Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin

At the age of 18, in the summer of 1987, Maria Cristina was confronted with illness: a sarcoma in her left leg was diagnosed. She underwent a first surgical procedure on December 9, 1987, followed by long months of chemotherapy. Despite the suffering, she brilliantly obtained her high school diploma and enrolled in the Faculty of Languages at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan. On February 2, 1991, Maria Cristina married Carlo Mocellin. The couple settled in Carpanè, in the province of Vicenza (Diocese of Padua). Ten months later, in December 1991, their first son, Francesco, was born, followed in July 1993 by their daughter, Lucia. In the autumn of 1993, while she was expecting their third child, the sarcoma reappeared in the same leg. Faced with this recurrence, Maria Cristina and her husband made a heroic decision: she refused heavy treatments (such as systemic chemotherapy) that would endanger the life of the fetus, accepting only local and surgical interventions that would not affect the pregnancy. Her third child, Riccardo, was born in perfect health on July 28, 1994. It was only after the birth that Maria Cristina resumed more aggressive therapies, but the cancer had already spread, notably affecting her lungs. She died on October 22, 1995, at the civil hospital of Bassano del Grappa, at the age of 26.

The life of Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin is marked by a deep faith and a total abandonment to the divine will, recorded in her spiritual diary which she had kept since early adolescence. Her decision to delay her oncological treatment to save her son Riccardo is not an isolated act of heroism, but the culmination of a daily spiritual journey. Touched by her testimony of faith, the Bishop of Padua, Msgr. Antonio Mattiazzo, officially opened her cause for beatification on November 8, 2008, in the church of Oliero (Valstagna). The diocesan phase of the inquiry, which required the hearing of 58 witnesses over the course of 65 sessions, concluded on May 18, 2012, in the parish church of Valstagna.

The dossier for the cause was subsequently transmitted to Rome, to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Following the favorable opinion of the theological consultants, Pope Francis authorized, on August 30, 2021, the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Her cause is currently ongoing, awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession to pave the way for her beatification.

Maria Cristina's spirituality rests on an absolute trust in the love of God, even in the heart of suffering. In her private diary, she wrote shortly before her death that she felt the silent but real presence of the Lord by her side. Her legacy is particularly alive through a poignant letter she left for her son Riccardo, explaining her choice to prioritize his life over her own: "Dear Riccardo, you must know that you are not here by chance. The Lord wanted you to be born despite all the problems there were.". DATED FACTS: - Birth: August 18, 1969, in Monza (Italy) [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya and https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw==] - Marriage: February 2, 1991, with Carlo Mocellin [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya and https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw==] - Birth of Riccardo: July 28, 1994 [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya and https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw==] - Death: October 22, 1995, in Bassano del Grappa (Italy) [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya and https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw==] - Decree of Venerability: August 30, 2021, by Pope Francis [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya and https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFaZDKanQOvCUjUzOR3eXy__Qn5SDLa_Y5fZb8X9dlZD3m4wxyoWLRA1zhv3S_HInuT3pgFdVAAvCJkbe34N-wBPq5hMVgU45lFe-DijMOhpVm8X_rIT6XlW6Tun8C-GfySxtvGTSlu1V_iUiYjccWSt-bq3wc_qcurn-4nMPQx] - Principal Feast: October 22 [Confirmed by https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw==]. PLACES: - Birth: Monza, Italy - Activity: Cinisello Balsamo, Italy - Activity: Carpanè, Italy - Death: Bassano del Grappa, Italy - Burial: San Nazario, Italy. SOURCES: - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHdgUEtxjOqS8njESxr7cW5yF7SzhsU3PgAh4vE7jQXL9pqmKFDOr5ynGEDK_P4uWM4_JnQsln0YK2S38NbEC0NQ46GIQz8_b57ZJYFvFfnSqB0b9LjVnbLRNVkBSzs86Q4be9BY3Ya - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGdpBR1Uq_qHx-2pKUrpsA3Pt8XFSZpg-92wkkcVPSunK3dX1Ye6VPMGfqEVMVuzcxDy7JRCORyhMXybpUZt7w0bdZRfWMwJMaKvgO9V2E3y-scprZlM_mvwmNAX8Ttpw== - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFaZDKanQOvCUjUzOR3eXy__Qn5SDLa_Y5fZb8X9dlZD3m4wxyoWLRA1zhv3S_HInuT3pgFdVAAvCJkbe34N-wBPq5hMVgU45lFe-DijMOhpVm8X_rIT6XlW6Tun8C-GfySxtvGTSlu1V_iUiYjccWSt-bq3wc_qcurn-4nMPQx