Fernanda Riva (17 April 1920 – 22 January 1956), was a Roman Catholic Nun of Canossian Daughter of Charity congregation.

Early life

Fernanda Riva was born on 17 April 1920 in

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. She joined the Canossian Missionary Novitiate in

Vimercate Vimercate (; , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Monza and Brianza, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is from Milan and from Monza. Its name (whose first finding dates back to the year 745) derives from the Latin ''Vicus ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, on 19 March 1939. She continued her First Formation at St. Joseph's Convent, Belgaum, and pronounced her First Vows, on 24 December 1941. She completed her B.A., B. Ed at the Colleges in Belgaum from 1943 to 1947, and came to Mumbai for her master's degree in Education.

Missionary to India

Riva came to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(now Mumbai), India on 30 October 1939. She was principal of the St. Joseph's College for Women

Alleppey Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. From July 1950 to September 1953, Riva served at Canossa High School, Mahim, first as a teacher and then as principal. In September 1953, Riva was transferred to St. Joseph's Convent, Alleppey, Kerala, to start a new college there and became its first principal. She oversaw the entire process, from its construction to purchasing equipment.

Death

She was admitted to St. Elizabeth's Nursing Home for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

treatment under the supervision of Dr. Arthur D’Sa. She died on 22 January 1956 in

. Within a year in 1954, she fell ill and was sent for a check-up to Mumbai. She was admitted to St. Elizabeth's Nursing Home and was operated upon by D’Sa in September 1954. She seemed to recover and under the doctor's advice returned to

after a month, on 30 October 1954. However, on 6 January 1956, she had to be rushed back to Mumbai because of her illness, which turned out to be cancer. This time it struck her fatally. D’Sa and

Valerian Cardinal Gracias Valerian Gracias (23 October 1900 – 11 September 1978) was an Indian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Bombay from 1950 until his death. He was made a cardinal in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. Biography Valerian Gracias was born in Kar ...

visited her. They were touched by her serenity and faith. She had a kind word, a smile, a gesture of concern for those sisters and hospital staff who attended on her and gratitude for all. She died on 22 January 1956. Crowds filed past her body which lay in the Chapel of Canossa Convent,

Mahim Mahim (, ) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Mahim Junction railway station on the Western Railway zone, Western Railway and Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway), Harbour Railway of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Mumbai Suburb ...

. Whispers of "She is a Saint" could be heard among the crowd gathered at her funeral. She was buried in the Cemetery of St. Michael's Church, Mahim. A few days after her death, this very Diocesan Bulletin "The Examiner" carried an article based on her illness and death.

Beatification

She was elevated to '

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 ...

' on 13 August 1994 by Simon Cardinal Pimenta. On 28 June 2012, she was declared '

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 ...

' by

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 ...

. Her bones are placed at st. Joseph's Canossian Copnvent, Allepey in Kerala,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Such was the sanctity of her life that Micheal Arattukulam, the then Bishop of Alleppey, asked that her Cause for Canonisation be introduced. On 13 August 1994, under the direction of Simon Cardinal Pimenta, the Cause was introduced, at St. Michael's Church Mahim.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riva, Fernanda Italian venerated Catholics Venerated Catholics by Pope Benedict XVI Canossian Order 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns 1956 deaths 1920 births Deaths from cancer in India