Imelda Lambertini (1322 – 12 May 1333) was an Italian Catholic mystic and devotee of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. She is the patroness of First Communicants and many dioceses make use of her feast as a day to schedule First Communions and Confirmations.

Biography

Imelda Lambertini was born in 1322 in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, the only child of Count Egano Lambertini and Castora Galuzzi. Her parents were devout Catholics and were known for their charity and generosity to the underprivileged of Bologna. On her fifth birthday, she requested to receive 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 ...

; however the custom at the time was that children did not receive their First Communion until age 14. At age nine, she went to live with the Dominican nuns at Val di pietra, near Bologna. On 12 May 1333, the day of the

vigil A vigil, from the Latin meaning 'wakefulness' ( Greek: , or ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word has become generalized in this sense and means 'eve' (as in "on t ...

of the Ascension, she knelt in judora and the "Light of the Host" was reportedly witnessed above her head by the

Sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...

, who then fetched the priest so he could see. After seeing this miracle, the priest felt compelled to admit her to receiving the Eucharist. Immediately after receiving it, Imelda went back to her seat, and decided to stay after Mass and pray. Later when a nun came to get her for supper, she found her still kneeling with a smile on her face. The nun called her name, but she did not stir, so she lightly tapped Imelda on the shoulder, at which time Imelda collapsed to the floor, dead. Her remains are kept in Bologna at the Church of San Sigismondo, beneath the wax effigy of her likeness. The cultus of Lambertini has grown so popular that a confraternity for First Communicants has been established in her honor and the last Eucharistc Congress held in Bergamo passed a petition for her canonization.

Beatification

Lambertini's spiritual writings were approved by theologians on 8 June 1891, 13 March 1894, and 19 March 1895. Her cause was formally opened on 11 December 1897, granting her the 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 ...

. Lambertini was

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII (; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829. ...

in 1826.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambertini, Imelda 1322 births 1333 deaths 14th-century Italian women Italian beatified people Italian children People from Bologna Roman Catholic child blesseds Beatifications by Pope Leo XII