Rosa Maria Gattorno was born to a wealthy family in Italy in 1831. When she was 21 she married and moved to France. Within six years, she had three children, was struck with financial problems, an illness left her oldest daughter deaf and mute, her husband died, and then her youngest son died. Back home in Italy, she responded by giving herself over to God by becoming a Franciscan tertiary, and took the name Anna Rosa. Feeling called to start her own congregation, she worried the work would take her away from her children, so she asked the pope about it. Rather than discourage the idea he told her to start immediately. By the time of her death, the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Anne had over 3500 sisters serving the poor and sick around the world.
CHALLENGE
Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno preferred solitude and silence, but her help was constantly sought by various Catholic groups who asked her to do God’s work in ways she didn’t want to do. But since she lived to serve God totally she never refused such a request. Is there something you’ve been called to do but you’ve avoided because it’s not the work that you want to be doing? Today is the day to prayerfully reconsider your decision.
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