Goodbye, beloved daughters; be generous with the Lord. I carry you all in my heart and bless you… We will see each other up there in heaven… up there… and from up there I will tell you again to be grateful to the Lord. Let your faithfulness be your thanksgiving, since the more you receive, the more God will ask of you, my daughters. (Blessed Elisabetta Renzi)
Welcoming Death with a Smile…
The death of a saint is always noteworthy, not only when it is caused by martyrdom. Usually, the radical choice of God and he mystical experience of Him brings one to see the end of life in a way that is completely different from what we are used to experiencing.
The saints to not fear death like most people do, because they approach that moment fully aware that they are about to enter into eternal happiness. For them, life is the “waiting room of paradise”, and death opens the mysterious door described in the parable of the Foolish Virgins. Beyond that door, there is celebration and an encounter with the Spouse. Death is the end of the “here and now” and the immersion into the “always”, into the infinite.
Elisabetta lived in the eschatological dimension, with neither anguish nor anxiety. A biographer states that Elisabetta as speaking of heaven as if she had been there and of the vanities of this world with such sweet irony that one could not refrain from smiling. Moreover, whoever met with her would say, “What happiness there must be in heaven if already her on earth the company of the saints is so enjoyable, and their conversation so delightful and full of kindness!”
This attitude is confirmed by her writings. In writing to the sisters in Cotignola she said, “I wish you a successful battle and unconquerable courage until death, so that in heaven you many place the crowns you have earned at the feet of Jesus.” And to other sisters said, “Sanctity is the fruit of sacrifice – it is the death and resurrection.” In 1857, she wrote, “A feast requires preparations. We prepare for Easter with Lent; we prepare for eternal life with the present life… it will be an eternal feast, unending glory!”.
In July 1859, Elisabetta suddenly felt a loss of strength; the doctors diagnosed a progressive weakening , along with other problems such as a stomach ache and a sore throat, which was so severe that she could not even swallow the host for communion. On August 14, 1859, Elisabetta received communion for the last time. Upon hearing the sound of the bell announcing the arrival of the priest, she whispered, “I ask pardon of everyone of all my faults and omissions. Pray for me! Goodbye, beloved daughters; be generous with the Lord. I carry you all in my heart and bless you… We will see each other up there in heaven… up there… and from up there I will tell you again to be grateful to the Lord. Let your faithfulness be your thanksgiving, since the more you receive, the more God will ask of you, my daughters”.
At 8:00 a.m., Elisabetta seemed to be dozing off, and then she opened her eyes and whispered, ” I see!…I see!… I see!”, then she passed.
A Gift, even from Heaven >
The news of Elisabetta spread, people from Coriano and the surrounding villages came to sed ehar and to pay tribute to this “holy woman”. They were moved by a sense of gratitude and trust. That meek woman has spent her entire life giving dignity and educations to poor girls. She was just not any woman. Elisabetta’s funeral was the event of the year. The whole town of Coriano was in mourning; everything shut down as a sign of respect during the funeral, and the people wer not reciting the “Requiem” but the “Gloria”.
In that town of Romagna, whre anticlericalism was still very strong, Elisabetta and the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows received a tangible sign of gratitude, which was as unexpected as it was impressive. This was also a sign that the Congregation would be able to stand on its own, strong in the spirit of its Foundress.
Soon her grave become an object of veneration. As soon as Elisabetta arrived in heaven, she was bombarded by requests of every kind, and people started talking about graces received through her intercession. At first, the sisters did not pay much attention. However, as the signs increased, they started publishing the most significant graces. These fostered hope and serenity in a time when the world needed them the most.
After a time, the sisters started working towards the beatification of Elisabetta Renzi, but political situations and legalities delayed the filing. Not until 1968 was it possible to open the process of beatification, which ended in February 1988 with the decree on the heroic virtues of Elisabetta. The process was completed with the solemn beatification of Elisabetta Renzi celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope John Paul II on June 18 1989.
Sister Agostina, The Miracle >
In order to complete the process for the beatification of a candidate, the Church requires proof that God works a miracle through the intercession of the candidate for sainthood. This miracle is often a sudden healing , unexplainable by science, that will last in time. The Vatican department for canonization requires that the Congregation present the most clear and convincing cases. Several cases were presented to the Vatican Canonization Committee, but the most convincing one was the healing of Sister Agostina Galli, OLS, of Misano Adriatico, Italy. This is what sealed the cause of beatification.
Sister Agostina was born in 1916, and entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows in January 1935. In November 1937, she became ill. A dry bilateral pleurisy stopped her from being able to make first religious vows. After a short recovery that allowed her to make vows, Sr. Agostina was also struck with tubercular peritonitis, which caused her to lose 26 pounds in a short time. A doctor remarked, “What a pity that you have to die so young!” From 1941-1948, her condition kept worsening and in 1953, her health took a turn for the worse. She developed cardiovascular problems which complicated everything. This forced her to spend her days in bed, almost unable to move. She could not eat solid foods, only liquids. In January 1959, the peritonitis worsened, and after consultation with the doctor who gave no hope, Sr. Agostina received the last rites while on oxygen.
In spite of all of this, Sister Agostina said afterwards, “I was convinced that I was not going to die. I had prayed to Mother Foundress in a special way because the Congregations was celebrating the centennial year of her death. The sisters were also praying to Mother Elisabetta for a miracle. We prayed only to her and through no other intercessor.”
On Saturday, March 7, Doctor Guido Rossi examined her for the last time, affirming that the end was
getting close. “The body was finished”, Sr. Agostina said, ” I could hardly see or hear anymore, my senses we gone; and yet, I felt that he end as far, very far away.” Between 11:00 and 11:15 a.m., the scenario suddenly changed. Sister turned to the sister who was assisting her and said, ” Lina, is it tim for the miracle?” Thinking she was not in her right mind, the sister answered, “ Yes, yes, it is always the time…” . Then Sr. Agostina raising her voice, exclaimed, “For the glory of God and for the good of the Congregation, Jesus and Mary, restore me to health through the intercession of Mother Foundress”. The result was immediate, she suddenly sat up in the bed moving her arms, got up and started walking in the room, scaring the nurse who was trying to settle her down. Then she even asked for something to eat.
Doctor Rossi received a call from the sisters, and he immediately thought they were calling him to sign the death certificate. He went, and what a surprise he found. Sister was very much awake and full of life. The following day , at the sound of the bell, she got up and went to the chapel for prayer and Mass with the rest of the community. After years of well documented illness, she acted like nothing had ever happened.
The Beatification >
The Glory of the Blessed…
But everyone in different ways feels the weight of our cross, and everyone has the same need to seek comfort, in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection. The Alleluia dwells beyond Calvary! I thank the Lord for having chosen me for this life. (Blessed Elisabetta Renzi)
“The Alleluia dwells beyond Calvary” This quote expresses beautifully, in few words, both the spiritual and life of our Foundress Blessed Elisabetta Renzi. These words of Elisabetta were chosen as a theme for her beatification, the Church’s official recognition of their fulfillment in her life, of her eternal blessedness after years of earthly trial.
The solemn beatification of Mother Elisabetta was held on June 18, 1989, in St. Peter’s Basilica, along with that of His Excellency Antonio Lucci, of the Congregation of the Franciscan Minors, Bishop of Bovino.
That was an unforgettable day, marked by the solemnity of the celebration, the words of Pope John Paul II, and the waving of scarves with the slogan of Blessed Elisabetta: “Be happy, God loves you!”
The Charism of Blessed Elisabetta Renzi can be summarized in one phrase that gives direction to one’s life: “Adere et Lucere” (“To burn and to light”) – thus, as Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, we define ourselves “Contemplativesin action…. We propose, as the purpose of our consecration, the glory of God and our own sanctification so thattttt we may be effective instruments of salvation for all, but especially for youth that they may be educated, instructed, and assisted, whatever their status in life”.
