Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
professed religious and the founder of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence. Frassinello married to appease her parents in 1816 but the couple decided to lead a chaste life and both pursued a call to the religious life with Frassinello joining the
Ursulines
The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they t ...
in
Capriolo
Capriolo (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the left bank of the river Oglio, southwest of Lago d'Iseo
Lake Iseo or Iseo lake ( ; it, Lago d'Iseo ; lmo, Lach d'Izé, labe ...
at
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
. But husband and wife later reunited after setting out to establish schools for the education of girls and the pair moved back to
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
where she founded her order in 1838 based on the Benedictine charism.
Frassinello's beatification was celebrated in 1987 and she was canonized as a saint in 2002.
Life
Benedetta Cambiagio was born on 2 October 1791 in Langasco in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
as the last of six children to Giuseppe Cambiagio and Francesca Ghiglione.
Due to political discord, the family settled in
Pavia
Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
in 1804. In 1811 she had a spiritual experience that gave her a profound desire for a life of
penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...
and of total consecration to
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
. However, in obedience to the wishes of her parents, on 7 February 1816 she married the farmer and
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...
Giovanni Battista Frassinello in the Basilica of San Michele. In 1818 the couple decided each to live a celibate life "as brother and sister" more so because he was so impressed with her holiness and her desire for the religious life. The couple took in Benedetta's sister Maria who was suffering from
intestinal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
and whose husband had left her. The pair cared for her until she died in July 1825.
Her husband Giovanni Battista entered the
Capriolo
Capriolo (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the left bank of the river Oglio, southwest of Lago d'Iseo
Lake Iseo or Iseo lake ( ; it, Lago d'Iseo ; lmo, Lach d'Izé, labe ...
after having failed to join the
Capuchin Poor Clares
The Capuchin Poor Clares ( la, Ordo Sanctae Clarae Capuccinarum) is a Catholic religious order of Pontifical Right for women founded in Naples, Italy, in 1538, by Ven. Maria Lorenza Longo. The order still exists and it now has communities in the ...
in Genoa. In 1826 she was forced to leave because of ill health and returned to
Pavia
Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
but had a vision of Girolamo Emiliani who healed her. Once she regained her health - with the approval of the
Bishop of Pavia
The Diocese of Pavia ( la, Dioecesis Papiensis) is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan only since 1817.
Luigi Tosi - she dedicated herself to the education of girls. Benedetta needed help in handling such a great task and so Bishop Tosi asked Giovanni Battista to leave the
novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
and help Benedetta in her
apostolic
Apostolic may refer to:
The Apostles
An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission:
*The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles
*Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...
work. The pair made a vow to remain
chaste
Chaste refers to practicing chastity.
Chaste may also refer to:
* Aymar Chaste (1514–1603), Catholic French admiral
* Chaste (Marvel Comics), a fictional Marvel Comics martial arts enclave
* Chaste (canton) - see List of townships in Quebec
T ...
in the hands of Bishop Tosi and then began their common work to promote the human and religious formation of poor and abandoned girls; their educational work proved to be of great benefit to Pavia and a school was opened in 1827. The
Austrian government
The Government of Austria (german: Bundesregierung der Republik Österreich) is the executive cabinet of the Republic of Austria. It consists of the chancellor, who is the head of government, the vice chancellor and the ministers.
Appointme ...
recognized her as a "Promoter of
Public Education
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
".
Young female volunteers aided her, in due time to whom she them gave a rule of life that later received