Blessed Cajetana Sterni
Blessed Cajetana Sterni (born June 26, 1827 AD in Cassola, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy; died November 26, 1891 AD in Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy) was an Italian religious sister — the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family (Povere Suore della Sacra Famiglia, or Poor Sisters of the Holy Family) — who devoted her life to caring for the most rejected and abandoned members of society: the chronically ill, the severely disabled, abandoned children, and the destitute elderly. Known as the "heroic mother of the least," she founded her congregation in Bassano del Grappa in 1855 and guided it until her death. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 4, 2001. Her feast day is November 26.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Cajetana Sterni
| Blessed Cajetana Sterni | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 26 |
| Profession | Religious sister; foundress of the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family; apostle to the severely disabled, chronically ill, destitute elderly, and abandoned children; "heroic mother of the least" |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Poor Sisters of the Holy Family (''Povere Suore della Sacra Famiglia''); Venetian Catholic tradition; 19th-century Italian female religious apostolate; tradition of charity to the most abandoned |
| Patronage | Bassano del Grappa; Vicenza; the disabled; the chronically ill; the destitute elderly; abandoned children; the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family; those most rejected by society |
| Attributes | Religious habit of the Poor Sisters (simple, dark); cross; a disabled person (her apostolate); the Holy Family image (her congregation's dedication); Brenta river and Monte Grappa landscape; November 26 feast |
| Birthplace | Cassola, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy |
| Death Place | Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died November 26, 1891, in Bassano del Grappa; she was 64 years old; she had founded the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family in 1855 and guided it for 36 years; she devoted her life to those most rejected by society — the severely disabled, the chronically ill, the destitute elderly, and abandoned children; she was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 4, 2001 |
| Primary Shrine | Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy — Mother House of the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family; November 26 feast; JPII beatification 2001 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; November 26 feast in the Diocese of Vicenza and in the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Cajetana Sterni was born June 26, 1827, in Cassola in the Vicenza province of the Veneto. She responded to a calling to serve the most abandoned members of society and founded the Congregation of the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family in Bassano del Grappa in 1855.
Her congregation devoted itself to the chronically ill, the severely disabled, destitute elderly, and abandoned children — those most rejected even by other charitable institutions. She earned the title "heroic mother of the least" for her extraordinary charity to those most abandoned.
She guided the congregation for 36 years until her death on November 26, 1891, in Bassano del Grappa. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 4, 2001. Her feast day is November 26.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Cassola, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
Death location: Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
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Known shrines
- Mother House of the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family, Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Italy — November 26 feast; JPII beatification 2001.
Feast day
November 26
Veneration
Blessed Cajetana Sterni (1827–1891) was an Italian foundress who established the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family in Bassano del Grappa (1855) specifically to care for the most rejected of society — the severely disabled, the chronically ill, and the destitute elderly. Beatified John Paul II, 2001. Feast November 26.
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