Leonella Sgorbati

In 1970, Sister Leonella realized her missionary dream by being sent to Kenya. She worked there first as a midwife and nurse, notably at the hospital in Nyeri and then at the one in Meru, where she directed the nursing school. Her dedication was immense: she participated in the birth of thousands of children and invested herself fully in the professional and human formation of young Africans. From 1993 to 1999, she held the position of provincial superior of the Consolata Missionary Sisters in Kenya. In 2001, responding to the call of the organization SOS Children's Villages (SOS Kinderdorf International), she accepted to leave for Mogadishu, in Somalia, a country then ravaged by civil war and the rise of fundamentalism. Despite the absence of a stable government and constant dangers, she founded and directed a school for nurses and midwives within the local pediatric hospital. Thanks to her perseverance, the first class of qualified nurses graduated in 2006, with certification recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Sister Leonella strove to train local staff capable of caring for the Somali population, without distinction of religion.

The security climate in Somalia deteriorated severely during the year 2006. After a short stay in Kenya to settle administrative and training matters, Sister Leonella managed to return to Mogadishu on September 13, 2006. On Sunday, September 17, 2006, around 12:30 PM, as she was leaving the nursing school to cross the street and return to her home, she was targeted by two snipers. Her bodyguard, Mohamed Mahamud, a Muslim father who faithfully accompanied her, attempted to intervene to protect her. Both were mortally wounded. Struck by seven bullets, Sister Leonella was rushed to the operating room but succumbed to her injuries at 1:45 PM. Before passing away, she whispered her final words to her fellow sister, Sister Gianna Irene: "Perdono, perdono, perdono" (I forgive, I forgive, I forgive). Her martyrdom sparked deep emotion throughout the world. Pope Benedict XVI expressed his profound sorrow and prayed that the blood shed by this faithful disciple of the Gospel would become a seed of hope and fraternity.

The cause for the beatification of Sister Leonella Sgorbati was officially opened on August 31, 2013. The diocesan inquiry proceeded rapidly, and its validity was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in September 2014. On November 8, 2017, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing her martyrdom in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith). The beatification ceremony was celebrated on May 26, 2018, in the Cathedral of Piacenza (Italy). It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis. Her liturgical memorial is set for September 17, the day of her birth into Heaven.

The spirituality of Sister Leonella Sgorbati is based on the charism of the Consolata: to bring the consolation of Christ where suffering is most acute. She conceived her life as a total gift, ready to go to the end of her missionary commitment, in accordance with the words of the founder of her institute, Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, who reminded that a missionary must be disposed to martyrdom. Her legacy is marked by an interreligious dialogue lived out daily through service to the poorest. The shared sacrifice of Sister Leonella and her Muslim bodyguard, Mohamed Mahamud, remains a powerful symbol of fraternity and mutual respect between Christians and Muslims. In 2008, her religious profession cross was placed in the Basilica of Saint Bartholomew on the Island in Rome, a sanctuary dedicated to the new martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Her mortal remains rest today in the chapel of the Flora Hostel in Nairobi, Kenya.