Carolina Beltrami

At the end of the 19th century, Alexandria experienced rapid industrial development, marked in particular by the rise of the famous Borsalino hat factory, which employed a large female workforce. Sensitive to the precarious living conditions and moral dangers to which these young workers were exposed, Carolina Beltrami decided to dedicate her life to them. In 1898, at the age of about 25, she opened the "Laboratory of the Immaculate" (Laboratorio dell'Immacolata) in the back room of her house. Assisted by a sewing mistress, Bice Vite, and a benefactress, Mrs. Negro, she welcomed young girls from the working class to teach them sewing and embroidery while offering them a solid Christian formation. On January 15, 1898, Carolina and two companions consecrated themselves to God before an image of the Immaculate Virgin, thus laying the foundations for the association of the "Pious Ladies of the Immaculate" (Pie Signore dell'Immacolata). Faced with the influx of young girls, the workshop quickly became too small. The community then moved to Via Faà di Bruno, into premises made available by Saint Teresa Grillo Michel. Under the spiritual direction of Canon Enrico Jachino, the work developed. The "Ladies of the Immaculate" opened evening schools, workshops for unemployed women, nurseries for the children of workers, as well as a boarding school for young girls. Carolina Beltrami also extended her action by opening "Houses for the Protection of Young Girls" in Turin and Milan, as well as a school and a kindergarten in Quargnento. In 1908, the community took on a more structured form of religious life, with common life and public vows. However, disagreements arose regarding the orientation and rules of the institute, desired by Canon Jachino and the bishop, Msgr. Capecci. Refusing these changes that moved away from her original intuition, Carolina Beltrami chose to leave the community in January 1908 and returned to live with her family. During this period of estrangement, she frequented the church of San Giacomo della Vittoria, served by the Servites of Mary. On April 7, 1910, she received the habit of the Secular Third Order of the Servites of Mary, making her profession the following year. She served as mistress of novices there from 1912 to 1915. After the death of Msgr. Capecci and the arrival of the new bishop of Alexandria, Msgr. Giosuè Signori, Carolina Beltrami was recalled to lead her institute on January 15, 1920. She strove to restore the original spirit of the work, founded on union with God, simplicity, and concrete service to the poorest. The congregation of the "Immacolatine Sisters" (Suore Immacolatine) was officially approved by Msgr. Signori in 1921. Under her leadership, new houses were founded in Tuscany, in the Val di Lanzo, and in Ivrea. However, after the transfer of Msgr. Signori to Genoa, internal tensions reappeared. In 1925, a new superior general was elected, and Carolina Beltrami was removed from the government of the institute. She was relegated to a house on the outskirts of Alexandria, in the poor district of Orti. She spent the last seven years of her life there as a simple nun, humbly dedicating herself to the children, young people, and families of this disadvantaged neighborhood. At the beginning of March 1932, her health deteriorated seriously, forcing her to take to her bed. She passed away peacefully on Friday, April 8, 1932, in Alexandria.

After her death, the reputation of holiness of Carolina Beltrami continued to grow, both within her congregation and among the population of Alexandria. The diocesan informative process on her life and virtues was opened on March 8, 1981, and closed on August 30, 1983. The validity of this process was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on September 27, 1985. The Positio was published in 1994.

On January 13, 2009, the ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints pronounced favorably on the heroicity of her virtues. On January 17, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, which officially conferred upon her the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of Carolina Beltrami is deeply marked by the love of the Immaculate Virgin, the constant search for union with God, and the joyful offering of sufferings and misunderstandings. Nicknamed the "unionist of God" or the "mother of the workers," she knew how to anticipate the social doctrine of the Church by combining social justice with evangelical charity. Today, the legacy of the Venerable Carolina Beltrami is perpetuated through the congregation of the Immacolatine Sisters. In addition to Italy (notably in Alessandria, Turin, Milan, Pisa), the sisters are also present abroad, notably in Mexico, Benin, and Togo, where they continue their mission of education, social assistance, and pastoral care for the most destitute.