| Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello | |
|---|---|
| Foundress | |
| Born | October 2, 1791 Genoa, Italy |
| Died | March 21, 1858 Ronco Scrivia |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 10 May 1987 by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | 19 May 2002, Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | March 21 |
Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello was an Italian missionary and founder of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence. She is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
Frassinello was born on October 2, 1791 in Langasco, an inland village of Genoa. Her father, Joseph and mother Frances , were farmers and had five children. The family moved to Pavia when she was 13 years old. It was during this time that she began to read biographies of saints and Christian doctrine.
She married Giovanni Frassinello in 1816. The marriage lasted two years when Giovanni, moved by the works of Benedetta, agreed that the two should be chaste and live together "as brother and sister".[1] They cared for Benedetta's younger sister, Maria, who was dying of intestinal cancer.
When Maria eventually died in 1825, Giovanni became a priest in while Benedetta joined the Ursuline Congregation of Capriolo.[1] After recovering from an illness, she began to educate young girls as well as ministry to the poor. Along with the help of Giovanni, they began to reach out to the abandoned girls in Pavia.
Benedetta eventually founded the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence whose main priority is the education of young girls. Today, the order can be found in Italy, Spain, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Peru and Brazil.
She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 19 May 2002.