PAULA PIANTANIDA, WIDOW

PAULA PIANTANIDA, WIDOW - 31 JANUARY

PAULA PIANTANIDA, WIDOW

This holy lady was born in Milan of poor parents and was named Martha in holy baptism. She lost her good mother at an early age, and her father Augustine Piantanida soon remarried. Martha, although a very kind child, was treated very harshly by her stepmother. When she grew up, her father gave her away in marriage, partly for her to be able to leave home because he had found out about the way her stepmother behaved towards his daughter. The man his daughter married was not an ideal husband. He died a few years later. Although not a bad lady, Martha, now a widow, was very attached to the world and was rather obsessed with cleaning.

A sermon she listened to one day touched her deeply, and she began earnestly to turn to Jesus and away from worldly vanities. Martha then started a serious penitential life. Inspired by her edifying example, several like-minded ladies joined her. They moved into a small house, lived together in abject poverty, and were under the leadership of the Capuchin Jacobus de Mediola. Martha had to go through hard struggles until she completely exterminated the love of worldly trifles in herself. Archbishop Charles Borromeo built them a monastery, which he dedicated to Saint Praxedis. On April 26, 1579, the pious sisters received the habit from the hands of the archbishop. Martha was given the name Sister Paula. Four Capuchin Sisters were called from Perugia to introduce the austere Rule of Saint Clare to this new monastery, which was placed under the direction and obedience of the Capuchins. Paula died happily in the Lord on January 31, 1612, having led a very humble, penitential life in the convent. (J.M.R.)

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

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

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