Anna Fulgida Bartolacelli

In 1956, her spiritual life took a decisive turn when she met Blessed Luigi Novarese, founder of the Association of the Silent Workers of the Cross (Associazione Silenziosi Operai della Croce). She participated in a session of spiritual exercises in Re (in the province of Verbania), led by the Center for Volunteers of Suffering (CVS). On this occasion, she fully grasped the supernatural meaning and redemptive value of human suffering, understanding that every sick person can become a full participant in the common good and in evangelization.

Desiring to consecrate her life to the Lord, she joined the association. At the end of her novitiate, she made her consecration on December 8, 1964, committing herself through vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Unable to lead a regular community life due to her physical limitations, she was authorized to remain at home, where a small private chapel was granted to her for prayer.

She then dedicated herself fully to the apostolate among sick and disabled people, according to the association's motto: "the friendliness of the infirm toward the infirm" (l'ammalato per mezzo dell'Ammalato). Despite her modest resources, she donated a fixed portion of her disability pension each month to support the CVS, for which she coordinated local groups. She visited parishes to give testimony, listened to and advised the suffering people who came to her door, and organized annual diocesan congresses in Modena to promote the dignity of disabled people.

The daily life of Anna Fulgida Bartolacelli was nourished by an intense life of prayer and union with God. She attended Mass every day, practiced Eucharistic adoration, went to confession frequently, and assiduously recited the Rosary as well as the Liturgy of the Hours. She offered her continual physical sufferings for the reparation of sins, for the Church, the Pope, the bishops, the priests, and the salvation of souls. She wrote on this subject: "Solo col dolore posso raccogliere una collana di perle preziose per la gloria di Dio" ("Only through pain can I gather a necklace of precious pearls for the glory of God"). During the final years of her life, her health deteriorated further: she suffered from severe heart and respiratory problems, pericarditis, and lost almost all of her hearing. She faced these ultimate trials in unalterable peace and joy. She died on July 27, 1993, at the hospital in Formigine, at the age of 65. Her grave quickly became a place of devotion and pilgrimage for many faithful touched by her testimony.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Anna Fulgida Bartolacelli was officially introduced on October 18, 2008, at the Church of Saint Augustine in Modena, under the direction of the Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola. The diocesan inquiry was validated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 2020.

On June 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of venerable. The process is currently awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession to pave the way for her beatification.

The spirituality of Anna Fulgida Bartolacelli is centered on the mystery of the Cross, viewed not as a passive fatality, but as a chair of wisdom and a place of intimate encounter with Christ and one's brothers. Her existence testifies that an extremely fragile and limited body can become the vector of immense spiritual fruitfulness and extraordinary apostolic radiance. Her example continues to inspire the members of the Center for Volunteers of Suffering and the Silent Workers of the Cross, reminding the world of the inalienable dignity and the active mission of every sick person in the heart of the Church.