July 6 is the feast day of one of the most inspirational – and youngest – saints in the history of the Catholic Church: St. Maria Goretti, only 11 years old when she was killed. Father Chris Alar, MIC says her example of forgiveness to her attacker has had  –  and still has –  a profound impact. Then hear the powerful story of Frank Ramirez who also lost a daughter at a young age but believes the way in which she died is the workmanship of an all-good and all-loving God.

Fr. Chris Alar continues his "Explaining the Faith" Series as he takes you back to seminary with him and joins you on live chat for this premier video of "Catholicism 101" from one of his parish missions.

On this great solemnity, Fr. Chris reflects on the mystery at the heart of the Marian Fathers’ charism: the Immaculate Conception—God’s greatest act of mercy ever given to a creature. Despite the grief of losing his father just days earlier, he reminds us that Our Lady’s purity is the blueprint for our own path to holiness. Long before the dogma was defined in 1854, the Church cherished this truth in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, seen in Gabriel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace,” revealing Mary as wholly transformed by divine life.