him. V./hen she finally went to rest with her Shepherd, chose whvm she left behind did not forget her Nqw. more than three vcars aftL'r her d<'ath, Rev. Basil Stegmann of the Benedictine ordrr names eight cases which .ue considered miracles that she had performed. These miracles, as well as the rare beauty of her last years on e,1rth, arc convincing proofs that the "Rose Of China" is a real little saint.

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