Saint Gianna is a wonderful soul to go to when we desire extra prayers.

Many women who hope to become mothers pray to Saint Gianna and ask for her intercession.

Personally, my husband and I asked for Saint Gianna to help heal our newborn while he was in the NICU for the first 6 weeks of his life.  We taped a Saint Gianna holy card to the back of his name sign on his hospital crib, and we believe she prayed for him fervently.  He’s now a healthy 7 year old boy preparing to make his First Holy Communion!  Praise the Lord! (We received our holy card when we visited the shrine in Warminster, PA)

Our daughter’s name is Jaina.  The name Gianna is of Italian and Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Gianna is “God is gracious” and is the feminine of Gianni and Jane, from John.  Knowing this, my husband and I have chosen Gianna to be her patron saint.  I’m sure she will pick some patron saints of her own as she grows, but for now – we ask Saint Gianna to pray for her!

Perhaps you have a friend who just had a baby girl named her after Saint Gianna;

Or you know a woman praying to become a mother or pregnant and praying for a healthy birth and pregancy;

or you were asked to be a Confirmation Sponsor and the young woman chose Gianna as her Confirmation name – and you want to give a meaningful gift.
Well, I’m here to help.

If you are looking for Catholic gifts in general, I strongly recommend checking out CatholicsOnline.net!  It’s a directory of Catholics that includes artisans and businesses!

Here are some gifts inspired by Saint Gianna!  The first is a beautiful gift for any woman!  Some listed are great for young children, others like the sticker, bracelet, and journal are all excellent Confirmation gifts!

A gorgeous gift box and Pillar and Pearl!

Inspired by her quote, “Whatever God wants,” this box is dedicated in honor of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who is the first canonized “working mother.” The patron saint of physicians, mothers, and unborn children, Gianna’s life was an example of true pro-life values and of sacrifice for family, and this box aims to encourage those who receive it to live the same way.

A simple, rustic print Intercessory Saint Prayer Sign

A Saint Gianna Quote Print

Unique Holy Cards

Saint Gianna Holy Card for Kids

A Saint Gianna Shining Light Doll

This adorable little doll is safe for babies, toddlers and children of all ages!

Tiny Saints Charm

Add the charm to a paracord necklace or clip on backpacks, lunch boxes, purses, key chains or attach them to a Confirmation or Communion gift, or the rosary and create a personalized look with saints, popes, and Jesus and Mary. You can even make a bracelet or necklace out of them!

A Wooden Medal Bracelet

This design is available on a bracelet, necklace and T-shirt!

Stickers

I love this option for the young girl or teen about to receive her Confirmation!

Whatever God Wants Heart Sticker

Saint Gianna Journal

Gifts for Adults

Daily Task Tea Towel

A book about Saint Gianna.  This book, Journey of Our Love, is Gianna Emmanuela’s favorite book about here Saint Mom!

Between 1955-1962, Saint Gianna Beretta and her husband Pietro Molla corresponded through a series of letters, collected here. Touching, inspiring, and refreshingly human, their exchanges reflect the everyday experiences and the abounding love of a modern day couple, revealing that the way of holiness can unfold in the midst of this world. From balancing work and family life, to dealing with a long-distance relationship, to parenting, to coping with illness and death, Gianna and Pietro conquered it all. But none of it was accomplished without tremendous trust in each other–and in God.

Wall Decor

These three prints from Sweet Little Ones are so clean and simple, love them!

Meyer Market Designs

has a variety o Saint Gianna products that are really cute!  They include

Stickers

Stuffed Saint Gianna doll

Decorative Pillow cases and more!

Want to read more about Saint Gianna?

5 Lessons I Learned from The Daughter of a Saint

Looking for more Catholic gifts?  Check out CatholicsOnline.net for a ton of inspiration!

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I recently saw a picture with the words “Lord please give me a sign on what I should do” on the top of it.  The picture was of a kitchen.  The sink was full of dishes and the sunlight was beaming directly on the dirty dishes.

I laughed out loud and had to share.

I guess, yes, sometimes God does want us to do the dishes.

Seeing this “meme” was timed perfectly with the theme of a mini-retreat I was planning.

I often found the question, “What does God want me to do?” burning in my heart and mind when I was younger.  As a child, a teen and before I was married . . . I often wondered, what did God really want me to do.

Maybe our pride seeks bigger answers, but often God desires us to simply put love into all the little things.

As a part of a “mini-retreat” series I am running with a group of young girls, this question was the theme of our last meeting.  Each of the answers are found somewhere inside the Be Yourself Journal!

What does God want me to do?

Be kind to the person that annoys you.

(St. Therese’ of the Child Jesus)

People can be sooooo annoying!

I love how St. Therese’ confesses in her Story of a Soul how a fellow nun drove her nuts!!!

Okay, maybe those weren’t here exact words, but, in a letter she wrote to her sister Celine she reveals how there were many times where she didn’t want to practice virtue, but in those moments she gave a smile or a friendly word.

People can be annoying.  Even saints had to deal with this.  Be kind. Smile.  Truly love.

Never worry about numbers.  Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest to you.

When I think back to the times I really agonized over the question, “What does God want me to do?” I can see now how I didn’t value how important the little things are . . .

So many times I wanted big answers – but that’s just it.  That’s what I wanted – not what God wanted.

This piece of advice from Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) helps us realize God doesn’t call us to do the impossible.

Pray without ceasing.  In all circumstances, give thanks.

(Saint Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians)

How many times do we start a personal prayer asking for Our Lord’s help without thanking him for something!?

I realized when I started prayer journaling how rude I had been to God!!!

I would start a letter to Jesus, Dear Jesus and think, well, I can’t just say hi can you do this for me – that’s so rude!

But that is what I had been doing . . .always diving right into what I hoped he would do for me.

We often see that quote, “pray without ceasing”; but that next sentence is so important.

God gave you that breath you just took.  God created the world we live in.  Thank God for all the things!

Make it your responsibility to know what acts are sinful and avoid them.

(Inspired by the life of Saint Maria Goretti)

When reading about Saint Maria Goretti, I was quite impressed with how she was taught by her mother to avoid sin at all cost.

Assunta [Maria’s mother] was Maria’s teacher. She could neither read nor write, but she understood her religion and she taught Maria what she knew; to love god, to die rather than offend Him. In her summation: “I taught her the fear of god and God did the rest.”

read more here: Saint Maria Goretti, Martyr of Purity

This lesson could have served me well in my teenage years.  I think it’s human nature to say, “well I think I’m not sinning” and accept that.  Nope.  Not okay.  Find out and get to work on avoiding sin like it’s important.

Never give up on hope.

(Advice from Saint John Paul II)

We might have to give up our goals to both become President of the United States and the highest paid professional athlete in the world – but we should never, ever give up on hope.

Pope (now Saint) John Paul II words of advice were:

I plead with you, never ever give up on hope.  Never doubt, never tire and never become discouraged.  Be not afraid.

There are certainly times where we are tempted to give up all hope, but that voice or thought does NOT come from God.  God wants us to hope!!!!

Saints really do give us such real, practical advice!  Want more?  Check out:

5 Lessons I Learned from the Daughter of a Saint

Saint Francis De Sales’ 5 Practical Tips for a Better Day

Two Words That Will Make a Good Day Better (Inspired by Joan of Arc)

3 Ways St. Gianna Leads Us Closer to Jesus

Let’s stay connected!  Subscribe here: Subscribe to prayerwinechocolate.com

The post What Does God Want Me To Do? 5 Saintly Answers to that Burning Question appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

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I am soooooo happy the warmer weather is here,

but I am going to miss the structure the school year provides.

I’m looking forward to time on the beach, at my favorite park (it is so peaceful there), morning coffee out on the deck and time at Eucharistic Adoration.

Eucharistic Adoration has been on my mind and heart lately, and I am thinking a regular scheduled visit would be one way to put structure in our family’s summer vacation.

Five Presents You Can Open in His Presence is a blog post I wrote about Adoration

Not only do I see value in time away from a screen; I see value in time close to Our Lord.

As a mom of 3 young children ( my oldest is 5), I don’t get much down time.

And, I must admit, the smart phone culture has sucked me in.  I must confess, I look at my phone more than a healthy amount.

That distraction creates a lot of noise in our lives.

The problem I am facing, and maybe you and your family are facing too, is that I can not hear God if I do not hear silence.

The value of silence is so important.  This video, The Value of Silence (click to watch video), featuring Father Mike Schmitz is short and full of information and wisdom!

So, I want to be intentional and really enjoy my time with Jesus.

I started thinking about creating an Adoration Bag – or Prayer Bag and I got really excited!

A bag I can bring to Adoration and use to prayer journal, meditate, read – or possibly not open at all.

A bag I can bring out on the deck with me in the morning with my coffee.

A bag I can bring to the beach if I ever get there alone.

A bag I can bring to the park while I enjoy God’s creation.

My bag was made by RoseSewsbyJennifer check out her Etsy shop!

As part of my excitement about the idea of a prayer bag, I started to brainstorm: what I would put in my bag?

and what would be put in my husband or a teenager’s or even my 5 year old’s prayer bag.

This is what I came up with!

Here are my suggestions for what to put in your Adoration/Prayer bag!

Women:

A prayer journal

I actually love to use an old fashioned composition book (or as I call it a Marble Notebook)

Looking for a more guided journal?  Check out: 10 Best Journals for Busy Women

Inspirational coloring pages – here’s a free one from me if you subscribe to Prayer Wine Chocolate: Love is kind coloring page

Colored Pencils

A pen that writes nice

A book about faith (the ones on my summer reading list are):

The Rosary : The Prayer that Saved My Life by Immaculee Ilibagiza

The Other Side of Beauty by Leah Darrow

One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler

The bag: Tote Bags by RoseSewsbyJennifer

The idea of a “prayer bag is not just for women”!  Here are some suggestions for men, teens and children too!

Men:

A blank journal

A sketch book

Pen and pencils

Spiritual Readings

(A Manual for Spiritual Warfare;

The Catholic Hipster’s Guide)

Bible

A pocket Rosary

The Bag: Vanlison Crossbody Bag

Teen and Tween Boys:

A blank sketch book 

Boys, from my experience, do not enjoy writing as much as girls.  Encouraging a young man to sketch what he sees in the chapel will help him quiet his mind.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first described this phenomenon as flow: a few moments in time when you are so completely absorbed by an activity that nothing else seems to matter.

Perhaps it won’t be a long moment, but some time to forget whatever might be stressing him out or worrying him . . . will go away.  The hope is in that moment of silence, He will hear God’s voice; or at least, walk away spiritually, mentally and emotionally refreshed.

Although I am still working on a boy’s version of Be Yourself; this book (Lectio Divina for Teens) may be a great tool for your son or God son this summer.

This prayer journal is all about learning to “read” God’s letter to you in the Scriptures, using an ancient prayer method known as lectio divina. In the pages of this journal, you’ll get a crash course in lectio divina, and then you’ll have a chance to practice it yourself.  The seven guided meditation sessions provide readers with the following pre-selected readings – some topics include “Depend on God”, True Friendship and “Seek the Lord”. The full text of each reading is provided right in the journal. In addition, the introduction walks readers through the process of lectio divina using Psalm 23, and a list of additional Scripture texts is provided in the back of the book so that readers can choose their own readings for the seven blank guided journal entries.

A Bible

A Battlebeads Rosary

The bag: CrossBody Bag

Teen and Tween Girls

The Be Yourself Journal

Full of prayer prompts and coloring pages galore.  Some content is light, some is more deep.  Depending on a her mood, she can choose what to do that hour.  I strongly believe the freedom to go anywhere in the book will make her prayer experience more fruitful.

Lots of gel pens and colored pencils.

Pictures, scrapbook supplies and stickers.  The Be Yourself Journal has a two page spread that encourage girls to design their own prayer room; the back of the journal is blank so that it can be personalized and there are quite a few pages that encourage pasting photographs.  For some, this may not be an “adoration activity”; for others, it may be a way that helps Adoration be a time of peace and creative prayer.

An illustrated faith kit and supplies from DaySpring.

I love this Canvas Tote bag from DaySpring and a cute pen and pencil pouch

You can also order a cute zipper pouch from RoseSewsbyJennifer – tell her what pattern you like and she will make a custom one for you!

A Bible

A Rosary Bracelet

The bag: Tote Bags by RoseSewsbyJennifer

I am still brainstorming for what I could put in my 5 year old (who is turning 6 this week!) bag.  Do you have any suggestions??? Please, share!

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