BL. ANNA MARIA ADORNI BOTTI

BL. ANNA MARIA ADORNI BOTTI - 7 FEBRUARY

Saints celebrated on the 7th of February

BLESSED ANNA MARIA ADORNI BOTTI

In October 2010, Mother Anna Maria Adorni Botti was beatified. Blessed Mother Anna was born in Fivizzano in Northern Italy on 19th June 1805. Her Father died when she was only 15 years old, after which she and her mother moved to Parma.

Blessed Mother Anna wanted to be a Capuchin nun but acceded to her mother’s will and in 1826 she married Antonio Botti, and together they had six children.

Blessed Mother Anna’s mother then died three months after the wedding. Blessed Mother Anna’s husband died at the age of 39, after she had nursed him for many months, leaving her to bring up four children, the other two having died very young. Three of these four remaining children also died young, with one living to the age of 26. Blessed Mother Anna thought that children were a gift and she formed them so that they would go to heaven.

Despite all these sorrows Blessed Mother Anna never lost hope.

She felt a call to become a consecrated widow and to dedicate the rest of her life to works of charity, especially with prisoners.

Several women expressed a wish to follow her example and this is how the union of women visitors of prisons, under the protection of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (an association of women volunteers who specialised in prison ministry) came about. These women undertook this ministry as no one else in the area seemed interested in doing it.

In 1857, together with eight companions, Blessed Mother Anna founded the Congregation of Handmaidens of Blessed Mary Immaculate of Parma, later taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

As well as helping prisoners Blessed Mother Anna also served the poor, homeless and orphans and offered protection to women in danger. The Bishop of Parma confirmed the statutes of this community in 1893. Nine days after the statutes were confirmed Blessed Mother Anna died, having just been clothed in a religious habit.

Blessed Mother Anna once said, even after the death of her parents, husband and six children, that ‘if a happy person has existed in life, it is I’. At her Mass of beatification it was said that Blessed Mother Anna is a model of a ‘wife, mother and founder. It’s very original that one person can be a model for several states of life’.

(From Spiritual Thought from Father Chris)

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of the blessed Anna Maria may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org

WELCOME

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BL. LUKE KIRBY, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 30 MAY

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 30th of May WELCOME! BLESSED LUKE KIRBY, PRIEST AND MARTYR 16th century houses, painted by Auguste Mayer He was born in the bishopric of Durham, according to Raissius ; others say at Richmond, in Yorkshire. He was master of arts in one of our universities; but going abroad to Douay, in Flanders, was received into the English college there, 1576, and made priest in 1577; and the year following sent upon the mission. Where he had not been long before he again went abroad, and travelled to Rome, partly for devotion, and partly for further improvement in learning. Here he remained in the English college till 1580, when he returned into England, and was not long after apprehended: for I find by a printed diary of things transacted in the Tower of London from 1580 till 1585, that on the 5th of December, 1580, Luke Kirby, Thomas Cottam , and other priests, were brought to the Tower from other prisons; and that these two, on the 10th...

BL. RICHARD NEWPORT, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 30 MAY

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 30th of May WELCOME! BLESSED RICHARD NEWPORT, PRIEST AND MARTYR Richard Newport, alias Smith , was born in Northamptonshire and performed his studies abroad, partly in the college of Rheims (if he be the Richard Smith whom I find in the Douay diary sent to Rome in 1586) and partly in that of Rome, where he was made priest. From thence he was sent upon the English mission, and behaved himself in such a manner as justly to acquire the character of a laborious missionary; being withal remarkably successful in bringing home many strayed sheep to the fold of Christ, to which his apostolical way of living did not a little contribute. He was several times apprehended and cast into prison, and twice banished. His name occurs amongst those who were transported in 1606; at which time, we are told, he took that opportunity of making a pilgrimage to Rome, there to pour forth his prayers at the tombs of the apostles, in behalf of thi...

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