Maria Antonella Bordoni
Maria Antonella Bordoni (1916-1978) was an Italian foundress, creator of the Mater Dei Work for orphans and children in difficulty, declared Venerable in 2018.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
Youth, healing, and spiritual discernment of Maria Antonella Bordoni in Arezzo and Rome.
Maria Antonella Bordoni (born Maria Antonietta) was born on October 13, 1916, in Arezzo, Italy. At the age of eight, she was healed of a severe acute peritonitis in early October 1924 during a prayer of supplication addressed to the Virgin Mary. During her adolescence, she took on the responsibility of her younger siblings due to the financial difficulties of her family, who settled in Rome in 1930-1931. Despite her fragile health, she began working in a shop to support her family.
In Rome, she attended the parish of Sant'Eusebio and became actively involved in the Catholic Action Youth. In 1934, she met Father Domenico Dottarelli, who became her spiritual director. She made a private vow of virginity in 1936, then expressed in September 1937 the desire to live according to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She joined the group of "Priestly Souls" (Anime sacerdotali), offering herself for the salvation of souls and priests. She experienced painful mystical phenomena and submitted to psychological examinations that ruled out any pathology. On June 24, 1938, she formally offered herself to God as a victim of love. In 1939, she made her perpetual vows within the "Little Work" (Piccola Opera), whose first rules were drafted in 1942 at the monastery of Viboldone.
Life and Work
Foundation of the Opera Mater Dei for orphans and affiliation with Dominican spirituality.
After an internal crisis between 1946 and 1948, Maria Antonella Bordoni chose to leave her community to found the "Opera Mater Dei" on October 13, 1948, in collaboration with Father Domenico Dottarelli. This foundation aimed to respond to the distress of the many orphans and abandoned children in the aftermath of the Second World War.
She opened a first reception house in Castel Gandolfo, and the work then developed in the provinces of Macerata and Ancona. From 1951, the institute also welcomed minors from families in difficulty. Between 1960 and 1967, she came into contact with Dominican spirituality and became affiliated with the Third Order of Saint Dominic. She then began the process of having the Constitutions and the Directory of the Lay Fraternity of the Little Daughters of the Mother of God approved, an approval granted in 1974 by the Master General of the Order of Preachers, Father Aniceto Fernández, and subsequently by the Sacred Congregation for Religious.
Journey toward holiness
Illness, death in Castel Gandolfo, and the opening of the canonization process.
The final years of Maria Antonella Bordoni's life were marked by a painful physical trial: she was afflicted with progressive multiple sclerosis, which she faced with heroic strength of soul, offering her sufferings for the good of priests and the Church. She passed away on the morning of January 16, 1978, in Castel Gandolfo. Her reputation for holiness spread rapidly, attracting more than a thousand pilgrims to her tomb between 1982 and 1992.
On June 28, 1996, the diocesan process for her canonization was officially opened in Albano by Bishop Mgr Dante Bernini, in the presence of Mgr Paolo Gillet, with the Dominican father Innocenzo Venchi serving as postulator. The diocesan inquiry was subsequently closed by Mgr Agostino Vallini, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated the procedure on December 6, 2002.
Beatification and canonization
Recognition of the heroic nature of her virtues by Pope Francis in 2018.
On March 6, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues. By this act, Maria Antonella Bordoni was officially declared Venerable.
Spirituality and legacy
Priestly and Marian spirituality, and the international development of the Mater Dei Work.
The spirituality of Maria Antonella Bordoni is based on the incarnation of the "priesthood of the faithful" derived from baptism, the victim union with the sacrifice of Christ for the sanctification of priests, and a strong Marian imprint. Her legacy is perpetuated through the Mater Dei Work. In 2000, the "Cuore di Maria" family home was opened in Castel Gandolfo to welcome single mothers in difficulty. The Little Daughters of the Mother of God are also present in Ardea, as well as in Latin America (Peru and Ecuador). Her method of accompaniment is described as a "pedagogy of small things," centered on daily love.
Frequently asked questions about Maria Antonella Bordoni
Who was Maria Antonella Bordoni?
Maria Antonella Bordoni (1916-1978) was an Italian foundress, creator of the Mater Dei Work for orphans and children in difficulty, declared Venerable in 2018.
Which saints were contemporaries of Maria Antonella Bordoni?
Contemporaries include: Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Felipe de Jesús Munárriz and 50 companions, Mariano de Jesús Euse Hoyos and Teresa of Jesus of the Andes.
When did Maria Antonella Bordoni die?
Maria Antonella Bordoni died around 1916.
What are the other names of Maria Antonella Bordoni?
Other forms of the name: Maria Antonietta Bordoni.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1916-1978
- Decree of venerability by Francis