21 MAR - SAINT OF THE DAY [S BENEDICTA CAMBIAGIO FRASSINELLO (1791-1858)]

 Benedicta was an Italian who received the jewel of good Christian formation from 

    her devout parents. Always a devoted youngster, she received the gift of a profound mystical experience at age twenty, 

    which left her with the desire to pursue a vocation as a religious. However, her parents preferred strongly that she marry. 

    Benedicta bowed to their wishes, and married in 1816. They lived together for two years as man and wife. In 1818, the couple agreed to live together chastely, 

    dedicated to God. At this same time, they took Benedicta's younger sister Martha into their home to nurse her through her final fight with cancer. 

    When Martha died, in 1825, the two entered religious orders, Benedicta joining the Ursuline Congregation, 

    and Giovanni the order founded by St Jerome Emiliani. Eventually, Benedicta was able to found the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence. 

    The guiding charism of her order is their focus on the education of young girls and confidence in and abandonment to God in the living out of their vows. 

    After correctly predicting the time of her death, Benedicta died peacefully. 

    She was beatified in 1987 and canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.




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