Giovanna Francesca Michelotti

The heart of the life and work of Anna Michelotti lies in the foundation of the congregation of the Little Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the poor sick (Piccole Serve del Sacro Cuore di Gesù per gli ammalati poveri). In 1874, Anna began her work in Turin with two postulants by donning the religious habit. On October 2, 1875, in the church of Santa Maria di Piazza in Turin, she made her religious profession with her first companions, taking the name Sister Giovanna Francesca of the Visitation of Saint Mary (Jeanne-Françoise de la Visitation). This name was chosen in homage to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal and the saints of her native city of Annecy. The institute received the approval of the Archbishop of Turin, Mgr. Lorenzo Gastaldi, on August 8, 1875 (followed by the approval of the work on December 13, 1875). In addition to the three traditional vows, the religious sisters pronounced a fourth vow: that of serving the poor sick at home free of charge. The life of the young community was marked by extreme poverty. The sisters lived on alms and spent themselves without counting the cost for the most abandoned sick, in the attics and slums of Turin. Due to the unsanitary conditions of their first dwelling, the foundress acquired the Villa Pruss in Valsalice, on the hill of Turin, in 1882, which became the motherhouse. The congregation also expanded into Lombardy, opening a house in Milan as early as September 1880.

Anna Michelotti's path to holiness was marked by physical and moral trials accepted with profound Christian resignation. Afflicted with chronic bronchial asthma, her health declined severely over the years, often forcing her to remain bedridden. Due to her illness and internal tensions with a group of sisters who judged her methods too authoritarian, she was dismissed from her position as Superior General on December 26, 1887. She accepted this dismissal with heroic humility, offering herself as a victim of love and submitting immediately to the new superior she had herself suggested. She passed away on February 1, 1888, in Valsalice (Turin), the day after the death of Saint John Bosco. A few hours before her death, yielding to the pleas of her sisters, she agreed for the first time in her life to be photographed, having always refused previously out of humility. She was buried very simply, wearing the Franciscan cord. Her relics rest today in the motherhouse of Valsalice in Turin.

The cause for the beatification of Anna Michelotti officially opened in Turin with the informative process between 1933 and 1935. The cause was formally introduced in Rome on December 6, 1942. She was beatified on November 1, 1975, by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, at the same time as other Servants of God (including Saint Mary of the Divine Heart Droste zu Vischering). Giuseppe Moscati, for his part, was beatified by Pope Paul VI two weeks later, on November 16, 1975. During the beatification homily, Pope Paul VI highlighted her life of suffering, poverty, and unconditional love for the tabernacle and the poor sick. The congregation she founded received the decree of praise from the Holy See on June 3, 1932, and its constitutions were definitively approved by Pope Pius XII on January 16, 1940.

The spirituality of Blessed Giovanna Francesca Michelotti is deeply Christocentric, rooted in devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and marked by the Salesian spirit of Saint Francis de Sales. She taught her sisters: "Do not say 'I am going to the sick person,' but 'I am going to console the heart of the suffering Jesus.' If you go with this spirit of faith, be calm and certain that you are serving them well." Her charity was translated into total attention to the other, forgetting herself to relieve the suffering members of Christ. She also manifested an intense devotion to the Passion of the Lord and to the Virgin Mary. Today, the Little Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus continue the work of their founder. Although modest in size, the institute is present not only in Italy, but has also opened itself to international missions, notably in Madagascar and Romania, where the sisters continue to provide home care, aid to the poor, catechesis, and pastoral work.