June 28: Saint Vincenza Gerosa

Today, June 28, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Vincenza Gerosa (1784-1847), Virgin of the Church, and co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity.


Saint Vincenza was born Catherine Gerosa in Lovere, Italy. Orphaned as a youth, Catherine was eventually adopted by a wealthy family of shopkeepers. Despite her family’s wealth, Catherine grew up shy and reserved, ever focused on aiding those in need, specifically the poor and abandoned. She dressed modestly, and spent her time away from working at the family shop in prayer and at daily Mass.

Catherine was sent by her parents to be educated by the Benedictine Sisters of Gandino. However, she soon fell ill, and her poor health prevented her from continuing her studies. Having returned to Lovere, where her mother, father, and dear sister died in rapid succession. Catherine was left alone to manage the family business, suffering the losses of her family by offering them to Christ. She prayed constantly to accept the will of the Lord in her life, and used her family’s money to provide charitable works in the community. Catherine became involved in her Church parish, organizing a women’s oratory with meetings and retreats. She founded a practical school to teach the poor girls of the community domestic work so as to improve their station in life.

In her teachings, Catherine encountered Bartolomea Capitanio, and together they embarked on a new mission: to found a hospital to care for those who could not afford medical care. This they did, and extended their mission to establishing a special religious institute with the objectives of providing assistance to the sick, free education for girls, Christian orphanages, and programs designed to promote youth welfare. To accomplish this mission, together they founded the Sisters of Charity in 1824. At that time, Catherine took the name Vincenza. Together they wrote ‘the Foundation Document” which forms the basis of the Rule of Life for the Order: “The Institute which will be founded in Lovere is be totally founded on charity and this must be its principle aim…should have as its aim the education of poor young girls…devote itself to the relief of the sick..”

Only nine short years later, Bartolomea died, leaving Vincenza to manage and expand the order. The Order of the Sisters of Charity was approved by Pope Gregory XVI in 1840, and quickly spread throughout Italy, and later to India and other countries. Vincenza continued overseeing the order until her death in 1847. Her body is venerated at the Chapel of the Sisters of Charity in Lovere.

Today, on the feast of Saint Vincenza, we pray for the spirit of charity and love to fill us, and pour forth to those in our own communities in desperate need.

Prayer for Charity

O my Jesus, Thou who art very Love,
enkindle in my heart that Divine Fire
which consumes the Saints and transforms them into Thee.


O Lord our God,
we offer Thee our hearts
united in the strongest and most sincere love of brotherhood;
we pray that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
may be the daily food of our souls and bodies;
that Jesus may be established as the center of our affections,
even as He was for Mary and Joseph.

Finally, O Lord, may sin never disturb our union on earth;
and may we be eternally united in heaven with Thee
and Mary and Joseph and with all Thy Saints.
Amen.

Saint Vincenza Gerosa, pray for us!



Year 2: Day 179 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Separation from earthly desires; Steadfast conviction; Focus on the Lord alone.
Requested Intentions: For a family experiencing a difficult child custody case (M); Reunification of a family struggling with separation (M): For a son struggling with mental illness (M); Successful examination results (B); To be freed from the chains of sin (J); Admission to a good university (M); For successful surgery (T); For a mother’s mental health and for kindness and forgiveness, for housing problems, for dental health (T); For the soul of a departed friend (X); Restoration of health (D); Successful employment for couple (N); For employment for children (K); For health of friend, for successful relationships for children, for safe pregnancy for daughter (C); For the health of a mother (J); Virtue for daughter (V); Successful acceptance to college for nephew (M); For the health of a cousin (T); Freedom from legal difficulties for husband (S); Husband’s freedom from illness (L).