The calendar of saints is full of individuals who, although
they might have sacrificed themselves for the sake of their faith, do not come
across to the casual observer as being outstandingly “good” people. It is
therefore refreshing to learn about a saint of whom this can be said, and one
such is Mary di Rosa, who is celebrated on 15th December.
Born in 1813 to a wealthy family in Brescia, northern Italy,
she had a convent education after which she became aware of the atrocious
conditions under which women and girls worked in the factories in the city, one
of which, because it belonged to her father, had produced the riches of which
she was a beneficiary.
She therefore devoted her life to serving the poorest people
in her locality, including visiting hospitals and taking care in particular of
people who were deaf and dumb.
At the age of 27 she founded a society called the Handmaids
of Charity to provide care on a more organised basis and involve other
like-minded people in extending her activities.
The order flourished and had plenty of work to do during
cholera epidemics and the war between Italy and Austria in 1848-9.
However, Mary was not physically strong and her efforts
eventually wore her out. She died in 1855 at the age of only 42. She was beatified
in 1940 and canonized in 1954, on both occasions by Pope Pius XII.
© John Welford
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