Vincenza Gerosa (29 October 1784 – 29 June 1847) - born Caterina Gerosa - was an
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 co-foundress of the
Sisters of Charity of Lovere that she founded alongside
Bartolomea Capitanio
Bartolomea Capitanio (13 January 1807 – 26 July 1833) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere that she established with Vincenza Gerosa. Capitanio's rather short life was ded ...
.
Gerosa met Capitanio in 1824 and the two consecrated themselves 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 ...
in the name of educating children and tending to the poor of the
Bergamo
Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
area.
Gerosa's canonization cause started under
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
on 4 December 1906 and
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
later named her as
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 ...
in 1927. Gerosa was beatified under Pius XI in 1926 - alongside Capitanio - and
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
later canonized the pair as saints in 1950.
Life
Caterina Gerosa was born in
Lovere
Lovere (Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, northern Italy, at the northwest end of Lake Iseo.
The houses in the city have overhanging wooden roofs, typical of Switzerland, combined with the heavy s ...
on 29 October 1784 to Gianantonio Gerosa and Giacomina Macario as the first of four children - all girls including Francesca who died around the same time as her father. Her mother died in 1814.
[
Gerosa was often reserved as a child and began her education under the instruction of the ]Benedictines
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
at Gandino
Gandino (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo.
Gandino borders the following municipalities: Casnigo, Cazza ...
but her poor health prevented her from continuing her studies. This prompted her to leave and return to Lovere, where she spent time at the counter of the store her parents managed. Her father was in the tanning business and dealt in leather goods.Mosca, Vincenza. "Vincenza Gerosa, Humble in Service", Suore di Carita dette di Maria Bambina
/ref>
Gerosa lost her relations in rapid succession and was left alone to manage the business; she prayed, used her inheritance to provide charitable works in the area and became active in her local parish.[ Gerosa organized a women's group with meetings and spiritual retreats and even founded a practical school to teach poor girls of the area domestic work so as to improve their situation in life. She liked to tend to the grapevines for making wine and loved the idea that the grapes would go towards the sacramental wine used as part of the Eucharistic rite as the Blood of Christ.
In 1824 she met the schoolteacher ]Bartolomea Capitanio
Bartolomea Capitanio (13 January 1807 – 26 July 1833) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere that she established with Vincenza Gerosa. Capitanio's rather short life was ded ...
in Lovere. The pair founded a hospital funded with the assets of the estate of Gerosa's.[ In autumn 1832 the pair founded a religious institute based in Casa de Gaia. On 21 November 1832 - with Capitanio - she made her profession in the religious name of "Vincenza" in the parish of San Giorgio before the priest Rusticiano Barboglio and Angelo Bosio. Her friend and collaborator Capitanio died in 1833. Gerosa was tempted to return to her previous life at Lovere but agreed to continue the work the two started after her ]spiritual director
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...
encouraged her to do so.[
Gerosa died on 29 June 1847 in Lovere after an extended illness claimed her. In 2005 there were 5068 religious in a total of 447 houses in nations such as ]Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
; the motherhouse of the order is located at 13 Via Santa Sofia in Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
.
Sainthood
The canonization process opened under Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
on 4 December 1906 and she became titled as a 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 ...
while the confirmation of her life of heroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...
- on 24 July 1927 - allowed for Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...
to name Gerosa as 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 ...
. That same pontiff beatified Gerosa and her friend Capitanio in Saint Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
on 30 May 1926 while Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
went on to canonize the duo on 18 May 1950.
References
Sources
*
External links
Hagiography Circle
Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerosa, Vincenza
1784 births
1847 deaths
19th-century Christian saints
19th-century venerated Christians
19th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns
Beatifications by Pope Pius XI
Canonizations by Pope Pius XII
Christian female saints of the Late Modern era
Founders of Catholic religious communities
Italian Roman Catholic saints
People from Lovere
Venerated Catholics