Did you know that soldiers can be saints, too? That's right! Saint Sebastian was an early Christian martyr, but before he was a Christian, he was a soldier!
Saint Sebastian joined the Roman Army in 283 A.D. He served the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was known for being very harsh with Christians. But soon, the government found out that he was a Christian. He was so angry that he allowed his more faithful soldiers to use him for target practice. After they were finished, they left him there.
A kind woman named Irene came to bury him, but she found that he was still alive, so she helped him get back into the swing of things and sent him on his way.
Saint Sebastian went back to Emperor Diocletian and demanded that he stop persecuting the Christians. Emperor Diocletian had Sebastian beaten to death with clubs.
Saint Sebastian was so brave that he went back to the emperor and told him to stop persecuting Christians. How can you be brave by defending God and His people?
Saint Sebastian, PRAY FOR US!!!
The last geranium in the entire garden is the final mystery of the rosary: the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus loved His mother so much that He gave her a sparkling golden crown. Now, she lives in heaven and she watches over us.
How can you serve Mary? Try to do what Mary did: say yes.
The last two geraniums have to do with Mary. She was so holy and so special that, in the Assumption, God took her to heaven body and soul. This was very special because, when we die, we can't take anything with us. We can't even take our bodies! The only thing that lives on is our soul. Jesus loved His mother, so He took her straight up to heaven.
The third glorious geranium is when the Holy Spirit came to the apostles and Mary. This was shortly after Jesus had ascended into heaven. The apostles and Mary were all together in one room when a great wind blew into the room. Small tongues of fire hovered over each person's head. The apostles began to speak in different languages so that they could go out and preach the Good News in other countries. When the apostles came out of the room, everyone was amazed because they were speaking in different languages and everyone could understand what they were saying! Today, we celebrate this mystery of the rosary by another name: Pentecost!
For a very long time, the church has used the language Latin for all of their Masses. In fact, the priest would do Latin for the whole Mass! Many of your favorite Catholic saints probably attended Latin Mass. Here are a couple Latin phrases that you can memorize and teach your friends!