Caterina Dominici (10 October 1829 – 21 February 1894) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun who took the name of Maria Enrichetta after she became a nun of the Sisters of

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

. During the

1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The ...

she cared for and ministered to countless people. She then went on to serve for over three decades as the Superior General of her congregation. She was also a friend and adviser to

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19t ...

. She was beatified on 7 May 1978 by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

, and her cause for

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

is open and ongoing.

Life

Caterina Dominici was born on 10 October 1829 near

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

as the fourth daughter. One brother would become a priest. She was four when her parents separated and she went with her mother and siblings to live with her

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

uncle. As a child she grew into the habit of regular confession and communion. She moved in 1848 and in November 1850 became a non-cloistered religious of the Sisters of Saint Anne. She assumed the name of "Maria Enrichetta".

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

visited Loreto in 1857 and Dominici was present along with

Madeleine Sophie Barat Madeleine Sophie Barat, RSCJ, (12 December 1779 – 25 May 1865), was a French saint of the Catholic Church who founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, a worldwide religious institute of educators. Early life and family Barat was born on the ...

when the pope met with the professed religious. Dominici was appointed as the Superior General of her congregation and she at first attempted to discourage her fellow sisters from the appointment. She travelled to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in October 1879 and

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

received her in a private audience in 1884. Her health started to take a steep decline from November 1893 and was confined to bed. She continued to lead the institute despite the pain that she felt. She spent her last week in drowsiness and despite this she continued to speak in a weak voice to those around her bedside. Dominici died in 1894 and her remains were transferred in 1926 to the chapel of the mother house.

Beatification

The beatification process commenced on a local level in Turin from 1929 to 1931. Dominici's spiritual writings were approved by theologians on 28 February 1940. Her cause was formally opened on 4 April 1943, granting her the title of

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

. The next process spanned from 1946 to 1948. Both processes were validated in 1951 and 1952.

recognized her life of heroic virtue and conferred upon her the title of

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

on 1 February 1975. The investigation for a miracle attributed to her intercession spanned from 1949 to 1950 and was validated in 1952. Paul VI approved it in 1977 and

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

her on 7 May 1978.

References

External links

Hagiography CircleCongregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominici, Caterina 1829 births 1894 deaths Italian beatified people Religious leaders from Turin 19th-century venerated Christians