BL. TERESA BRACCO was born in 1924 to modest farmers an Italian in
Savona.
Her family fostered her faith at a young
age and she was known to pray the rosary as she went about her daily chores.
Every day she would rise early in the morning to walk to Mass, often becoming
entranced by Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
After
learning about St. Dominic Savio she adopted his motto for her life, “Death
rather than sin.” She kept a picture of the saint hanging over her bed that
inspired her on a daily basis.
One day in
1944 Teresa was out in the fields when she heard gunshots. A few people ran
past urging her and her sisters to take cover. The Nazi soldiers quickly found Teresa
hiding in the field and one of them carried her to the forest with the intent
to rape her.
She was
defiant in her resistance, with the soldier became increasingly angry. He then
shot her twice and left her body in the forest. The local priest searched for
her remains and brought her body to a doctor, who confirmed what happened. She
was 20 years old.
.
Teresa was
beatified in 1998 on the occasion of (St.) Pope John
Paul II's visit to Turin. Her beatification
was approved after it was proven that she was killed in the defense of
remaining a Christian virgin.
In his
homily (St. )
John Paul II gave her as an inspiration to all young people.
“What a
significant Gospel witness for the young generations who are approaching the
third millennium! What a message of hope for those who are striving to run
counter to the spirit of the world! To young people in particular, I hold up
this young woman whom the Church is proclaiming blessed today so that they may
learn from her clear faith, witnessed to in daily commitment, moral consistency
without compromises and the courage of sacrificing even life if necessary, in
order not to betray the values that give it meaning.
She stands
with St. Maria Goretti as a patron of rape victims.”
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