Giulia Crostarosa
| Blessed Giulia (Maria Celeste) Crostarosa | |
|---|---|
|
Devotional print c. 1910. | |
| Religious; Mystic | |
| Born |
31 October 1696 Naples, Kingdom of Naples |
| Died |
14 September 1755 (aged 58) Foggia, Kingdom of Naples |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 18 June 2016, Foggia, Italy by Cardinal Angelo Amato |
| Feast | 11 September |
| Attributes |
|
| Patronage | Redemptoristine Nuns |
Blessed Giulia Crostarosa (31 October 1696 – 14 September 1755) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun who founded the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer. She had a series of visions in her life that led to the establishment of her order which was bestowed upon it a rule of its own. She assumed the religious name of "Maria Celeste" when she became a professed nun.
Pope Francis declared her to be Venerable for her life of heroic virtue on 3 June 2013; a miracle attributed to her intercession needed for beatification was approved in 2015[1] which paved the path for her beatification; it took place on 18 June 2016 in Foggia in which Cardinal Angelo Amato presided on the behalf of the pope.
Life
Giulia Crostarosa was born on 31 October 1696 in Naples with the baptismal name of Giulia Marcella Crostarosa. She was born to Francesco Crostarosa and Paola Battistini Caldari; descended from the Lords of Abruzzo and Aquila.
Crostarosa was immersed in spiritual life and collaborated with Father Bartolomeo Cacace who served as her spiritual director. As an adolescent she accompanied her sister Ursula to Marigliano to become a nun in 1716. While there she met Father Thomas Falcoia of the Pious Workers who served her as a spiritual assistant following the death of Cacace. She remained in the convent for under a decade and she moved in 1724 out of the convent alongside her sister. Her first recorded vision of Jesus Christ was on 25 April 1725 when she was still a novice in which she saw for the first time what would soon become the congregation she would establish. In another vision Christ revealed the new institute and the suffering that would result from its creation. After a period of time the theologians confirmed the divine experiences that she had. After she became a nun she assumed the name of "Maria Celeste".[1]
In September 1730 she met Alphonsus Liguori - future saint. Crostarosa left La Scala in 1733 and went to Nocera Inferiore. It was in Foggia on 19 March 1738 that she established the Redemptoristine Nuns.[1] She served as the order's superior for under two decades. She had the esteem of Liguori and Gerard Majella - future saint.
Giulia Crostarosa died in Foggia on 14 September 1755. Her spiritual experiences are contained in numerous documents of considerable value following her death as well as those she kept during her life.[2]
Beatification process
The beatification process opened in Foggia on 11 August 1901. The two processes that ensured were validated in 1999. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints was given the Positio in two parts in 1999 and 2002 in order to determine if she had lived a life of heroic virtue according to the precepts of the Christian faith.
Pope Francis approved the findings of the Congregation and proclaimed her to be Venerable on 3 June 2013 on the account of her heroic virtues.
A miracle attributed to her intercession was investigated on a local level and was validated on 6 December 2013. The pope approved the miracle on 14 December 2015. Cardinal Angelo Amato presided over the beatification on 18 June 2016 in Foggia on the pope's behalf.
References
- 1 2 3 "Venerable Giulia Crostarosa". Saints SQPN. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ↑ "Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa (in Italian)". Sainti e Beati. Retrieved 16 May 2015.