Leopoldina Naudet

It was in Prague that Leopoldina Naudet's religious vocation matured deeply. There, she met priests of Ignatian spirit, notably Father Nicolas Diessbach and Father Joseph Varin. Under their influence, she joined the congregation of the Dilettes of Jesus (the Beloved of Jesus), an institute of Ignatian inspiration founded by Nicolas Paccanari and dedicated to the education of young girls. She pronounced her religious vows there on May 31, 1799. In September 1799, she returned to Italy and settled in Rome from 1801 to 1805. However, the congregation of the Dilettes of Jesus went through serious internal difficulties linked to the disgrace of its founder, which led to its gradual dissolution. Leopoldina left Rome in June 1805, stayed in Padua and Venice, and finally arrived in Verona at the end of 1807. In Verona, starting on May 8, 1808, she settled in the monastery of Saints Giuseppe and Fidenzio (in the San Zeno district) and collaborated actively for eight years with Saint Magdalene of Canossa, founder of the Daughters of Charity. Although the two women shared a deep zeal for Christian education, their visions diverged: Magdalene desired a non-cloistered institute entirely dedicated to the service of the poorest, while Leopoldina aspired to a cloistered contemplative life, combined with the education of young girls from the nobility and the bourgeoisie. On November 9, 1816, Leopoldina and her companions moved into their own house in Verona, officially founding the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Family (Sorelle della Sacra Famiglia). This new congregation harmoniously united contemplation (religious enclosure) and apostolic action. Leopoldina organized fee-paying boarding schools for young girls from wealthy families, but also ensured the opening of free schools for poor girls to provide them with a worthy civil, moral, and Christian education. She also engaged in parish catechesis and offered hospitality to ladies wishing to make spiritual retreats.

In the foundation and structuring of her institute, Leopoldina Naudet benefited from the advice and accompaniment of major spiritual figures of her time. The most decisive was her meeting with Saint Gaspard Bertoni (founder of the Stigmatines), who became her spiritual director starting on January 9, 1811. He guided her toward the heights of the mysticism of "holy abandonment" to the divine will. She also received support from renowned theologians and Jesuits, such as Fathers Jean Rozaven and Jean Roothaan. After long years of efforts and trials, the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Family received approval from the Austrian government on May 5, 1833, followed by pontifical approval by Pope Gregory XVI on December 20, 1833. Having accomplished the work that God expected of her, Leopoldina Naudet fell ill and passed away holily in Verona on August 17, 1834, at the age of 61. Her final words addressed to her sisters summarize the ideal of her entire life: "I want only what God wants!" ("Desidero solo ciò che Dio vuole!"). Her mortal remains were transferred in 1958 to the chapel of the congregation's Motherhouse in Verona.

The cause for the beatification of Leopoldina Naudet was introduced in the Diocese of Verona. The diocesan informative process took place from 1971 to 1973, and its decree of validity was granted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 7, 1994. On July 6, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. The miracle required for her beatification concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing, which occurred in the 1970s, of a young boy suffering from acute purulent meningitis due to Haemophilus parainfluenzae (meningitis acuta ac purulenta ob Haemophilum parainfluentiae). The diocesan inquiry into this miracle took place in Verona from late 2005 to early 2006, and its validity was approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 12, 2006. The medical board of the Dicastery validated the inexplicability of the healing on June 16, 2016. Pope Francis officially approved the decree of the miracle on December 21, 2016. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on April 29, 2017, in the Basilica of Sant'Anastasia in Verona. It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Francis.

The spirituality of Blessed Leopoldina Naudet is based on the constant search for the divine will and "holy abandonment" to Providence. Guided by Saint Gaspard Bertoni, she developed a mysticism of humility, which she inscribed at the heart of her institute's Constitutions as the foundation of their religious life and mission. She liked to define the spirit of her foundation with this formula: "[Our institute is] great in the eyes of God and as small as possible in those of men" ("[Il nostro istituto è] grande agli occhi di Dio e piccolo più che si può a quelli degli oameni"). Today, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Verona continue the educational and spiritual work of their founder, by combining contemplation and apostolic action among young people and families.