Vincenza Gerosa

Long before the foundation, Caterina Gerosa multiplied her charitable works in Lovere: she supported the sick and the poor during the Napoleonic troubles, led a Marian congregation in the 1820s, and contributed to the opening of a hospice for the indigent, inaugurated on November 1, 1826. In 1824, she met Bartolomea Capitanio, a young teacher driven by the same desire to serve the most destitute. On November 21, 1832, the two women retired to a humble dwelling near the Lovere hospital, the "conventino," to live in community there in the service of the sick and the instruction of girls: this was the birth of the Institute of the Sisters of Charity, placed under the spiritual direction of the priest Angelo Bosio. When Bartolomea Capitanio died prematurely in 1833, Gerosa, encouraged by Bosio, assumed the leadership of the nascent work alone. She became its superior and gave it its consistency: the rule was inspired by the Daughters of Charity, and the institute received the pontifical approval of Gregory XVI through the brief Multa inter pia in 1840.

The spiritual journey of Vincenza Gerosa is characterized by great simplicity and genuine humility. A woman of action more than words, with little formal education, she placed the contemplation of Christ on the cross and the service of the suffering at the heart of her life. The tradition of her institute attributes to her these words summarizing her entire spirituality: "Chi sa il crocifisso sa tutto" ("He who knows the Crucified knows everything"). Her holiness is manifested above all in daily fidelity: welcoming the sick, caring for the poor, training the first sisters, and the humble governance of a community she had not intended to lead alone. She accepted trials, bereavements, and illness as opportunities for abandonment to providence. Her reputation for holiness, already alive in Lovere during her lifetime, was strengthened after her death, carried by the rapid development of the congregation she left behind, which was strong with several dozen houses. It is this tenacious and silent charity, more than any spectacular deeds, that established her renown and would lead the Church to recognize the heroic nature of her virtues.

The process for the recognition of the sanctity of Vincenza Gerosa concluded in the first half of the 20th century. She was beatified on May 7, 1933, by Pope Pius XI, shortly after Bartolomea Capitanio, who was beatified in 1929. The two co-founders were then canonized together by Pope Pius XII on May 18, 1950, at St. Peter's Basilica, during the Holy Year. An English-language source places the beatification on May 30, 1926, but the most authoritative Italian references, including the Biographical Dictionary of Italians and the Diocese of Brescia, agree on May 7, 1933; this is the date that has been retained. The liturgical memorial of Saint Vincenza Gerosa is set for June 28 according to the Roman Rite; the Ambrosian Rite and several dioceses in Lombardy, as well as her congregation, celebrate it on May 18, the day of her canonization.

The legacy of Vincenza Gerosa is above all that of the congregation she helped to found and which she consolidated after the death of Bartolomea Capitanio. Approved by Gregory XVI in 1840, the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of Lovere experienced considerable growth: there were already 171 sisters at the time of the co-founder's death, and the congregation, better known as the Sisters of Charity known as Maria Bambina (Suore di Maria Bambina), gathered several thousand religious women at the turn of the third millennium. After the canonization of its two founders in 1950, the institute officially took the name of the Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa. Faithful to the original charism, it continues its service to the sick, the poor, and the young, in Italy as well as in many other countries. Lovere remains the place of memory for the saint: her remains, first buried in the town cemetery, were transferred to the "conventino," the cradle of the foundation, and the sanctuary attached to it remains a place of veneration.