Enrichetta Beltrame Quattrocchi

Enrichetta's life is a constant testimony of active charity and ecclesial commitment in the heart of the world. From her youth, she was involved in various Catholic associations, notably the Figlie di Maria (Daughters of Mary), the Sorelle Cristiane (Christian Sisters), and the Dame di San Vincenzo (Ladies of Saint Vincent). She did not hesitate to venture into the poorest and most marginalized neighborhoods of Rome, such as Trastevere and Montagnola, to bring material and spiritual aid to the most destitute. From 1936, she regularly accompanied the sick on pilgrimages to Lourdes and Loreto. In 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War, she volunteered with the Red Cross. Qualifying as a nurse in 1940, she served actively in military hospitals, providing care to war wounded and offering refuge and assistance to political persecutees, soldiers, and refugees. Alongside her charitable commitments, Enrichetta pursued brilliant studies. In 1942, she obtained a degree in modern literature at the University of Rome, before specializing in art history, a discipline she taught from 1944. With her mother, she was actively involved in the International Catholic Association for the Protection of Young Girls, for which she served as secretary general until 1976. That same year, she was appointed superintendent at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Although she considered entering religious life in 1956, her spiritual discernment led her to remain a layperson to care for her parents. After their deaths, she continued to live her consecration in the world. On November 15, 2001, she took her vows within the Testimoni del Risorto (Witnesses of the Risen One) movement, founded by the Salesian Don Sabino Palumbieri. In 2003, she also made her scout promise in Lourdes. In 2010, in order to perpetuate her parents' name, she legally adopted Francesco Beltrame, the son of her cousin Enrico.

Afflicted by serious cardiovascular pathologies and colon cancer, Enrichetta faced the illness and financial difficulties of her final years with remarkable serenity and Christian hope. She passed away peacefully at her Roman home on Saturday, June 16, 2012, at the age of 98. Initially interred in the family tomb at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome, her remains were transferred on June 23, 2021, to the Basilica of Santa Prassede (Saint Praxedes) in Rome, where she now rests in the Chapel of Saint Pius X. Her reputation for holiness led to the opening of her cause for beatification and canonization. Although she died in Rome, the jurisdiction of the inquiry was transferred to the Archdiocese of Naples. The diocesan process was officially opened on April 6, 2018, in the Cathedral of Naples by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, and concluded solemnly on October 27 of the same year.

On August 30, 2021, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the virtues of Enrica Beltrame Quattrocchi, thereby declaring her Venerable. The cause is currently ongoing, and the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required to pave the way for her beatification. The postulator of the cause is the Capuchin father Massimiliano Noviello.

The spirituality of Enrichetta Beltrame Quattrocchi is deeply rooted in simplicity and abandonment to the divine will. She liked to define herself as 'il mestolino di Dio' (the little ladle of God), a humble instrument destined to distribute the soup of grace and charity to others. Her mother, Blessed Maria, had written to her these words that perfectly summarize her life's path: 'Make your life an eternal praise to God, make it, Enrichetta, an anthem of love for all creatures, a generous and joyful dedication.' Her holiness was particularly expressed through what Cardinal Semeraro described as the 'vocation of being a daughter,' a model of filial piety lived not as a constraint, but as a true path of union with God. In the latter part of her life, she dedicated herself to welcoming people in search of a listening ear and to the spiritual accompaniment of couples in crisis, thus transmitting the spiritual and family legacy of her blessed parents.