Giovanna Meneghini
Foundress of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Giovanna Meneghini dedicated her life to the education and spiritual and social advancement of young girls from the working class.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
Youth, health trials, and the beginnings of Giovanna Meneghini's commitment in Breganze.
Giovanna Meneghini was born on May 23, 1868, in Bolzano Vicentino, Italy. Her parents, Stefano Meneghini and Teresa, were humble shepherds originally from Grigno. Born in a makeshift stable during transhumance, she was sent around the age of three or four to Breganze to live with her aunt and uncle (the Baggio family). Breganze was then under the influence of the priest brothers Scotton (Jacopo, Andrea, and Gottardo), figures of Catholic intransigence. In 1885, she attempted to join the Sisters of Saint Dorothy, but health problems forced her to return to her family after forty days. After recovering her health, she worked as a domestic servant for a noble and anticlerical family, enduring exhausting conditions and being forbidden from participating in parish life. Struck by lightning in the property's park, she suffered from the aftereffects for the rest of her life (headaches, fainting spells). In 1890, she became an ironer and seamstress. On June 1, 1890, under the guidance of her spiritual director, Archpriest Andrea Scotton, she joined the Company of Saint Ursula in Breganze, of which she became the leader. In 1898, she was appointed director of the workshop for manufacturing priestly vestments for the Scotton brothers and assistant at the shipping office of their weekly newspaper La Riscossa, which allowed her to provide spiritual guidance to many young workers.
Life and Work
Foundation of the community of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary and difficulties in recognition.
In 1905, concerned by the abandonment of young girls and adolescents, Giovanna organized a small craft school with Ursuline companions. Encouraged by the Jesuit father Maffeo Franzini, she rented a house on January 6, 1907 (Epiphany) and founded a religious community there according to the rule of Saint Angela Merici. The objectives were self-giving, the salvation of souls, and the sanctification of the female working class. To avoid opposition from the Scotton brothers and due to her professional commitments, she did not physically move in until August 3, 1910. The diocesan approval of the new institution of the "Ursuline Sisters" of Breganze was granted on July 16, 1913, by the Bishop of Vicenza, under the official name of Suore Orsoline del Sacro Cuore di Maria (Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary). During the First World War, the community went through severe trials and a temporary dissolution due to the misunderstanding of certain members of the clergy.
Path to holiness
Death of Giovanna Meneghini and opening of her beatification process.
Exhausted by trials and illness, Giovanna Meneghini died on March 2, 1918, in Breganze, at the age of 49, in a reputation of holiness. The process for her beatification began decades later. After obtaining the nihil obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on December 2, 1996, the Bishop of Vicenza, Monsignor Pietro Nonis, opened the diocesan inquiry on March 9, 1997. This concluded on September 20, 1999, and its legal validity was recognized by a decree on June 16, 2000.
Beatification and canonization
Recognition of heroic virtues by Pope Francis.
On May 4, 2017, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Giovanna Meneghini, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Her cause for beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession.
Spirituality and legacy
Spirituality inspired by Saint Angela Merici and the development of the congregation today.
The spirituality of Giovanna Meneghini is based on the rule of Saint Angela Merici, characterized by an intimate union with Christ the Spouse, trust in Providence, and devotion to the Virgin Mary. Her work focused on the human, social, and spiritual advancement of poor and marginalized women. Today, the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary continue her work. The congregation obtained a new diocesan approval on September 8, 1941, and then the definitive pontifical approval on March 25, 1950. Active in Italy and Brazil (Volta Redonda), the congregation keeps the memory of the foundress alive in Breganze through the Mother House, the Mater Amabilis community, and the reception facilities Villa Savardo and Villa Sant'Angela.
Frequently asked questions about Giovanna Meneghini
Who was Giovanna Meneghini?
Foundress of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Giovanna Meneghini dedicated her life to the education and spiritual and social advancement of young girls from the working class.
Which saints were contemporaries of Giovanna Meneghini?
Contemporaries include: Jesús María Echavarría Aguirre, Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Narcisa de Jesús and Juan de Jesús López y González.
When did Giovanna Meneghini die?
Giovanna Meneghini died around 1868.
Who are the relatives of Giovanna Meneghini?
Relatives of Giovanna Meneghini: Stefano Meneghini (father), Teresa (mother) and Famille Baggio (uncle and aunt).
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1868-1918
- Decree of venerability by Francis