ST. VERONICA GIULLANI

St Veronica Giullani was born on the 27 December 1660, originally named Ursula. It is told that at the age of three years Giuliani had already began to show immense compassion for the poor. She would set apart a portion of her food for the poor, and even part with her clothes when she met a poor child scantily clad. In 1677, at the age of 17, Giuliani was received into the monastery of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Citta di Castello in Umbria, Italy, taking the name of Veronica in memory of the Passion. 

    

    She was absolutely submissive to the will of her spiritual directors. During her novitiate she suffered great temptations to return to the world. She served the community in the kitchen, infirmary and sacristy. In all this, she showed a practical example of a life offered to God. She, later, served as novice mistress for thirty-four years. She was elected Abbess and this she did for eleven years. As an Abbess, she enlarged the rooms of the monastery and had water piped inside, showing her love and concern for her sisters.

 

   Giuliani had a lifelong devotion to Christ crucified. This became manifested in physical signs. The marks of the crown of thorns appeared on her forehead in 1694 and the five wounds on her body in 1697. Giuliani was humiliated by the stigmata itself and by her bishop’s rigorous testing of her experience. He removed her from ordinary community life and put her under constant observation. When he determined that the phenomena were authentic, he allowed her to return to normal convent life and continue her service to her sisters.

    She died on 9 July 1727 at Citta di Castello. After her death a figure of the Cross was  found impressed upon her heart, and her body has been noted as being incorrupt during an autopsy. She was beatified by Pope Pius VII on 17 June 1804 and was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI on 26 May 1839. She is usually represented in art crowned with thorns and embracing the Cross.

 

For the mystical experiences of St. Veronica Giullani visit my other post,

https://friarcal.blogspot.com/2020/07/st-veronica-gullani-holocaust-of-will.html