Saint of the Month - October 2013: Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin

St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin 

Serving Jesus in the Sick-Poor

Feast:  October 20th

Anna Francesca was born on October 6, 1888, to a household that was both dysfunctional and abusive.  Her father, Angelo Boscardin, was an alcoholic who neglected the welfare of his family and was also known for his violent temper.  Anna Francesca, surprisingly, developed into a loving child with a peaceful temperament and a pious nature.  Because of her limited education she was considered somewhat mentally slow and was often teased with a nickname - "the goose" - by those who knew her.  To help make ends meet for her family, she worked in the fields and was also employed in her youth as a domestic with a local wealthy family.

In 1904, Anna Francesca gave in to her growing desire to enter religious life and joined the Teaching Sisters of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Heart in Vincenza, Italy.  She was given the name, "Maria Bertilla" and assigned to the convent's kitchen and laundry duties.  In 1907, the young nun was trained as a nurse and later assigned to a hospital managed by her congregation in Treviso; she worked in the children's ward where she became the favorite nurse among her many patients.

As a nursing sister, Sr. Maria Bertilla's reputation for exceptional service quickly began to grow.  She was noted for her sincere love for her patients and the warm charity she displayed towards them.  She also had the special gift of conveying the tangible presence of God to the sick, which eased their stress and brought them comfort.  In 1917, during World War I, as the town and its surroundings were being bombed, Sr. Maria Bertilla was known to have bravely and voluntarily stayed with wounded Italian soldiers to tend to them through the danger. She came to be greatly admired not just by her patients, but also by the entire community of Treviso.

As her popularity grew, so did the jealousy of those who worked with Sr. Maria Bertilla.  One of her superiors, unhappy with her growing reputation, transferred her from the children's ward to the laundry room to keep her out of the limelight.  The humble sister made no complaint but continued with her new duties as though it was business-as-usual while dearly missing the hospital patients.  When the mother-general of her congregation heard of the transfer, she not only reinstated Sr. Maria Bertilla to the children's ward but also made her the ward's supervisor, ensuring her continued service to the sick.

The tomb-shrine of St. Maria Bertilla.

A wax figure encases her remains.

Sr. Maria Bertilla died on October 20, 1922, after having lived a life of total dedication to God through the service of the sick and the poor.  When the Church Canonized her in 1961, a large group of her former patients were present with the Saint's family members in St. Peter's Square to celebrate her holy life, and to pay tribute to St. Maria Bertilla's legacy of selfless Charity and Love.  The simple peasant woman who was once called "the goose" had taken flight and soared all the way up to Heaven.

A Reflection
"I can't do anything. I'm a poor thing, a goose. Teach me. I want to be a saint."  ~ Words of St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin

A Short Prayer
Lord, we are often ignorant when it comes to your blessed ways.  Like your servant, St. Maria Bertilla, teach us so that we, too, may hopefully become Saints.  Amen.