Imelda Lambertini (1322 – May 12, 1333) is the patroness of First Communicants.

Biography

Imelda Lambertini was born in 1322 in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, the only child of Count Egano Lambertini and Castora Galuzzi. Her parents were devout Catholics and were known for their charity and generosity to the underprivileged of Bologna. On her fifth birthday, she requested to receive the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

; however the custom at the time was that children did not receive their First Communion until age 14. At age nine, she went to live with the Dominican nuns at Val di pietra, near Bologna. On May 12, 1333, the day of the

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...

of the Ascension, she knelt in prayer and the "Light of the Host" was reportedly witnessed above her head by the

Sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

, who then fetched the priest so he could see. After seeing this miracle, the priest felt compelled to admit her to receiving the Eucharist. Immediately after receiving it, Imelda went back to her seat, and decided to stay after Mass and pray. Later when a nun came to get her for supper, she found her still kneeling with a smile on her face. The nun called her name, but she did not stir, so she lightly tapped Imelda on the shoulder, at which time Imelda collapsed to the floor, dead. Her remains are kept in Bologna at the

Church of San Sigismondo Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, beneath the wax effigy of her likeness. The cultus of Lambertini has grown so popular that a confraternity for First Communicants has been established in her honor and the last Eucharistc Congress held in Bergamo passed a petition for her canonization.

Beatification

Lambertini was

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 ...

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...

in 1826.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambertini, Imelda 1322 births 1333 deaths 14th-century Italian women Italian beatified people Italian children People from Bologna Roman Catholic child blesseds Beatifications by Pope Leo XII Venerated Catholics