St. Rose Venerini | May 7

St. Rose Venerini | May 7

The story of St. Rose of Venerini (February 9, 1656 – May 7, 1728) is one of having faith in God and his calling in your life. Born in Italy in 1656, she was the daughter of a doctor. Following the death of her fiancé, she entered a convent in the hopes of becoming a nun, but soon returned home to care for her mother after the death of her father. In an effort to keep up her spiritual side, St. Rose invited women of the neighborhood to recite the rosary in her home, and together they formed a sodality.

Unsure of where her life was headed, she sought the spiritual guidance of a Jesuit priest. After much contemplation, she admitted to feeling called to be a teacher in the world, rather than a nun in a convent. Eventually, she moved ahead and opened a free school for girls in 1685. Eventually, she was invited to oversee the training of teachers and the administration of schools in the Diocese of Montefiascone, which then led to being called upon to organize schools in many parts of Italy, including Rome.

St. Rose died in Rome in 1728 amid a number of miracles that many credit to her. The group of women she first prayed with in her home eventually became known as the Venerini Sisters, found in the United States and working among Italian immigrants. St. Rose was beatified in 1952 and canonized in 2006.