St. Maria Francesca of the Five Wounds was a mystic and stigmatic. Born in 1715, she lived a life of abuse from her father. At 16, he arranged a marriage to a wealthy man, but she refused. Instead, she became a Franciscan tertiary. She bore the wounds of Christ internally and suffered much physical pain. In the last years of her life, she was prevented from participation in the Mass because of a severe illness that left her bedridden. There were many episodes in which some of the priests, especially Fr. Bianchi, saw a Particle of the consecrated large Host and a small amount of the consecrated Wine disappear during their Masses. It was the saint's Guardian Angel who brought her Communion. She had a deep and profound love of the Eucharist. She died in 1791. She is co-patron of Naples, Italy. Her feast day is Oct. 6th. May our lives center around our faith and may our devotion to the Eucharist be deeply rooted in our souls. May we long for His presence in our daily lives and may we devote ourselves to grow in love and faith. Attend Mass every weekend and Adoration. Give Him adoration and thanksgiving for all His abundant blessings in our lives.