This blog is comprised of Saint of the Week stories I have been writing for my youth groups in Rocky Mountain House and Sylvan Lake. Each week we act out the life of another saint in what is called a "Spontaneous Melodrama." Choose volunteer actors for each role in the story, then read the story, pausing when necessary to let the actors say their lines. This is a dynamic and fun way to learn the stories of the saints, although sometimes historical precision is sacrificed for flow. Feel free to try this in your group!

Friday, November 9, 2018

St Gianna Molla

Gianna,  3 kids, husband, 'poor and elderly' (2), doctor, baby

(Enter Gianna)

There once was a woman named Gianna.  Gianna had a husband, named Pietro and 3 children (Enter husband and kids).  They loved each other very much!  The children said to their mother "Mommy, you are such a good and kind mommy!"  And they would shower her with kisses.

Not to be outdone, Pietro would romantically take Gianna's hand and say "Come have a date with me my love!"  and kiss her on the hand.

Pietro and Gianna loved music, and they would go to the opera together. They watched as the audience sang in operatic fashion " Figaro, Figaro, Fi-ga-ro!!!"  Then the whole Molla family applauded.

(Enter poor and elderly)  But the Molla family was also generous.  They would visit the poor and elderly, and since Gianna was a doctor, she would give them medical advice.  (Actor should invent her own medical advice).  Gianna said "One day I hope to go on a mission to Brazil with my brother the priest, so I can give those poor women medical advice too!"

(Exit poor and elderly)

One day Gianna gathered her family and said "Children!  I have very exciting news for you!  I am pregnant!"

They children were delighted!  They danced and sang "We're gonna have a baby!"

Pietro gave his wife a big hug, then kneeling down he said to her belly "Hi Baby! I'm your dadda!"

(Enter doctor)

But the doctor said "I'm afraid I have bad news for you.  You have a tumor."

The audience gasped!  Pietro fainted.

One of the children said "Whats a tumor?"

The doctor said "It's a kind of sickness where something is growing inside of your mom that shouldn't be there.  Unless we operate, your mother will die!"

Pietro got up off the floor and said "Well, then operate!"

But the doctor said "It's not that simple.  If we operate, the baby in Gianna's womb will die."

The audience said "Oh dear!"  Pietro fainted again. 

But Gianna said "If you have to choose between my life and that of my baby, choose my baby."

The children said "Oh Mother!"  and hugged her, weeping.  Pietro got up and joined the group hug.

(Enter baby)

When the time came, Gianna had a beautiful baby girl. The baby cried and drooled, but Pietro said as he held her "I love her so much!  She will be named Gianna Emanuela."

The doctor said "Now it is finally safe to operate!" 

But it was too late- Gianna died when her baby was only a week old.

Gianna is the patron saint of Mothers, doctors, and unborn babies.

St Gianna Molla-  Pray for us!









Sunday, November 4, 2018

Elisha

Elijah, Elisha, flaming horses, people of Jericho

(Enter Elijah and Elisha)

There once were two Prophets, Elijah and Elisha.  Elijah did really cool things, like once he called down fire from Heaven, and another time he parted the Kordan river so he and Elisha could walk across on dry land.

Elisha said “Golly Elijah!  I wish I was as powerful as you!”

Elijah said “It’s not me, it’s the Holy Spirit working through me! And if you see the way I go to Heaven, you will have the power too!”

Elisha sang the following words to the tune of “if I were a rich man” from Fiddler on the Roof. The narrator modeled how to sing and dance;

“If I were a prophet... dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby do.  All day long I’d dooby dooby do, dooby dooby dooby do!”

(Enter horses)

Suddenly flaming horses came galloping in, whinnying and reading on their hind legs.  The audience sang the tune of Chariots of fire. The kids in the audience all looked at the adults, cause they were the only ones who knew the song.  Then Elijah was taken to Heaven in a whirlwind!  As he flew off, he dropped his coat!

The flaming horses whinnied and galloped away.

(Exit horses, Elijah)

Then Elisha picked up Elijah’s coat, and yelled “I’ve got the power!”

(Enter people of Jericho)

Suddenly the people of Jericho came running up to Elisha and said “Please help us!”

Elisha said “Jericho, Jericho, now where have I heard that before?”

Elisha stroked his beard as he thought, and all the people of Jericho froze like statues. They would remain like statues until the narrator clapped his or her hands.

As Elisha remembered, the audience provided the sound effects.

Elisha remembered how Joshua had said “God has given us this land!”

And how the people of Jericho had answered “We have a big wall, go away”

And how Joshua and the Israelites blew trumpets,

And how the people of Jericho screamed as their walls came down.

The narrator clapped twice. The people of Jericho shook themselves and looked bewildered.

Elisha said-  “wait-  wasn’t your city destroyed a thousand years ago?”

The people of Jericho said “yeah, but we rebuilt it.  In defiance of Gods laws.  But our water is yucky!”

So the people of Jericho took some water and tasted it, but spat it out saying “ooh, bleh, yech!”

Then they said “it makes us sick and kills our crops!

Elisha took the water and put some salt in it, saying “This is what the Lord says:  I have healed the water.  Never again will it cause death or make the land useless!”

So the people tasted the water again and said. “Wow, now this water is delicious!  Thank you Elisha!  You are so kind! You’re our hero!”

Elisha said “You’re welcome! Just remember kids-  stay in school, and don’t make fun of bald people.”

And everyone laughed a hearty laugh.

The end.