Natalina Bonardi

In 1891, the Institute of the Sisters of Good Counsel was dissolved by the Archbishop of Vercelli for internal reasons. Sister Natalina then found herself alone and destitute, with the responsibility for nearly a hundred children at the nursery school (Asilo) in Saluggia, in the province of Vercelli. It was in this moment of distress that she went to the church of the Madonna di Loreto. While praying to the Virgin Mary, she felt a deep inner peace and perceived a promise of spiritual help. Encouraged by the parish priest of Sant'Antonino, she decided not to abandon her mission to the children and laid the foundations for a new community. On November 10, 1891, the Archbishop of Vercelli, Mgr Carlo Lorenzo Pampirio, officially approved this small nascent community, which took the name of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Mary of Loreto (Suore di Santa Maria di Loreto). On January 3, 1896, Sister Natalina acquired the complex of the church and house of Loreto, which became the spiritual cradle of the congregation. That same year, the Archbishop entrusted the spiritual direction of the institute to Mgr Achille Gorrino, parish priest of Livorno Ferraris. Under Mother Natalina's leadership, the congregation developed despite great poverty. However, administrative tensions and differences of opinion appeared between Mother Natalina and Mgr Gorrino regarding the management of the institute. Refusing excessive clerical interference, Mother Natalina submitted her resignation as superior in 1913. This was accepted in 1914 by the Archbishop, Mgr Teodoro Valfrè di Bonzo. Sister Natalina was then sent as superior and director of the Santa Maria Rocca asylum in Cuneo (1914-1918), then to Cigliano (1919-1921) to care for sick sisters. In 1921, she was re-elected Superior General of the congregation, a role she performed with dedication. On August 22, 1926, she consecrated the institute to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On March 1, 1928, Mgr Gamberoni approved the new constitutions of the congregation. On August 15, 1938, Sister Natalina pronounced her perpetual vows alongside 66 other religious of her institute. She spent the last years of her life in silence, prayer, and contemplation at the motherhouse in Vercelli (Palazzo Murazzano, acquired in 1935). She passed away on July 25, 1945, in Vercelli.

After her death, the reputation of holiness of Mother Natalina Bonardi continued to grow among her sisters and the faithful of Piedmont. On September 13, 2002, the Archbishop of Vercelli, Mgr. Enrico Masseroni, officially opened the diocesan process for her beatification and canonization. The diocesan process was closed on June 16, 2006, during a solemn session in the chapel of the Mother House in Vercelli. The file (the Positio) was then transmitted to Rome, to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

On November 25, 2021, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Natalina Bonardi, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her to be proclaimed Blessed, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required.

The spirituality of Mother Natalina Bonardi is deeply rooted in the mystery of the Holy Family of Nazareth, characterized by simplicity, daily work, humility, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. She exhorted her sisters to work for the Lord in righteousness and simplicity, without seeking human praise. During the Second World War, she also manifested heroic charity by offering her help to soldiers, partisans, and persecuted Jews. Today, the Sisters of Saint Mary of Loreto continue her work in Italy and abroad, working in nursery schools, middle schools, retirement homes, and parish activities. The Casa di Spiritualità Madre Natalina Bonardi in Livorno Ferraris remains an important place of retreat and prayer for the congregation and the faithful.