Wednesday’s Woman: St. Melania the Elder

The Basics: Born 341 or 342 in Spain; died circa 439 in what is now Israel; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, June 8. Mother, widow, desert mother. The Story: Melania’s story is complicated. She lost her husband and two sons when she was in her early twenties and living in Rome and its environs. It was after these… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: St. Melania the Elder

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria Karlowska

The Basics: Born September 4, 1865, in Poland; died March 24, 1935, in Poland; beatified June 6, 1997, by John Paul II; feast day, June 6. Woman religious; social worker. The Story: Maria learned a seamstress’s trade in Berlin, then joined her sister’s sewing and embroidery shop back in what is now Poland’s Pomeranian area. It was… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria Karlowska

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Imelda Lambertini

The Basics: Born 1322 in Italy; died May 12, 1333, in Italy; beatified in 1826, by Pope Leo XII; feast day, May 13. Daughter. The Story: The child was on fire for the Lord; there is no doubt of that. Imelda was just nine when her wish to enter a Dominican convent was granted. But that wasn’t… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Imelda Lambertini

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger

The Basics: Born in 1797 in Germany; died May 9, 1879, in Germany; beatified November 17, 1985, by John Paul II; feast day, May 9. Woman religious, teacher. The Story: You might call Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger the Mother Cabrini of German immigrants to the United States. (Or perhaps, Mother Cabrini was the Theresa of Jesus of… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger