Pope Francis

Pope Francis (Jorge (pronounced hor-hey)), Mario, Regina, Doctor, Jesuits (Orlando, Franz), Government soldiers (2) , Guerrillas (2), Dictator Videla, Enrique Merlot, poor people (2), Cardinals (2), Pope Benedict (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger)

Usually Saint of the Week is reserved for canonized saints, which means they have to be dead, live lives of heroic virtue, and perform 2 miracles even after they are dead.  However, in light of the recent papal election, I thought we should do one on Pope Francis.

There once was a man named Mario, who worked on the railroad in Argentina.  All day he would pound stakes into the ground, while singing "I've been working on the railroad, all the live long day!" 

One day when he arrived home from work, his wife, Regina, greeted him with a big hug and a kiss.  She said "Mario!  We had another baby!  I named him Jorge!"

Mario wiped a tear from his eye, saying "I love that name!"

As Jorge grew up, he was very intelligent.  But when he was a teenager, he got sick with a bad cough.  The doctor came, and listened to his chest.  Jorge wheezed as he breathed.  The doctor shook his head and said to Jorge's parents "I'm afraid I am going to have to remove a lung."  Then the doctor pulled out a knife, cut Jorge open, and removed his lung, and sewed him back up.

"Thank you doctor-  I feel much better now!"  Jorge said.

Jorge went on to become a priest with the Jesuits, and ended up in charge of the Jesuits.  The Jesuits promised to obey Jorge no matter what.

But war broke out in Argentina.  Government Soldiers, under the command of Dictator Vidella, fought against Guerrilla warriors.  The Guerrillas  beat their chests, hooted and screeched, scratched their armpits, and threw bananas, until finally Enrique Merlo said "no, not Gorillas!  G-air-ril-las.  Revolutionaries!  We fight for the poor!"

The guerrillas cheered!

But one by one the government started arresting them.  2 Jesuits, Orlando and Franz, were among those arrested, because they worked with the poor in the slums. (Guerrillas, Enrique Merlot, Jorge, poor leave the stage.)

The soldiers tortured Orlando and Franz, by tickling them like crazy.  Orlando and Franz begged for mercy.  Orlando said "please, we are not Guerrillas, we are priests, who care for the poor!"

Franz said "Please, I have a weak bladder!"

Jorge came and met secretly with Vidella, and they whispered back and forth.  Finally Vidella told his soldiers 'Let them go.'

But when Orlando was released, he didn't know that Jorge had helped him, so he pointed an accusing finger at Jorge saying "You could have helped me!"

Jorge continued secretly helping the poor.  He hid them when soldiers came by, and even gave one of them his papers so he could escape from Argentina.

Eventually, Jorge was made Bishop, then Archbishop, then Cardinal. But even though he was so important in the Church, he still lived near and visited with the poor.

When Pope John Paul II died,  The cardinals met to pick the next pope.  One Cardinal said  "I think Ratzinger should be Pope!"

Another Cardinal said "I think Jorge should be pope!"

Jorge began to cry and said "Please, I don't want to be pope!  I just want to serve the poor!"

So the Cardinals agreed, and Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.

But then Pope Benedict said "I'm too old.  I'm going to retire."

So the Cardinals picked Jorge, who said "Ok.  I will choose the name Francis, after Francis of Assisi, to show how important it is to love and care for the poor!"

Pope Francis was made Pope on March 13, 2013.

St Paul

Saul (Paul), Stephen, Pharisees (2), Horses (3) Greeks, Jesus, Ananias, Barnabas, emperor, Guard

(Enter Saul, Greeks)

There once was a man named Saul.  But Greeks could never say his name.  He would always introduce himself and say "Hi, my name is Saul"

The Greeks would always say "Paul"?

So he would say "SSSSa-ul."

Greeks would say "P-aul"?

So finally Saul said "Fine, my name is Paul!"

(exit Greeks)

One day he heard a ruckus (get audience to make a ruckus noise.)

(Enter pharisees, Stephen)

He found some pharisees, who were yelling at a guy named Stephen.

Paul asked "What's going on?"

The pharisees said "This man blasphemed, so we're gonna throw rocks at him until he's dead!"

Paul said "ooh, can I help?"

The pharisees said "Sure!  You can hold our coats!" 

So Paul held their coats while they threw rocks at Stephen.  When Stephen died they said "now let's go to Damascus and find more Christians!"

(Exit Stephen, Enter horses)

So Paul and the Pharisees got on their horses, and rode off. 

(Enter Jesus)

But while they were riding, Suddenly Jesus appeared to Paul!  Paul fell of his horse!  The Pharisees could not see Jesus, and wondered what was happening. 

Jesus said "Why do you persecute me?"

Paul said "Who are you?"

Jesus said "I am Jesus."

Paul said "My bad!"

(exit Jesus, Pharisees, horses.  Enter Ananias)

After that, Paul was blind. He stumbled around, unable to see. When he got to Damascus, a man named Ananias came to him and said "Paul, Jesus sent me.  Be healed!"

Paul jumped to his feet, saying "I am healed! It's a miracle!" He danced for joy.  Ananias baptized him.

(Exit Ananias, enter Barnabas, Greeks)

After that, Paul became a traveling missionary, with a guy named Barnabas.  They went all over the place, telling everyone about Jesus.  Sometimes the Greeks were so impressed, they thought Paul and Barnabas were Gods, and they'd fall down and  worship them!  Other times they tried to kill them, so Paul and Barnabas had to run away.  Once Paul preached a very intelligent sermon saying "Jesus is the unknown God!"  but the Greeks said "yeah, right."  Another time he gave a simpler sermon, saying "Jesus died for us!" 

The Greeks said "Baptize us!"

After that Paul said "I will preach Christ Crucified!"

(exit Greeks, enter Pharisees, Emperor)

One day the Pharisees came and captured Paul, sending him to prison.  Eventually he was brought to Rome, where the emperor said "I am Lord!"

Paul said "Actually, Jesus is Lord."

The emperor said "Off with his head!"

A guard ran in and chopped off Pauls head.

St Paul is considered the greatest evangelist that ever lived. He wrote most of the letters in the New Testament.

St Paul-  Pray for us!

St Gregory the Great

Gregory, monks (2), Lombards (3), people (3), Pope Pelagius, horse, Tiberius, wealthy people (2)

(Enter Gregory and the monks)

St Gregory is best known for inventing Gregorian Chant.  When he was a monk, he would teach the other monks how to chant their prayers.  They would even chant grace over a meal!  They sang the words "Bless us Oh Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive..."

(Enter Lombards, people, Pope, horse)

But one day Italy was invaded by the Lombards.  The Lombards were running around, laughing like hyenas, setting things on fire, and beating people up.  The people were terrified!  They all ran to Rome, and said to Pope Pelagius "Please help us!".  Pelagius called Gregory over and said "Greg, we need help.  Go to constantinople, and tell the emperor to send more soldiers!"  So Gregory rode off on his horse.  (Clear the stage of everyone but Gregory and his horse.  Enter Tiberius).

When he arrived in Constantinople, Gregory went to emperor Tiberius. He got off his horse, and gave it a lump of sugar, which the horse ate greedily, whinnying with delight)  Falling on his knees, Gregory begged Tiberius, saying "Please your majesty!  Help us!"  Then Gregory kissed his hand.

But Tiberius said "I'm afraid my army is already fighting 3 wars!  I can't afford to help you.  I'm sorry."

(Exit Tiberius)

Gregory was sad, but he said "If Tiberius won't help the people, I will!" Then, getting back on his horse, he said "Ride like the wind, Bullseye!" and the horse galloped all the way back to Rome.

(Enter people, wealthy people)

When he got off his horse, he groomed it, saying "what good horse." But there was a famine in Rome, and the people were starving. They said "Please!  We need food!"  Gregory sold everything he had, even his horse, to buy food for the people.  But it still was not enough!  Other wealthy people admired Gregory for what he did, so they sold what they had and gave him their money to distribute to the poor.

(Exit horse, Enter Pelagius)

Suddenly, Pope Pelagius came down with the plague!  He coughed and choked and died.

(Exit Pelagius, enter monks)

The monks, people, the wealthy people, and the audience all said "Let's make Gregory the Pope!"

Gregory said "I'd rather just be a humble monk..."

But everyone, including the audience, said "Habemus Papam!"  (Hab- Bay-Moose Pa-Pam).  The people and monks lifted Gregory onto their shoulders saying "Long live the Pope!"

Pope Gregory said "When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice."  

The to the monks he said "Get as much wealth as we can from the Churches, and let's take care of the poor!"  And everyone cheered.

Pope Gregory is a doctor of the Church, and a patron saint of musicians.

Pope St Gregory the Great-  pray for us!

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa, Mom, Dad, Poor(2), women(2), dying(1), lepers(1) orphans (1), nuns (2), Pope John Paul II, Palestinians (2), Israelis (2) sick and injured(2)

Mother Teresa

(Enter Mother Teresa, Dad, Mom)

Since she was a little girl, Agnes Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa) wanted to be a nun.  Her parents patted her on the head affectionately, and pinched her cheeks.

Her dad died when she was only 8 years old.

(Exit Dad)

Her mom taught her how to be a good Catholic, teaching her things like how to do the sign of the cross, how to make a proper genuflection, and how to explain the trinity.  She loved reading about missionaries, and by the time she was 12 she said "I want to be a missionary when I grow up!"

(Exit Mom enter nuns, poor)

When she was 18, she joined the convent, and changed her name to Teresa. The Nuns welcomed her with a big hug! First she learned to speak English, then she went to India where she taught in a school.  

But Mother Teresa was very sad to see how poor everyone was. During a famine, the poor were so hungry, begging for bread, they just barely dragged themselves along the ground!  And since some were Muslim and others were Hindu, they fought against each other, hissing like cats.

One day while praying, Mother Teresa felt like God was talking to her.  God said (audience can do voice of God) “Teresa! Go live with the poor and be like them!”

The other Nuns said "You're leaving us?" and indicated their anger by saying "Whatever" and "Talk to the hand."

(Exit nuns, Enter women)

So Teresa left the nuns, and started a school, and started looking after the poor, the sick, and the starving.  She gave away everything she had except 2 changes of clothes! Soon, other women joined her. They worked hard day and night, and begged for food and shelter.  They walked out to the audience and said "Please, give what you can!"  

Mother Teresa often felt sad and lonely, but she never gave up.  Even when she felt sad, she offered her service as a gift to God, and always tried to smile at Him!

(Enter dying, lepers, orphans)

Eventually she and the women with her started a house for the dying, where everyone was taken care of. She made sure that they all felt loved. They also took care of lepers, who's skin was rotting while they were still alive, and orphans, who cried about not having moms until the women hugged them and consoled them.  Eventually more nuns came and joined her, and they were able to spread her work in one hundred countries around the world.

(Exit all but Mother Teresa, enter Palestinians and Israelis, sick and injured)

She even stopped a war for a few days! The Palestinians and Israelis were fighting, shooting each other and lobbing grenades. Sick and injured people lay in the crossfire! Mother Teresa stood between them and got them both to be peaceful, so she could get the sick and injured out.

(Exit sick and injured, Palestinians and Israelis, enter John Paul II)

One day she visited John Paul II, kissing his Ring while he blessed her. Suddenly, Mother Teresa had a heart attack. After that she started getting other kinds of sicknesses, and one day she fell and broke her collarbone.  Eventually, Mother Teresa died. She has been honored around the world.

Saint Mother Teresa-  Pray for us!