Clotilde Micheli
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Clotilde Micheli (11 September 1849 - 24 March 1911) was an
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professed religious who established the order known as the Sisters of Angels; she assumed the
religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should n ...
''Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart'' upon the order's foundation and her profession into it. She had once before been part of a religious order in which she received the name ''Maria Annunziata'' but discarded it when she left their ranks. Micheli was beatified in Benevento in 2011 after
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
granted approval for her beatification to take place. Cardinal
Angelo Amato Angelo Amato, Salesians of Don Bosco, S.D.B. (8 June 1938 – 31 December 2024) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 20 ...
presided over the celebration on the behalf of the pontiff.


Life

Clotilde Micheli was born in Imer,
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on 11 September 1849. She received
Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...
at the age of three in 1852 from the
Bishop of Trent The Archdiocese of Trento (, German Trient) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Triveneto, named after its see in Alpine Italy, Trento (Tr(i)ent), in Trentino-Alto Adige region. The seat (throne) of the archbishop ...
Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim. During her childhood she reported having her first apparition in which her
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...
came to her with an invitation from the
Blessed Mother Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...
to consecrate herself as a virgin to her. She had her
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
in 1858 at the age of nine and after this felt a strong pull to the religious life; she spent her nights in long periods of
adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give Homage (arts), homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In class ...
to the
Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
. As a child she received her education from her mother who instilled in her a sense of virtue and the fundamental Christian ethics. On the night of 2 August 1867 - in the parish church of her hometown - the Blessed Mother appeared with angels around her and showed her that it was Micheli's mission to found a religious congregation that would have as its crucial aim the adoration of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and
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as the spirit under her patronage. Micheli received the consolation of a friend and went to
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
for the spiritual guidance of Domenico Agostini - future cardinal and
Patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice (; ) is the ordinary of the Patriarchate of Venice. The bishop is one of only four patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The other three are the Patriarch of Lisbon, the Patriarch of the East Indies an ...
- who advised her to draft a Rule; she was frightened at the prospect of this and believed she had no inspiration so returned in sadness to her hometown having written nothing. Micheli relocated to
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
in 1867 close to the
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
Angelo Piacentini whom she confided her doubts to. She remained under his
spiritual direction Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...
until his death in 1876; in 1878 she realized that her parents - without her knowledge - were in the process of arranging a marriage for her. Her response to this was to flee to
Epfendorf Epfendorf ( Swabian: ''Äpfedorf'') is a municipality in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Epfendorf is located in the Upper Neckar valley between Oberndorf am Neckar and Rottweil. Neighboring communities The municipality ...
in the
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. Micheli remained there until 1885 where she worked as a
nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
in a clinic that the Elizabethan Sisters ran. However her mother died in 1883 and her father followed in 1885 around the time she left Epfendorf for her hometown and remained there alone until 1887 when she decided to discern her project for a congregation. Alongside her niece Giuditta she - in May 1887 - set out on foot for a pilgrimage to
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and made it an objective to stop at all Marian sanctuaries along the route as a means of receiving further inspiration for her project. In August she arrived in Rome and joined the order known as the Suore Immacolatine; she took the habit and received the name of "Maria Annunziata". She remained with that order until 1891 and served as the Mother Superior of a convent in the village of
Sgurgola Sgurgola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italy, Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about west of Frosinone. Sgurgola borders the following municipalities: Anagni, Ferentino, Gorga, Italy, ...
in the Diocese of Anagni. She came to know the
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
priest Francesco Fusco da Trani while she was in
Assisi Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...
during her pilgrimage and he wrote to her in order to advise her to leave her order and go to Piedimonte d'Alife where the bishop Antonio Scotti had plans for an order of his own. However upon meeting Scotti she realized their plans were not at all similar. Micheli then travelled to
Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...
and - alongside the nun Filomena Scaringi - remained in a household with people who provided her with both material and spiritual support. She set her own house in Casolla with two women and led to the
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and
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. A house in
Faicchio Faicchio is a small village in the Province of Benevento in the Italy, Italian region of Campania, located about 50 km northeast of Naples and about 30 km northwest of Benevento. Faicchio borders the following villages: Cusano Mutri, G ...
opened in June 1899 as a place for formation. She became quite ill in 1895 - almost close to death - and refused herself medical treatment. Instead she was moved elsewhere for a period of rest in order to recover from her illness. On one particular occasion a
seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
- whom
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
had possessed - arrived in the garden adjacent to the convent and asked for her. The sisters did not want to fatigue Micheli so said she wasn't there; the seminarian knew this was a lie and began to inveigh against the sisters in an inhuman voice. Micheli then approached and demanded he be quiet to which the voice said: "You are damned!"; the sisters inquired about the demons present to which the inhuman voice said: "we are seven". Micheli took the seminarian aside to listen to him and then applied both
holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...
and the
sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross (), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging ...
on him - this succeeded in driving the devils out of him and was a successful
exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...
. Micheli died on 24 March 1911. Her remains are interred in Faicchio.


Beatification

The beatification process commenced on 9 July 1990 after the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
- under
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
- declared "nihil obstat" (nothing against) to the cause which also granted her the posthumous title of
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. The diocesan process spanned from 1 October 1990 until 15 March 1992 and saw the thorough investigation of her life as well as the visions that she was prone to. Upon the closure of this process all documentation was submitted to Roman officials for investigation on their end; the so-called "Roman Phase" commenced on 2 July 1993 after the diocesan process was cleared of having done its work according to the set criteria. The postulation compiled and submitted the
Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...
to Rome for further investigation while the large dossier included biographical details as well as attesting to the manner in which she led her life according to Christian values. This also had to face the historical commission on 14 January 2003 who had to determine whether or not there were obstacles to the cause; the historians approved it and thus would allow the cause to continue. On 3 July 2009 she was conferred the title of
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
after
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
acknowledged the fact that Micheli had practiced a model Christian life of
heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...
- both
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
and
theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
. The process for the miracle required for her beatification opened on 28 November 2003 in the diocese of its origin and closed on 25 January 2005; it was then submitted to Roman officials for further investigation and received formal ratification on 20 May 2005. The Rome-based medical board met in order to discuss if the healing was indeed a credible miracle and approved it after meeting on 3 December 2009 while consulting theologians approved it on 26 March 2010; the Congregation for the Causes of Saints followed suit on 8 June 2010 and passed it to Benedict XVI for his approval on 1 July 2010. Micheli received beatification on 28 May 2011 in Benevento; Cardinal
Angelo Amato Angelo Amato, Salesians of Don Bosco, S.D.B. (8 June 1938 – 31 December 2024) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 20 ...
presided over the beatification on the behalf of Benedict XVI. The current
postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...
assigned to the cause is Giuseppina Romano.


References


External links


Hagiography CircleSaints SQPNSisters of AngelsSister Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart
{{DEFAULTSORT:Micheli, Clotilde 1849 births 1911 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns 19th-century Christian mystics 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Christian mystics Angelic visionaries Beatifications by Pope Benedict XVI Roman Catholic mystics Founders of Catholic religious communities 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Italian beatified people Marian visionaries People from Trento People from Austria-Hungary Venerated Catholics by Pope Benedict XVI