Sister Enrichetta Alfieri beatified

Sister Enrichetta Alfieri (1891-1951), from the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antide, who for years was involved in pastoral work in the city prisons and brought reconciliation before, during and after the Second World War was beatified.

Sister Enrichetta was an “Angel in prison, witness to God’s infinite mercy towards his children with complete trust in the hope of their redemption.”

The website of Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Touret presents this short bio of Venerable Sister Enrichetta Alfieri http://www.suoredellacarita.org/english/english_gen.htm (link no longer active)

“Sr Enrichetta Alfieri, of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret, who worked the third miracle approved by the Holy Father, was born in Borgovercelli, on the 23rd February 1891. We can rightly number her among the saints of the Ambrosial Church because for almost thirty years she carried out her charity ministry in the Prison of Saint Victor in Milan. She was sent there in May 1923 in order to keep her away from the inquisitive individuals who wanted the see the “miraculously cured person”: the young sister was in fact miraculously cured from an illness through the intercession of our Lady of Lourdes to whom she was tenderly devoted. The Prison became her Home, the place of her love. She used to say: «Charity is a fire which likes to expand while it burns; I will suffer, work and pray in order to attract souls to Jesus ». Sr Enrichetta was fully faithful to her intention and for twenty-eight years she spread her smile among the inmates of Saint Victor. She was in fact convinced that whoever approached her was obliged to perceive the mildness, the smile and God’s perfume. She even spread it during the dramatic moments of the Second World War when she herself was arrested because she helped the prisoners who fell victims of the Nazi-Fascist violence. After the Liberation the same inmates asked for her return because they considered her as their “angel”. She became usually called “Angel of St. Victor”, “Mother of St. Victor” after her death which took place on the 23 November 1951.