Gaetana Sterni

In 1853, once her brothers and sisters were raised, Gaetana was free to realize her vocation. Guided by her confessor, Father Bedin, a Jesuit, who confirmed to her: "The Lord wants you at the Ricovero," she entered the "Pio Ricovero" (beggars' hospice) of Bassano del Grappa. This establishment then housed 115 poor, sick, and marginalized people in miserable and disorderly conditions. Gaetana committed herself there entirely "only to do the will of God." She would spend 36 years there, until her death, devoting herself tirelessly to the excluded and eventually becoming its director.

Her dedication attracted other companions eager to share her life of service and prayer. In 1865, she began to form a small community. On the evening of August 20, 1865, Gaetana and her first two companions pronounced private vows, marking the birth of the congregation of the Daughters of the Divine Will (which would later take the name Sisters of the Divine Will).

The charism of the institute is based on the fulfillment of the will of God through humble and total service to the poor, the sick, and the marginalized, notably through assistance at home and in hospices. On May 18, 1875, Bishop Giovanni Antonio Farina, Bishop of Vicenza, approved the first rules of the community.

Gaetana Sterni passed away in Bassano del Grappa on November 26, 1889, surrounded by her sisters and esteemed by the entire local population. Her reputation for holiness and heroic charity spread rapidly. The beatification process officially opened in the Diocese of Vicenza. On January 22, 1991, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

For her beatification, a miracle is required. This concerns the miraculous healing of a woman, which occurred in Rome on October 25, 1963, attributed to the intercession of Gaetana Sterni. After a positive examination by the medical commission and the theologians, the official decree recognizing this miracle was promulgated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on April 24, 2001.

Gaetana Sterni was solemnly beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 4, 2001, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. Her liturgical feast is set for November 26, the day of her birth into Heaven.

The spirituality of Blessed Gaetana Sterni is entirely centered on filial and absolute adherence to the will of God, which she conceived as an expression of infinite love. She wrote in her rules that her daughters should "be willing and happy to endure privations, difficulties, and any sacrifice as long as it was beneficial to the neighbor who needed it."

Today, the Sisters of the Divine Will continue her work of charity and evangelization. The congregation, recognized by pontifical right on July 10, 1934, by Pope Pius XI, has developed well beyond Italy. The sisters are now present in Europe (Italy, Albania, Germany), Latin America (Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia), and Africa (Cameroon, Benin), working in the peripheries and among the most destitute.