Ven. Fr. Justin Russolillo - Italy

Founder of the Society of Divine Vocations, he was born in Pianura, Naples, Italy on Jan. 18, 1891. He was ordained a priest on September 20, 1913.

A month after being named pastor of St. George Church in Pianura, on October 18, 1920 he gathered in common life the group of "the most faithful ones": the first community of the Society of Divine Vocations, which became known as the "Vocationist Fathers," came into being. Its first Diocesan approval came on May 26, 1927. It became a Congregation of Pontifical right on January 3, 1948.

Fr. Justin established the Vocationist Fathers and their special charism to foster and promote vocations to the priesthood, religious life and holiness among all God's people. To carry on his work for vocations Fr. Justin established the "Vocationary", a special house of formation that would supply vocations to both religious order and diocesan seminaries. For those who are undecided whether they want to be a Vocationist, a Diocesan priest or a member of another religious community, the Vocationist Fathers offer the Vocationary, a place of vocational discernment.

Fr. Justin died on August 2, 1955 at Vocationist Fathers Motherhouse in Pianura, Naples (Italy).

On December 18, 1997 Pope John Paul II recognized Fr. Justin heroic virtues and proclaimed him a Venerable.  On July 1, 2010 Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree of validity of the miracle by Fr Justin intercession to Ida Meloro of East Hanover, New Jersey (USA). The ceremony of beatification is set for May 7, 2011 in Pianura (Naples), birthplace of Fr. Justin.

Saint Angela Merici - Italy

Founder of the Order of Ursulines

Saint Angela Merici was born at Desenzano del Garda, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda in Lombardy. She and her older sister, who she dearly loved, Maria Anselma, were left orphans when she was about ten years old. Together they came to live with their uncle in the town of Salo. Young Angela was very distressed when her sister suddenly died without receiving the last sacraments. She joined the Third Order of St Francis, and increased her prayers to God so her sister’s soul could rest in peace. Legend says that she was satisfied by a vision of her sister in the company of the saints in Heaven.


Angela's uncle died when she was twenty years old and she returned to her previous home in Desenzano. Angela believed that better Christian education was needed for young girls; she then dedicated her time teaching girls in her home, which she had converted into a school. She later allegedly had another vision that revealed to her that she was to found an association of women who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. This was a success and she was invited to start another school in the neighboring city, Brescia. She happily accepted this offer.

According to legend, though not substantiated by any extant documentation, in 1524, while traveling to the Holy Land, St Angela Merici became suddenly blind when she was on the island of Crete. Despite this, St Angela continued her journey to the Holy Places and was ostensibly cured of sightlessness upon her return, while praying before a crucifix, at the same place where she was struck with blindness a few weeks before.In 1525, she came to Rome to gain the Indulgences of the Jubilee year. While doing this task, Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her virtue and success with her school, invited her to remain in Rome. St Angela disliked notoriety, and she soon returned to Brescia.

On 25 November 1535, St Angela Merici chose twelve women and started the foundation of the "Company of St Ursula" near the Church of St Afra, in a small house in Brescia. On 18 March 1537, she was elected "Mother and Mistress" (Superior) of the order. Three years later, she died on 27 January 1540. Her body was clothed in the habit of a Franciscan tertiary and interred in the Church of St Afra, Brescia.

Saint Angela Merici was beatified in Rome on 30 April 1768, by Pope Clement XIII. She was later canonized on 24 May 1807, by Pope Pius VII.

St. Annibale Maria di Francia - Italy

Founder of the Rogationist Fathers, the Daughters of Divine Zeal,  and the Anthonian Orphanages

Annibale Maria di Francia  was born on July 5, 1851 in Messina, Italy and he died June 1, 1927.   His father Francis was a Knight of the Marquises of St. Catherine of Jonio, Papal Vice-Consul and Honorary Captain of the Navy. His mother, Anna Toscano, belonged to the noble family of the Marquises of Montanaro. He was, therefore, from noble lineage.

The third of four children, he lost his father when he was only fifteen months old. The sad experience of being an orphan would have a profound impact on his life and will make him deeply empathetic towards orphans.  At the age of seven he enrolled in the College of St. Nicholas, run by the Cistercian Fathers. He was a devout child. Here under the guidance of his spiritual director, he was introduced to a devout life and he developed such love for the Eucharist that he was allowed to receive the Holy Host daily, something exceptional in those days.

He was only seventeen, when as he was at prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed, he was given the "revelation of Rogate", that is, he deeply felt that vocations in the Church only come through prayer. Later on he found in the Gospel the very words of Jesus commanding such prayer: "Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest". (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). These words became the main source of inspiration for his life and the charism which led his apostolate.

On July 11, 1909 he wrote to Pope S. Pius X: "From my youth I have devoted myself to the words of the Gospel: Pray therefore the Lord of the Harvest...In my charitable institutions, orphans, poor, priests and nuns, all pray incessantly to the loving Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to the Patriarch St. Joseph and to the Apostles, that they may provide the Holy Church with numerous and chosen laborers for the harvest of souls".

The essence of the intuition of his youth was that prayer for vocations (Rogate) was not considered as a mere exhortation given by the Lord, but an explicit order, a compelling request, an "infallible remedy". We can say, then, that his "discovery" cannot be regarded as something transitory and superficial but as the core of his life, the charism which will bring forth a new providential movement in the Church.

Young Hannibal proved to be of high intelligence and had a poetic disposition. He looked to a brilliant and secure career as a writer and poet but when he felt the sudden call from God, he immediately responded and generously put himself and his talents at the service of God.

When, on December 8, 1869 he was given the clerical garb, he soon began putting his talents to work and became a well received preacher. People, especially the simple and those from the lower classes, loved to listen to him because of the clarity of his sermons. He will carry on this special ministry for his entire life as a means to evangelize the simple and the poor.

Once his theological studies were completed he was ordained a priest on March 16, 1878. Few months before his ordination, when he was still Deacon, he met a poor blind beggar, Francesco Zancone, who "providentially" led him to discover a world unknown to him: "Le Case Avignone" (The Avignone squatters), in the outskirts of Messina. It was to be his new field of apostolate and the beginning of a long journey of love and sacrifices for the poor and the orphans. Together with the intuition of the "Rogate", this spirit of charity would be the characteristic of his life.

Wanting to dedicate himself completely to the poorest of the city he sought and received the permission and the encouragement of his bishop, Mons. Joseph Guarino. He looked at them with the eyes of Jesus and saw them as "sheep without a shepherd".  Great and many were the difficulties and obstacles he had to face in this work but his profound faith sustained him always. He considered his service to the poor and the outcasts as a service done to Jesus Himself. As he cared for the poor he was at the same time attentive to both taking care of their human and spiritual needs.

In 1882 he opened a home for abandoned orphans and placed them under the patronage of St. Anthony of Padua. Later on all his charitable institutions for poor children will be called "Anthonian Orphanages".  It was his main concern that in his institutions the children he provided not only with food and prepared for a job, but more importantly that they would receive a solid moral and religious education. He used to say: "We should love children with tender and fatherly love. This is the secret of secrets to gain them to God".

He decided to begin a new publication and gave it the heading of "God and Neighbour" with the intention of involving all Christians in his charitable ideals. Soon he was publishing hundred of thousands of copies which he sent to benefactors around the world.   It was his fervent desire to help all the orphans and the poor of the world. But how? He perceived that the "Rogate" was the answer to his query. "What are these few orphans we attend to, these few people we bring the good news to, compared to the millions who are lost and abandoned as sheep without a shepherd?...I looked for an answer and I found a complete one in the words of Jesus: "Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest". I concluded then that I had found the secret key to all good works and to the salvation of countless souls" .
Saint Hannibal strived to become himself a model of the "good laborer" spoken of in the Gospels, and to be a priest "according to the Heart of Jesus". His charity knew no bounds, and it was directed toward all those in need, including priests facing difficulties and cloistered nuns who often are forgotten by benefactors. People regarded him as a Saint even when he was still alive. Mons. Angelo Paino, Bishop of Messina,later gave this testimony about him: "He was considered a Saint by all people. By this I mean people from all walks of life, social status and religious convictions". 

On June 1, 1927, Saint Hannibal died in Messina. As soon as the people heard the news of his death they began to say: "Let us go to see the sleeping saint". A few days before the Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared to him and assured him of Her protection, a vision to reward his tender devotion toward her.


Newspapers of the entire region reported with pictures and articles of the funeral and burial. Crowds of thousands came to mourn his passing away. Local authorities quickly released the permit allowing that his body be buried in the church of the "Evangelical Rogation" which Saint Hannibal himself had wanted and built in Messina. It is the only church in the world dedicated to the Gospel's passage: "Pray therefore the Lord of the Harvest".  Many of his contemporaries, and among them the St. Luigi Orione, requested that a formal Cause for Canonization be promptly started. But World War II put a temporary stop to the undertaking.

On April 21, 1945, the information stage of the process for Canonization began with the "Diocesan Investigations". All the writings of Saint Hannibal (62 volumes) were examined by a Special Committee of Theologians.  In 1979 the Congress of Cardinals voted to begin the formal Cause for Canonization which officially began in Messina on March 8, 1980 at the same time the [[Eccliastical Tribunal]] set up a Committee of Historians. 

On December 21, 1989 pope John Paul II promulgated the Decree on the "Heroic Virtues of the Servant of God".  To proceed with the Cause of Canonization, a sign of God, a miracle was needed. On June 30, 1990 the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously agreed that the case of Gleida Danese - a young Brazilian girl who was doomed to die because of the rupture of the aorta but who suddenly recovered - had no possible medical explanation. Both the Commission of Theologians on July 14, 1990 and then the Congress of Cardinals and Bishops on July 27, 1990 unanimously agreed upon the miraculous recovery of the girl and found that it was to be attributed to the intercession of the Servant of God, Hannibal Di Francia.

He was canonized on May 16, 2004, by Pope John Paul II.

Blessed Giacomo Alberione - Italy

Founder of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul

Blessed Giacomo Alberione or James Alberione (4 April 1884 – 26 November 1971), also known as Santiago Alberione, was an Italian priest and publisher, the founder of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul, besides other orders and institutes of the Pauline Family.

He was born on 4 April 1884 in San Lorenzo di Fossano, near Cuneo, northern Italy.  He was a seminarian in Bra and Alba and was the spiritual director for youth and altar servers in the Alba seminary. While doing nightly Eucharistic adoration in Alba on 31 December 1900 he suddenly felt that he was called to do something for the people of the new century.

He was ordained on 29 June 1907 and became a parish priest in Narzole. He was a director of the weekly publication Gazzetta d'Alba from September 1913. In 1914 he founded the Society of St. Paul, and in 1915 the Daughters of St. Paul, with the support of Mother Thecla. These congregations use modern media technology and published materials to spread the word of God, and help in personal devotions. Later in his life Blessed Giacomo also founded the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (1924), the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (1938) and the Sisters of the Queen of Apostles (1957), all communities applying Pauline spirituality in various fields. He also founded four lay institutes and the Union of Pauline Cooperators.

Alberione died on 26 November 1971 at 6:26 p.m. in the Generalate House, Rome, of natural causes.

He was declared venerable on 25 June 1996 and beatified on 27 April 2003 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

St. Arcangelo Tadini - Italy

Founder of the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth

St. Arcangelo Tadini was born on 12 October 1846 in Verolanuova (Brescia), Italy. At the age of 18 he entered the seminary in Brescia, but had an accident that left him with a limp for the rest of his life. He was ordained in 1870, but illness forced him to spend his first year as a priest with his family.

From 1871 to 1873 he was a curate in Lodrino, a mountain village, and then at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Noce near Brescia.

He was known for his attentiveness to his people's needs. After flooding left many parishioners homeless, he organized a soup-kitchen in the parish house that served 300 meals a day. In 1885 he was transferred to Botticino Sera as curate and two years later was appointed parish priest and dean of the same parish, where he spent the remaining 25 years of his life.

A zealous pastor of souls, he provided catechesis for every age group, started a choir, organized various confraternities, remodeled the church and cared for the liturgy. When he preached, people were amazed at the warmth and power that his words instilled.

With the spread of the industrial revolution, he founded the Workers' Mutual Aid Association, to help labourers suffering from illness, accidents, disabilities or old age. He used his own inheritance to plan and build a spinning factory, outfitting it with the latest equipment and later building a residence next to it for working women. To educate young working women, he founded the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth who went into the factories to work alongside the other women, sharing their toil and tensions, while teaching them by their example. To the sister and the young working women Fr Tadini held up the example of Jesus, who not only sacrifice himself on the Cross, but spent the first 30 years of his life in Nazareth where he was not ashamed to use a carpenter's tools or to have calloused hands and a brow bathed in sweat.

He taught his parishioners that work is not curse, but the way men and women are called to fulfil themselves as human beings and as Christians His strength came from prayer: his parishioner used to see him stand for hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament, despite his disability, absorbed in the contemplation of God. Fr Arcangelo Tadini died on 20 May 1912.   He was beatified on 24 October 2001 and canonized on 19 April 2009

St. Sylvester Gozzolini - Italy

Founder of the Sylvestrines

Saint Sylvester Gozzolini (Italian: Silvestro Guzzolini) (1177 – November 26, 1267) was an Italian saint, the founder of the religious order known as the Sylvestrines.

Born of the noble family of the Gozzolini at Osimo, Marche, he was sent to study jurisprudence at Bologna and Padua, but, feeling within himself a call to the ecclesiastical state, abandoned the study of law for that of theology and Holy Scripture, giving long hours daily to prayer. On his return home we are told that his father, angered at his change of purpose, refused to speak to him for ten years. Sylvester then accepted a canonry at Osimo and devoted himself to pastoral work with such zeal as to arouse the hostility of his bishop, whom he had respectfully rebuked for the scandals caused by the prelate's irregular life.

The saint was threatened with the loss of his canonry, but decided to leave the world on seeing the decaying corpse of one who had formerly been noted for great beauty. In 1227 he retired to a desert place about thirty miles from Osimo and lived there in the utmost poverty until he was recognized by the owner of the land, a certain nobleman named Conrad, who offered him a better site for his hermitage. From this spot he was driven by dampness and next established himself at Grotta Fucile, where he eventually built a monastery of his order.

In this place his penances were most severe, for he lived on raw herbs and water and slept on the bare ground. Disciples flocked to him seeking his direction, and it became necessary to choose a rule. According to the legend, the various founders appeared to him in a vision, each begging him to adopt his rule. St. Sylvester chose for his followers that of St. Benedict and built his first monastery on Montefano, where, like another St. Benedict, he had first to destroy the remains of a pagan temple.

In 1247, he obtained from Innocent IV, at Lyon, a papal bull confirming his order, and before his death founded a number of monasteries.

Veneration
An account of his miracles and of the growth of his cultus will be found in Bolzonetti. His body was disinterred and placed in a shrine (1275–85) and is still honoured in the church of Monte Fano. Clement IV first recognized the title of blessed popularly bestowed on Sylvester, who was inscribed as a saint in the Roman Martyrology by order of Clement VIII (1598). His office and Mass were extended to the Universal Church by Leo XIII. His feast is kept on 26 November.

St. Gaspar Bertoni

Founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ

GASPAR BERTONI was born in Verona, in the Republic of Venice, on October 9, 1777, of Francis Bertoni and Brunora Ravelli of Sirmione. He was baptized the following day by his grand-uncle, Fr. James Bertoni, in the parish church of St. Paul, in the Campo Marzo section of Verona. On both sides of the family, the profession of "Notary" was exercised, and from an old legal document, it can be seen that the family was fairly well off. Even more outstanding, however, was the practice of the faith.

Following the death of his baby sister, young Gaspar remained the only child. He had the benefit of an excellent education both at home and at St. Sebastian's school, that was conducted by the municipality after the suppression of the Jesuits. They, however, continued teaching and also in the direction of the Marian Congregation. Young Bertoni here came under the influence of Fr. Louis Fortis, who would in the future be the first Jesuit General after the reinstatement of the Company of Jesus.

From the grace of his first Holy Communion at age 11, Gaspar Bertoni was called to a life of mystical union. His vocation to the priesthood matured, and at 18, he entered the seminary. In frequenting the theological course as an extern student, he found in his professor of moral theology, Fr. Nicholas Galvani, an excellent spiritual director.

During his first year of theology, he witnessed the invasion of the French armies (June 1, 1796). This was the beginning of a 20 year period of great upheaval for his native city. Inspired by deep charity, he dedicated himself to the assistance of the sick and wounded, as a member of a Gospel Fraternity for the Hospitals, that had just then been instituted by the Servant of God, Fr. Peter Leonardi.

At his priestly ordination (September 20, 1800), at the dawn of a new century, he found himself in a world in need of much assistance for the resolution of the serious problems that disturbed it.  His pastor assigned the youth of parish to his pastoral care. He dedicated himself with all his energies and great organizational ability to the new mission. He established an Oratory in the form of a "Marian Cohort", that had as its goal the Christian and social formation of the youth. All such organizations were suppressed by a decree from Napoleon (1807), and Fr. Bertoni reserved the carrying out of his plans for better times.
Meanwhile, he took over the spiritual direction of a community founded then by St. Magdalena of Canossa at St. Joseph's Convent (May 1808). It was here that he met the Servant of God, Leopoldina Naudet, whom he would then spiritually guide to the heights of the mysticism of holy abandonment and to the foundation of the Sisters of the Holy Family. He extended this aspect of his ministry to another Servant of God, Teodora Campostrini, of a noble family, both in the discernment of her vocation, as in the foundation of her Community, of the "Sorelle Minime" of the Charity of the Sorrowful Mother.

By September of 1810, he had already moved from his family home after the death of his mother, and was transferred from St. Paul's Parish, to St. Firmus Major. Here, the bishop also entrusted him with the spiritual direction of the seminarians in the diocesan seminary. A solid spiritual and theological formation of the young was always the clear objective of the frequent gatherings that he held in his own home. At this time, he began to organize this endeavor in a more orderly fashion. His overall idea was the renewal of the clergy based on an unconditional adherence to the Supreme

Pontiff, Pius VII, at that time, Napoleon's prisoner. For Fr. Bertoni, the Pontiff, was always "the first and irremovable stone" of the Church. The reform of the Church had to begin from the sanctuary itself, with the return of its ministers to the integral following of the Gospel. The diocesan seminary was going through a very bad crisis. However, in a short time it regained its proper form, and even assumed a monastic aspect as a contemporary witness stated.

With the fall of Napoleon, the need for restoration was widely felt. Fr. Bertoni clearly understood that to gather the flock once again, it would be necessary to awaken them by the presentation of the fundamental truths of the faith through the preaching of missions to the people. On December 20, 1817, Pope Pius VII conferred on him a precise mandate, by conferring on him the faculty of "apostolic missionary". While the suspicious government of Austria forbade this specific ministry, Fr. Bertoni dedicated himself to other preaching and catechetical instruction.

While becoming all things to gain all for Christ, Fr. Bertoni cultivated a very intense interior life. From the reading of his Spiritual Diary, it appears that he was also grace by mystical gifts. Among these, was the call, made evident to him by grace, to the foundation of a religious family.

On November 4, 1816, with two companions, he moved into a small house, adjacent to a suppressed Church, that bore the title of "the Sacred Stigmata of St. Francis (from this, the name of his community was eventually adapted; in this small church, he also worked to spread the devotion to the Passion and the wounds of Christ). In a very unostentatious manner, the new community opened a tuition-free school, offering this and other gratuitous services to the Church and society. The men lived together a common life of strict observance and penance. An intense life of contemplation was joined to a broad apostolate, including the Christian education of the youth, the formation of the clergy and missionary preaching, in perfect availability to the requests of the bishop.

Right after an ecstasy that he experienced praying before a Crucifix (on May 30, 1812), he suffered a first attack of "miliary fever" that brought him to the very threshold of death. Almost miraculously, he did recover but for the rest of his 41 years of life he remained in poor health, all this while giving a wonderful example of patience and heroic confident abandonment to God.

Even from his sick-bed, suffering indescribable discomfort, he became the "angel of counsel" for countless persons who sought him out. A number among these were gifted human beings, who were founding charitable works, such as Blessed Charles Steeb, the Servants of God, Fr. Nicholas Mazza and Fr. Anthony Provolo - and others from outside the city, who came to Verona to meet with him.

An authentic image of Christ Crucified, with his nearly 300 surgical procedures on his right leg that he endured, he could not suffer enough for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls. Once his infirmarian asked him if he needed anything - and among his last words were: "I need to suffer".

In a vision of vivid hope in the Risen Christ, bearing the signs of His Triumph, and supported by the Holy Spouses and Patrons, Mary and Joseph, he died a holy death, at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon, June 12, 1853.

His Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ, enriched by so many sufferings, gradually spread beyond Verona, to other cities in Italy, and then to the United States, to Brazil (where it presently has 6 Bishops), to Chile, to the Philippines and to mission territories: South Africa, the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Thailand.

He was canonised on the 1st November 1989 by Pope John Paul II.

Chiara Lubich - Founder of the Focolare Movement

Early life

Chiara Lubich was born as Silvia Lubich in Trento. Her father lost his job because of the socialist ideas that he held during Italy's period of Fascism. Consequently, the Lubichs lived for years in extreme poverty. To pay for her university studies in philosophy, Lubich tutored other students in Venice and during the 1940s began teaching at an elementary school in Trent

During World War II, while bombs were destroying Trent, Lubich, then in her early twenties, against a background of hatred and violence, made the discovery of God who is Love, the only ideal that no bomb could destroy. It was a powerful experience, 'stronger than the bombs that were falling on Trent' which Lubich immediately communicated to her closest friends. Their lives changed radically. They declared that, should they be killed, they wished to have only one inscription carved on their tomb: "And we have believed in love"

Her discovery of "God is Love" (cf. 1 John 4:16), led her, on 7 December 1943, alone in a small chapel, to promise herself to God forever and to change her name to Chiara, in honour of the Saint from Assisi. This date is considered the beginning of the Focolare movement.

These Focolare (small communities of lay volunteers) seek to contribute to peace and to achieve the evangelical unity of all people in every social environment. The goal became a world living in unity, and its spirituality has helped dismantle centuries-old prejudices.  

Today its members and adherents are Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Baha’I as well as thousands of people of no particular religion.

In her life the day of 13 May 1944 remains the night of one of the most violent bombings of Trent. Lubich's house was among the many buildings destroyed. She decided to stay in Trent to help the new lives being born. She encountered a woman who had lost her senses through the suffering caused by the death of her four children. It was among the poor of Trent that which Lubich often calls the "divine adventure" began.

In 1948 Lubich met the Italian member of Parliament Igino Giordani, writer, journalist, pioneer in the field of ecumenism. He was to be co-founder, together with Lubich, of the movement because of the contribution given by him in the context of the spirituality of unity's social incarnation, which gave rise to the New Families Movement and the New Humanity Movement. 1949 marked the first encounter between Lubich and Pasquale Foresi. He was the first Focolarino to become a priest. Always at Chiara's side, he helped give life to the Movement's theological studies, to starting the Città Nuova Publishing House and to building the little town of Loppiano. Throughout the Movement's development, he has given a noteworthy contribution to concretizing its ecclesiastical and lay expressions. Along with Lubich and Igino Giordani, he is considered a co-founder of the Movement.

In 1954 Lubich met, in Vigo di Fassa (near Trent), with escapees from the forced labour camps in Eastern Europe and after 1960 the spirituality of unity and the Movement began to take shape clandestinely in those countries.   In Europe many of the wounds caused by the Second World War remained. In 1959, at the Mariapolis (summer gathering of the Movement) in the Dolomite Mountains, Lubich addressed a group of politicians inviting them to go beyond the boundaries of their respective nations and to "love the nation of the other as you love your own". Internationalism became a hallmark of the Movement which rapidly spread, firstly in Italy, and afterwards, since 1952, throughout Europe, and since 1959 to other continents. "Little towns" began to be born from 1965 on, with the birth of the first in Loppiano, together with international congresses, and the use of the media contribute to the formation of people who live for the ideal of a "united world".Lubich founded the New Families Movement in 1967.

In the 1960s young people started protesting in large numbers throughout much of the world. From 1966 Lubich proposed to the youth to live according to the radical message of the Gospel as an answer to the profound desire for change claimed by young people everywhere. The Gen Movement was thus born (Gen standing for New Generation) which animates the wider "Young People for a United World".

In 1966 Chiara Lubich co-founded the school Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom College, Fontem in Cameroon with the assistance of the contemporaneous native chief of Fontem, Fon Fontem Defang. She visited the school in May 2000. From the very beginning there had been younger teenagers and children who made the spirituality of unity their own. The third generation (Gen 3) of the Movement, those who animate the vaster "Youth for Unity" movement, was born in 1970.

1990s

In 1991, shortly after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, during a trip to Brazil, as a response to the situation of those who live in sub-human conditions in the outskirts of the metropolises there, Lubich launched a new project: the "Economy of Communion in Liberty". This quickly developed in various countries involving hundreds of businesses, giving rise to a new economic theory and praxis.

In 1996 Lubich received an Honorary Degree in Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Lublin in Poland. Professor Adam Biela spoke of the "Copernican revolution in the Social Sciences, brought about by her having given life to a 'paradigm of unity' which shows the new psychological, social and economic dimensions which today's post-communist society has been waiting for in this new and difficult transitional phase”.

In 1996 Lubich was awarded the UNESCO Prize for education to peace, in Paris, motivated by the fact that, "in an age when ethnic and religious differences too often lead to violent conflict, the spread of the Focolare Movement has also contributed to a constructive dialogue between persons, generations, social classes and peoples."

Lubich was the first Christian, the first lay person, and the first woman to be invited to communicate her spiritual experience to a group of 800 Buddhist monks and nuns in Thailand (January 1997), to 3,000 Black Muslims in the Mosque of Harlem in New York City (May 1997), and to the Jewish community in Buenos Aires (April 1998).

Honorary degrees/Awards

In 1977, Lubich received the Templeton Prize for progress in religion and peace. The presence of many representatives of other religions at the ceremony brought about the beginning of the Movement's inter-religious dialogue.

In 1996, she was also conferred the UNESCO Peace Education Prize.

In May 1997 she visited the United Nations, where she made a speech regarding the unity of peoples in the "Glass Palace”. In September 1998 in Strasbourg she was presented with the 1998 Prize for Human Rights by the Council of Europe, for her work "in defence of individual and social rights".

She received honorary degrees in various disciplines: from theology to philosophy, from economics to human and religious sciences, from social science to social communications. These were conferred not only by Catholic universities, but also by lay universities, in Poland, the Philippines, Taiwan, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Chiara Lubich was honoured with a Doctorate of Divinity (Honoris Causa) from Liverpool Hope University. She thanked the University and provide her hopes for the future: "My most sincere thanks to all at Liverpool Hope University for this doctorate of Divinity in recognition of the Focolare Movement's work in ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue".

Death

Chiara Lubich died in Rocca di Papa in her native Italy, aged 88, on 14 March 2008.

St. Vincentia Gerosa - Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere

Vincentia Gerosa was made a saint in the 20th century. She came to her vocation as a religious sister late in life. She was born Caterina Gerosa in Lovere, Italy, in 1784. She was orphaned as a young girl and spent 40 years as a homemaker and lay woman, dedicating herself to the poor.


In 1832, she and St. Bartholomea Capitanio formed the Sisters of Charity of Lovere, with a charism to care for and educate the poor.She took the religious name Vincentia. She led the congregation after Bartholomea died in 1836, until her own death 11 years later. She was beatified in 1926 and canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno - Foundress of Daughters of St. Anne, Mother of Mary Immaculate

Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno  -  (1831-1900)

"My love, what can I do to make the whole world love you? … Make use once again of this wretched instrument to renew the faith and the conversion of sinners".

This generous outburst, uttered at the feet of her ‘Supreme Good’ – who drew her ever closer to him – constituted the deepest yearning of Anna Rosa Gattorno’s heart, leading her to offer her life totally in a continuous sacrifice for the glory and pleasure of the Father.

She was born in Genoa on 14 October 1841 into a deeply Christian, well-to-do family of good name. She was baptized the same day in the parish of S. Donato and received the names Rosa, Maria, Benedetta.

In her father Francesco and her mother Adelaide Campanella, like their other five children, she found the first models for her moral and Christian life. When she was 12 years old, she was confirmed at S. Maria delle Vigne by Cardinal Archbishop Tadini.

As a young girl she was educated at home, as was the custom in rich families at that time. With her serene and loveable character, open to piety and charity, she was nonetheless firm and knew how to react to the confrontations of the political and anticlerical climate of the time, which did not spare even some members of the Gattorno family.

At the age of 21 Rosa married her cousin Gerolamo Custo (5 November 1852), and moved to Marseilles. Unforeseen financial difficulties very soon upset the happiness of the new family which was forced to return to Genoa in a state of poverty. More serious misfortunes were looming: their first child, Carlotta, after a sudden illness was left deaf and dumb for life; Gerolamo’s attempt to find fortune abroad ended with his return, aggravated by a fatal illness; the happiness of the other two children was deeply disturbed by her husband’s disappearance which left her a widow less than six years after their marriage (9 March 1858) and, a few months later, by the loss of her youngest little son.

The succession of so many sad events in her life marked a radical change which she called her "conversion" to the total gift of herself to the Lord, to his love and to love of neighbour. Purified by her trials and strengthened in spirit, she understood the true meaning of pain and was confirmed in the certainty of her new vocation.

Under the guidance of her confessor, Fr. Giuseppe Firpo, she made private perpetual vows of chastity and obedience on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 1858; followed by vows of poverty (1861) in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, as a Franciscan tertiary. Since 1855, she had also obtained the benefit of daily communion, which was uncommon in those days. She remained constantly anchored to this source of grace and, encouraged by ever growing intimacy with the Lord, she found support, missionary fervour, strength and zeal in service to her brothers and sisters.

In 1862, she received the gift of hidden stigmata, perceived most intensely on Fridays.

As a faithful wife and exemplary mother, never depriving her children of anything – always following and loving them tenderly – with greater availability she learned to share in the sufferings of others, giving herself in apostolic charity: "I dedicated myself with greater zeal to pious works and to visiting hospitals and the poor sick at home, helping them by meeting their needs as much as I could and serving them in all things".

The Catholic associations in Genoa competed for her, so that although she loved silence and concealment, her genuinely evangelising way of life was remarked by all.

Progressing on this path, she was made president of the "Pious Union of the New Ursulines Daughters of Holy Mary Immaculate", founded by Frassinetti, and was entrusted with the revision of the Rule destined for the Union at the express wish of Archbishop Charvaz.

On that precise occasion (February 1864), redoubling her prayers to Christ Crucified, she received the inspiration for a new Rule, her own specific Foundation.

Fearful of being forced to abandon her children she prayed, made acts of penance and asked advice. Fra Francis of Camporosso, a lay Capuchin,, to whom she also expressed her apprehension before the serious troubles that were imminent, supported and encouraged her, as did her confessor and the Archbishop of Genoa.

However, feeling her maternal duties more and more acutely, she sought authoritative confirmation in the words of Pius IX, with the secret hope of being relieved. The Pontiff, at an audience on 3 January 1866, instead enjoined her to start her foundation immediately, adding: "This Institute will spread in all the parts of the world as swiftly as the flight of the dove. God will take care of your children: you must think of God and his work" She therefore accepted to do the Lord’s will, and as she then wrote in her Memoirs: "I generously offered them to God and repeated to him Abraham’s words: ‘Here I am, ready to do your divine will’.… Having offered myself for his Work, I received immense consolations…".

Overcoming the resistance of her relatives and, to the disappointment of her Bishop, leaving the associations in Genoa, she founded her new religious family in Piacenza, and named it definitively "Daughters of St. Anne, mother of Mary Immaculate" (8 December 1866). She was clothed on 26 July 1867 and on 8 April 1870 made her religious profession, together with 12 sisters.

Fr. Tornatore, a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, collaborated with her in the Institute’s development. Expressly requested, he wrote the Rule and was then considered Co-Founder of the Institute.

Entrusting herself totally to divine Providence and motivated from the start by a courageous charitable impulse, Rosa Gattorno began with a spirit of motherly dedication to consolidate God’s Work as the Pope had called it and as she too, chosen to cooperate in it, would always call it, attentively caring for any form of suffering and moral or material poverty, with the one intention of serving Jesus in his painful and injured members and of "evangelising first and foremost with life".

Various works came into being for the poor and the sick with any form of illness, for lonely, elderly or abandoned persons, the little and the defenceless, adolescents, and young girls "at risk" for whom she arranged appropriate instruction and subsequent integration in the working world. In addition, she soon opened schools for the people and for the education of the children of the poor, and other works of human and evangelical advancement in accordance with the greatest needs of the time and with an effective presence in ecclesial and civil life. "Servants of the poor and ministers of mercy" she called her daughters, and she urged them to accept, as a sign of the Lord’s favour to serve their brethren with love and humility: "Be humble … only think that you are the lowliest and the most wretched of all creatures who render service to the Church… and have the grace to belong to her".

Less than 10 years after its foundation, the Institute obtained the Decree of Praise (1876), and its definitive approval in 1879. For the Rule, it had to wait until 1892.

Highly esteemed and appreciated by all, she also worked in Piacenza with Bishop Scalabrini, who has now been beatified, and in particular in the institute for deaf-mutes which he founded.

However Mother Rosa Gattorno was not spared humiliations, difficulties and tribulations of all kinds. Despite this, the Institute spread rapidly, in Italy and abroad, thus achieving the Foundress’ ardent missionary desire: "Oh my Love! How I feel myself burning with the desire to make you known and loved by all! I would like to attract all the world, to give to all, to appease all … I would like to go everywhere and shout out for everybody to come and love you". To be "Jesus’ voice" and to bring all people the message of the love that saves was and always remained her heart’s deepest desire. In 1878, she was already sending the first Daughters of St. Anne to Bolivia, then to Brazil, Chile, Peru, Eritrea, France and Spain. In Rome, where her work began in 1873, she organised boys’ and girls’ schools for the poor, nursery schools, assistance for the new-born babies of workers in the tobacco factory, houses for former prostitutes, serving women, nurses for home care, etc. There she also had the Generalate built, with its adjacent church.

In all, at her death there were 368 houses in which 3,500 sisters were carrying out their mission.

The secret of her journey of holiness, of the dynamism of her charity and of the strength of mind with which she could face all obstacles with firm faith and guide the Institute with full dedication, courage and far-sightedness for 34 years, was her continuous union with God and total, trusting abandonment in him: "Although I am in the midst of such a torrent of things to do, I am never without the union with my Good"; her attention and docility to the impulses of the Spirit; her deep and loving participation in Christ’s Passion; her ceaseless prayers for the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of all mankind.

She had a deep sense of belonging to Church and was ever humble, devout and obedient to the directives of the Pope and the hierarchy.

With her fondness of St. Anne, she had a special love for Mary, to whom she entirely entrusted herself, in order to belong totally to God and totally to her brethren.

A pure and simple instrument in the hands of the "superfine Craftsman", conformed to the Poor Christ and with him, a victim of love, she fulfilled in her life the desire she inculcated in her daughters: "To live for God, to die for him and to spend life for love".

She lived like this until February 1900, when she caught a dangerous form of influenza and rapidly deteriorated: her health, sorely tried by her acts of penance, frequent exhausting journeys and an enormous mass of correspondence, worries and serious disappointments, no longer resisted. On 4 May she received the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and two days later, on 6 May, at 9.00 a.m., having ended her earthly pilgrimage, she died a holy death in the Generalate.

The fame of holiness which had surrounded her during her life, spread after her death and grew unimpeded all over the world.

As an expression of a rare plan of God, in her three-fold experience of wife and mother, widow and then religious and Foundress, in her mission of service to humanity and to extending the kingdom Rosa Gattorno brought great honour to the "feminine genius". Although she was ever faithful to God’s call and a genuine teacher of Christian and ecclesial life, she remained essentially a mother: of her own children, whom she constantly followed, of the Sisters, whom she deeply loved, and of all the needy, the suffering and the unhappy, in whose faces she contemplated the face of Christ, poor, wounded and crucified.

Her charism has spread in the Church with the birth of other forms of evangelical life: Sisters of Contemplative Life; a Religious Association of Priests; the Secular Institute and the Ecclesial Movement for the Laity, which are active in the Church in almost all the parts of the world.

Blessed Bartolo Longo - Former Satanist, Now Blessed.....

Bartolo Longo was born on February 11, 1841 in Latiana, Italy. His father was a well-to-do physician and man of culture. His mother was a devout woman who always saw to it that her children prayed the family rosary every night.

Bartolo derived his great love of Mary from her. As a young boy, Bartolo was lively, intelligent and at times a mischievous lad. He loved music, played the piano and flute and was the conductor of the school band. 

During the 19th century, Italian universities became hotbeds of resistance.  A wave of anti-clericalism swept through the universities. Bartolo studied law and received his law degree in 1864 at the age of 23. He graduated from the University of Naples, the alma mater of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus Liguori.

During his studies in Naples, Bartolo's faith weakened, as he came under the influence of friends who were involved in the occult. He attended seances and eventually was ordained a priest in a Satanic cult. He took on such severe fasts, that he endangered his health. He became depressed and nervous and seemed to hear the voice of his dead father: "Return to God! Return to God!"  During this time, he publicly derided the Church, priests and anything connected with the Faith. The Satanic sect that he belonged to, ridiculed priests, bishops, and the rites of the Catholic Church. The experiences that Bartolo underwent in this sect were so horrible that Bartolo went into a state of insanity for a short period of time. His family prayed hard and long for Bartolo.

Our Lady chose a good friend of the young lawyer to help redirect his shattered life. His name was Professor Vincente Pepe, who taught near Naples. Bartolo would talk to him about his activities in the Satanic cult.
Vincente was disgusted at what he heard and his angry reproach stung Bartolo. The young lawyer came to admit that he was mentally confused. He very much needed support of God-loving people. Vincente introduced Bartolo to a learned Dominican priest, one trained in the philosophy and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. His name was Fr. Alberto Radente, O.P., who was chosen by Mary to be the friend, confessor and spiritual director of the young lawyer. The Dominican helped Bartolo withdraw from the Satanic cult. He gave the lawyer, a comprehensive review of theology and prepared him for the reception of the sacraments. This great Dominican priest prayed earnestlyand even fasted for Bartolo Longo.

Fr. Radente professed him into the Third Order of St. Dominic on March 25, 1871, after explaining to him the history of the Order, founded by St. Dominic and confirmed by Pope Honorius III in 1216. The Pope stated at this time that Dominicans would be "Champions of the Faith and True Lights of the world." This new lay Dominican lawyer was now bent on repairing his past. He visited a seance for the last time, holding a medal of Mary and cried out: "I renounce spiritism because it is nothing but a maze of error and falsehood." He then went to student parties and cafes denouncing spiritism and proclaiming his faith in Christ and the Church. Fr. Radente said to him:

"If you are looking for salvation, propagate the Rosary. It is the promise of Mary. He who propagates the Rosary shall be saved." This young lay Dominican lawyer was destined by God to become one of the greatest modern apostles of the Rosary. In prayer, Bartolo said to Mary: "I shall not depart from this earth without first displaying before you, the triumph of your Rosary."

Bartolo went to the Valley of Pompeii in 1872, which was to be his area of work. He was determined to evangelize the people of Pompeii by means of the Rosary as his spiritual Father, St. Dominic did in southern France in the early 13th century. There is the Dominican tradition that in 1208, in the Chapel of Notre Dame in Prouille, France, Mary appeared to St. Dominic and said: "Wonder not that until now you have obtained so little fruit by your labors; you have spent them on barren soil not yet watered with the dew of divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation.

Therefore, preach my psalter, composed of 15O Angelic Salutations and 15 Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant harvest of souls." Pope Leo XIII confirmed this tradition over and over. Since the days of St. Dominic, the Rosary has been the special charism of the Dominican Order. The Catholic Church looks to the Dominicans as official promoters of the Rosary. Bartolo Longo was destined to be a true light to the world, a true Dominican in the spirit of St. Dominic.  At the age of 44, Bartolo married Marianna de Fusco on April 7, 1885. They were married in the private oratory of the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Naples. Bartolo's dear friend, Pope Leo III, encouraged the couple to get married.

Bartolo was an avid writer. His words were: "O God! In one hand, you placed the Rosary, in the other, a pen." Of the Rosary he wrote:  "The entire Rosary has the beauty of reproducing the theological thoughts concerning Mary, they are reproduced in the entire dialectic of truth and deduction. Marian theology and the Rosary are two poems that are united into one, two hymns forming one hymn, two magnificent temples, two cathedrals of thought and piety, that come together as one...

Here in the Rosary, piety speaks in the language of theologians. Here meditation rises to the heights attained by scholars. Here prayer dwells where the scholars are brought to a halt. Marian theology and the Rosary are therefore similar to two temples having at the same height their pinnacles and spires. The people of God in the Church have found the Rosary, its Book of Psalms.

The clergy have the Divine Office, the people have the Rosary. Like The Divine Comedy, the Rosary is a trilogy: it recall the joys, sorrows, and triumphs of Jesus and in perfect symmetry, for each part it has five chants, and each chant in turn is an episode. The Rosary could very well be called the poem of human redemption. The Rosary is a poem that takes its lively but simplistic hues from the pure palette of the Gospel; while at the same time it draws its logical ties, its harmonious responses, its entire intimate dialectic from the highest theology."

Bartolo Longo died on October 5, 1926, at the age of 85. His last words were "My only desire is to see Mary, who has saved me and who will save me from the clutches of Satan." In his last will and testament he declared: "I wish to die a true Dominican tertiary in the arms of the Queen of the Rosary with the assistance of my holy Father St. Dominic and of my mother St. Catherine of Siena."

His death was followed by miracles and he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 26, 1980. This Marian  pope greatly admires Blessed Bartolo Longo and called him Man of Mary on the day of his beatification. On that occasion, 50,000 people cried out at St. Peter's in Rome, "Blessed Bartolo, pray for us."

Blessed Margaret of Castello

Blessed Margaret of Castello was born of a noble Italian family near Florence , Italy , in 1287. Born a hunchback, dwarf, blind, and lame, her family was ashamed of her and kept her hidden in virtual imprisonment for nine years in a tiny cells attached to a forest church. It was only through the family chaplain that Blessed Margaret came to know God. Seeking a miracle, her parents took her to a Franciscan Shrine. When she was not cured, they abandoned her.

It must have been about the year 1293 when some women of Citta-di-Castello in Umbria, Italy who had gone one day to pray in their parish church, found within, a destitute blind child of about six or seven, who had been abandoned there by her parents. The kind souls were filled with pity for the little waif, and, poor though they were, they took charge of her - first one family and then another, sheltering and feeding her until she became practically the adopted child of the village. One and all declared that, far from being a burden, little Margaret brought a blessing upon those who befriended her. Some years later, the nuns of a local convent offered her a home. The girl rejoiced at the prospect of living with religious, but her joy was short-lived. The community was lax and worldly; Margaret's fervor was a tacit reproach to them, nor did she bring them the profit they had anticipated. Neglect was succeeded by petty persecution, and then by active calumny. Finally she was driven forth ignominiously to face the world once more.

However, her old friends rallied around her. One couple offered her a settled home, which became her permanent residence. At the age of fifteen, Margaret received the habit of a tertiary from the Dominican fathers, who had lately established themselves in Citta-di-Castello, and thence forth, she lived a life entirely devoted to God. More than ever did God's benediction rest upon her. She cured another tertiary of an affliction of the eyes which had baffled medical skill, and her mantle extinguished a fire which had broken out in her foster parents' house. In her desire to show her gratitude to the people of Citta-di-Castello, she undertook to look after the children while their parents were at work. Her little school prospered wonderfully, for she understood children, being very simple herself.

She set them little tasks which she helped them to perform; she instructed them in their duty to God and to man, instilling into them her own great devotion to the sacred Childhood, and she taught them the psalms which, inspite of her blindness, she had learned by heart at the convent. We are told that when at prayer she was frequently raised a foot or more from the ground, remaining thus for a long time. Thus she lived, practically unknown outside her own neighborhood, until the age of thirty-three, when she died on 13th April 1320 amidst the friends who loved her, and was buried by their wish in the parish church, where many remarkable miracles took place.  Blessed Margaret’s body is still incorrupt and lies under the main altar in the Church of St. Domenico at Citta-di-Castello, Italy.

On the 19th October 1609, she was beatified by Pope Paul V and is patron of the following,
against impoverishment, against poverty, disabled people, handicapped people, people rejected by religious orders, physically challenged people and Right To Life groups.  Her memorial is the 13th April. 

Compassionate God, you gave your divine light to Blessed Margaret who was blind from birth, that with the eye of her heart she might contemplate you alone. Be the light of our eyes that we may turn from what is evil and reach the home of never-ending light. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. -

The Cross - Our only Hope

As we now see not only in Italy and Poland, but also in Vietnam and other countries, disputes have arisen over the Cross.  The Cross of Christ is the sign of hope, of liberation from sin and the final victory over death itself.  It is a powerful symbol and that is why it is hated so.  It is important this month, when we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that we remember who has died for us, who has suffered the tremendous weight of our sins and who is the one who is the final judge of our eternal life.  The one who died on the Cross, Jesus the Lord, Our Redeemer, our Saviour, our only Hope and our God.  Let us never abandon Him and pray for final perseverance in this struggle with darkness in our hearts and in our world today. 

Below are excerpts from a homily of Pope John Paul II September 14, 2003
(Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

O Crux, ave spes unica! Hail, O Cross, our only hope!


Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are invited to look upon the Cross. It is the “privileged place” where the love of God is revealed and shown to us.… On the Cross human misery and divine mercy meet. The adoration of this unlimited mercy is for man the only way to open himself to the mystery which the Cross reveals.  

The Cross is planted in the earth and would seem to extend its roots in human malice, but it reaches up, pointing as it were to the heavens, pointing to the goodness of God. By means of the Cross of Christ, the Evil One has been defeated, death is overcome, life is given to us, hope is restored, light is imparted. O Crux, ave spes unica! …

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15), says Jesus. What do we see then when we bring our eyes to bear on the cross where Jesus was nailed (cf. John 19:37)? We contemplate the sign of God’s infinite love for humanity.

O Crux, ave spes unica! Saint Paul speaks of the same theme in the letter to the Ephesians…. Not only did Christ Jesus become man, in everything similar to human beings, but He took on the condition of a servant and humbled Himself even more by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:6-8).

Yes, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). We admire — overwhelmed and gratified — the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Ephesians 3:18-19)! O Crux, ave spes unica! …

Through the mystery of your Cross and your Resurrection, save us O Lord! Amen—

Our Lady of Confidence

Today in my work, I found a beautiful little prayer card of Our Lady of Confidence, which I have never heard of before.  So I decided to find out more about this image and where it came from...

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Confidence can be traced back to Sr. Chiara Isabella Fornari who was a Poor Clare in Todi, Italy. The image is especially noteworthy in that Christ points to his mother, and Mary's intercession is typically invoked through the short prayer "Mater Mea, Fiducia Mea" (My Mother, My Confidence).   That Abbess, today Venerable Sister Clara Isabel Fornari, embraced a severe life of penance and was favored with many mystical graces; she even received the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord’s Passion. Sister Clara Isabel had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, like all the saints, and a very special attachment to this maternal image of Our Lady with the Divine Infant. For Our Lady had made a remarkable promise to Sister Clara Isabel that would win special graces for herself, her sisters and all those through the ages who would venerate this image.

Many persons, especially converts, would like to increase their devotion to Our Lady, and wonder how to go about it. In this promise lies a simple solution: simply go to Our Lady of Confidence and ask her. Let me transcribe in Sister Clara Isabel’s own words the special promise Our Lady made her with regard to this image: “My Heavenly Lady, with the love of a true Mother, assured me that She would give a special tenderness and devotion toward Her to everyone who contemplated this image.” (This promise applies, of course, not only to the original picture, but also to all the copies of it that circulate). Due to numerous cures and conversions worked through the intercession of Our Lady of Confidence, copies of the portrait were made and circulated. One of these copies was placed in the small chapel of St. Mary’s Seminary at the Lateran Basilica in Rome. The seminarians soon realized that their prayers and needs were always attended to by the Madonna della Fiducia.

The Patroness of Rome's Major Seminary is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Madonna della Fiducia. A miraculous copy of Our Lady of Confidence resides at the Roman Major Seminary located in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran complex. Pope John Paul II started the papal tradition of venerating this miraculous image each year, subsequently Pope Benedict XVI has carried on the tradition. During his visit on the feast day of Our Lady of Confidence on February 9, 2002, Pope John Paul II ended his time at the seminary commenting on the devotion his predecessors had to Mary under the title Madonna della Fiducia saying,

We heard how Our Lady of Confidence guided the steps of Pope John XXIII on a path that brought him from this Seminary to the Second Vatican Council, which was also a great seminary, the seminary of the bishops of the world. Let us thank Our Lady of Confidence for all that she did to assist Pope John XXIII in the preparation for and in the adventure of the Second Vatican Council. I wish all of you the grace to find her guidance in your lives: from the image of Our Lady of Confidence to the goals that Providence foresees for you and even asks of you to be accomplished through you

Prayer

O Mary Immaculate, the precious name of Mother of Confidence, with which we honor you, fills our hearts to overflowing with the sweetest consolation and moves us to hope for every blessing from you. If such a title has been given to you, it is a sure sign that no one has recourse to you in vain. Accept, therefore, with a mother's love our devout homage, as we earnestly beseech you to be gracious unto us in our every need. We pray that you will make us live in constant union with you and your divine Son, Jesus. With you as our guide, we are certain that we shall walk in the right way and that it will be our happy lot to hear you say on the last day of our life those words of comfort: "Come then, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord." Amen.



References from http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/a005rp.htm  & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Confidence