Elisabetta Sanna Porcu

In 1831, after a Lenten sermon, she decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A storm forced her ship to dock in Genoa, and for lack of a visa, she went to Rome. Due to serious health problems (heart conditions and arthritis), she could not return to Sardinia. In Rome, she met Saint Vincent Pallotti, who became her spiritual director. She became actively involved in the Union of the Catholic Apostolate (UAC), dedicating herself to the poor and the sick. Nicknamed "Mamma Sanna" or "the saint of Saint Peter's," she was considered by Saint Vincent Pallotti to be one of the pillars of his work.

After the death of Saint Vincent Pallotti in 1850, Elisabetta continued her charitable works despite her physical suffering. She passed away on February 17, 1857, in Rome with an immense reputation for holiness. She received the privilege of being buried in the church of San Salvatore in Onda, near the tomb of Saint Vincent Pallotti. Her cause for beatification was introduced as early as June 15, 1857. On January 27, 2014, Pope Francis recognized the heroic nature of her virtues and proclaimed her venerable.

The path to beatification was realized through the recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession: the scientifically inexplicable healing in 2008 in Brazil of a 31-year-old woman suffering from severe muscular atrophy and functional paralysis of the right arm. The decree was signed by Pope Francis on January 21, 2016. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on September 17, 2016, in Codrongianos, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. The following day, Pope Francis presented her as a model of evangelical charity.

The spirituality of Elisabetta Sanna is marked by abandonment to the will of God, the acceptance of suffering, and love for the poor. She transformed her disability into an instrument of apostolate, anticipating the role of the laity promoted by the Second Vatican Council. Her legacy is perpetuated through the Union of the Catholic Apostolate and the Pallottine family, who consider her a spiritual co-founder. Her birthplace in Codrongianos is a place of pilgrimage, and she is invoked as a protector of people living with physical disabilities.