Blessed Enrichetta Alfieri was also known as Maria Angela Domenica Alfieri or Mother and Angel of San Vittore.
She was a Roman Catholic religious sister and a member of the Sisters of Divine Charity.
She was born on February 23 1891 in Borgo Vercelli, Vercelli, Italy. She died on November 23 1951 in Milan, Italy.
We celebrate her feast day on November 23 every year in the Catholic Church.
| Blessed Enrichetta Alfieri Biography | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 23 1891 |
| Place of Birth | Borgo Vercelli, Vercelli, Italy |
| Profession | Catholic religious sister |
| Date of Death | November 23 1951 |
| Place of Death | Milan, Italy |
| Feast Day | November 23 |
| Beatification | By Pope Benedict XVI on June 26 2011 |
| Patron Saint of | |
Blessed Enrichetta Alfieri Life History
Blessed Enrichetta Alfieri was born on February 23, 1891, in Borgo Vercelli, Vercelli, Italy.
Since her early years, Enrichetta felt a strong calling to embrace religious life, and she formally entered the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joan Antida Thouret on December 20, 1911.
Her initial profession led her to work as a kindergarten teacher in Vercelli, Italy. Unfortunately, her career took a different turn when she developed Pott’s disease, a variant of tuberculosis affecting the spine, in 1917.
Her life took a miraculous turn on February 25, 1923, when she was inexplicably cured during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.
This healing was attributed to the intercession of Mary Immaculate, and it allowed her to regain her health entirely.
Following her recovery, on May 24, 1923, Sister Maria Angela was assigned to prison ministry at San Vittore Prison in Milan, Italy.
Her work with the inmates was exceptionally successful, earning her the titles of “Mother” and “Angel of San Vittore.” In 1939, she was appointed as the superior of the Sisters at the prison.
She continued her ministry at San Vittore when it was taken over by the SS and transformed into a prison for Jews, priests, nuns, and resistance fighters during World War II.
Alongside the Sisters, she provided support to the prisoners by secretly delivering supplies, transmitting messages, and collaborating with Church authorities to intercede on behalf of the inmates, ultimately saving many lives.
On September 23, 1944, a message intended for Enrichetta was intercepted, leading to her arrest on charges of espionage, and she was sentenced to either death or imprisonment in Germany.
However, Church officials, including Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, the Archbishop of Milan, intervened on her behalf.
As a result, she was transferred to the Sisters’ residence in Brescia, Italy, where she penned a memoir of her imprisonment.
When the war came to an end on May 7, 1945, she was once again assigned to San Vittore, where she ministered to prisoners of war, including those who had been her captors.
Blessed Enrichetta Alfieri died on November 23, 1951, in Milan, Italy. She was beatified on June 26, 2011, by Pope Benedict XVI, with the beatification ceremony presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato outside the Milan Cathedral.
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