Elisa Baldo Foresti

After her widowhood, Elisa Baldo sought to give a new direction to her life of faith. She met Father Giovanni Battista Piamarta (canonized in 2012), founder of the Artigianelli Institute of Brescia, who became her spiritual director. Guided by him and by the archpriest of Gavardo, Father Andrea Silvestri, she decided to dedicate her life and her assets to the most destitute.

In 1897, she acquired land in Gavardo and had the "Pia Casa di San Giuseppe" (Pious House of Saint Joseph) built there, which was inaugurated on April 4, 1898. This house welcomed sick women, abandoned elderly people, and orphans. She also organized catechism and recreational activities there for the young girls of the parish.

Her dedication attracted other women eager to share her life of prayer and charity. Under the impetus of Father Piamarta, this group of collaborators organized themselves. On March 15, 1911, Elisa and her companions made their act of oblation. After the death of Father Piamarta in 1913, the Bishop of Brescia, Msgr. Giacinto Gaggia, accompanied the community. The group, initially constituted as a Pious Union under the name "Povere serve del Signore della Pia Società della Sacra Famiglia di Nazareth," later took the definitive name of "Umili Serve del Signore" (Humble Servants of the Lord).

The congregation received diocesan canonical approval from the Bishop of Brescia on December 15, 1924. The following year, in 1925, Elisa Baldo made her solemn vows and became the first Superior General of the institute. She passed away shortly after, on July 4, 1926, in Gavardo.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Elisa Baldo Foresti was introduced in the Diocese of Brescia. Diocesan inquiry: The diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of Elisa Baldo took place from February 18 to October 30, 1992. The legal validity of this inquiry was recognized by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on March 6, 1993. Examination of the Positio: The historical consultants met on May 28, 1999. On May 13, 2014, the commission of theological consultants gave a unanimous favorable opinion on the heroic nature of her virtues. The cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation confirmed this judgment during their session on March 3, 2015. Decree of venerability: On March 18, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

Current status: Venerable.

Next step: For the Venerable Elisa Baldo Foresti to be proclaimed blessed (beatification), the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession by the Holy See is required.

The spirituality of Elisa Baldo Foresti is based on a deep acceptance of the divine will through the trials of life (early loss of her mother, absence of children, long illness of her husband). She knew how to live her faith in a heroic manner in different states of life: as a devoted wife, a prayerful widow, and then as a consecrated woman and foundress. Affectionately nicknamed "Siùra Lisa" (Madam Lisa) by the inhabitants of Gavardo, she distinguished herself by her humility and concrete charity, not hesitating to perform the humblest tasks herself for the sick.

Today, the Congregation of the Humble Servants of the Lord continues her charitable work. In addition to the motherhouse in Gavardo (the Casa San Giuseppe, which has become a retirement home for priests and laypeople), the religious sisters are active in the field of education and social assistance, particularly in mission lands in Latin America, specifically in Brazil (Fortaleza).

The mortal remains of Elisa Baldo rest in the chapel of the Casa San Giuseppe in Gavardo.