Maria Domenica Bottani

On July 19, 1952, Sister Maria Dositea Bottani was elected Superior General of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Virgin Immaculate of Gandino, succeeding Mother Gesuina Seghezzi. Re-elected for two further terms, she led the institute for eighteen years (1952-1970), a pivotal period marked by the Second Vatican Council and the immediate post-conciliar era. Under her leadership, the congregation experienced a profound spiritual, cultural, and apostolic renewal. Mother Dositea committed herself fully to the conciliar reforms, making her institute a model of formation and adaptation to the demands of the modern world. She also fostered inter-congregational collaboration by actively participating in the creation of the secretariat of the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI). Her tenure was also marked by significant missionary expansion. In 1954, responding to the call of the Church, she sent the first Ursuline sisters of Gandino to Argentina (notably to Hurlingham, in the suburbs of Buenos Aires). In the educational field, she supported numerous projects, including the construction of a school complex and a residence for students in Padua (via Pietro Bembo), initiated in 1966 and inaugurated in 1968. This university residence would be named in her honor the "Collegio Universitario Madre Dositea Bottani" in 1970.

Upon her death in 1970, Mother Maria Dositea Bottani left behind a solid reputation for holiness. In 1991, her remains were transferred to the Chapel of the Beatitudes at the General House in Bergamo. The cause for beatification and canonization was introduced jointly with that of Mother Gesuina Seghezzi. The diocesan process proceeded as follows: February 22, 1991: Obtaining the nihil obstat decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. April 27, 1991: Official opening of the diocesan inquiry in the Diocese of Bergamo. December 14, 1996: Closing of the diocesan inquiry. February 27, 1998: Promulgation of the decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. 2018: Filing and publication of the Positio on her life and virtues.

After the examination of the Positio by the theological consultants (on April 13, 2021) and then by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (on November 16, 2021), Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues. On November 25, 2021, Sister Maria Dositea Bottani was officially declared Venerable by Pope Francis. For her beatification to be pronounced, the approval of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required by the Holy See. To date, no miracle has been the subject of an official decree.

The spirituality of Mother Maria Dositea Bottani is deeply Eucharistic, Marian, and ecclesial. The Eucharist was the center of her daily life, nourished by participation in Mass, adoration, and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. She also held a filial devotion to the Virgin Mary Immaculate, the model of the Ursuline educator. Her sense of the Church (sensus Ecclesiae) was manifested through joyful obedience and a constant desire to place the institute at the service of the ecclesial community. She exhorted her sisters to fraternal charity and forgiveness, striving to create a climate of communion between the clergy, the religious, and the laity. Her legacy endures today through the educational and charitable work of the Ursuline Sisters of Gandino in Italy, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan. The 'Madre Dositea Bottani' University College and nursery school in Padua continue to bear witness to her commitment to youth and education.