Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Gaetana Sterni

The Basics: Born June 26, 1827, in Italy; died November 26, 1889, in Italy; beatified November 4, 2001, by John Paul II; feast day, November 26. Caregiver, woman religious. The Story: Gaetana never lived more than five miles from her birthplace in northeast Italy. But even if her locale changed little, her early life was full of… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Gaetana Sterni

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska

The Basics: Born November 20, 1869, in Ukraine; died April 7, 1919, in Ukraine; beatified June 27, 2001, by John Paul II; feast day, November 20. Woman religious. The Story: The late 19th century was a time of rapid growth for the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. But in rural areas, there was much poverty and… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Frances Cabrini

The Basics: Born July 15, 1850, in Italy; died December 22, 1917, in Chicago; canonized July 7, 1946, by Pius XII; feast day, November 13. Woman religious, social worker. The Story: Frances was quite sure she was meant to be a missionary, taking the Word of God beyond her homeland. At age thirty, she was among the… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: St. Frances Cabrini

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

The Basics: Born July 18, 1880, in France; died November 9, 1906, in France; beatified November 25, 1984, by John Paul II; feast day, November 8. Woman religious, mystic, writer. The Story: As a child, Elizabeth was somewhat of a pill. She was willful and given to fits of anger. Indeed, it’s said that a priest… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity