Murdered by a patient

I usually try to keep a Carmelite focus in these blogs, but today I cannot forbear from telling the hugely dramatic story of a little-known saint whose feast day is today - she was canonised in 1999.    Agostina Pietrantoni (1864 – 1894) was an Italian religious sister of the Sisters of Charity of St Jeanne Antide-Thouret (a name new to me also, she was a French lady 1765-1826).  Pietrantoni worked as a nurse in the Santo Spirito hospital in Rome where she tended to ill victims in a tuberculosis ward.  A male patient named Giuseppe Romanelli began to harass her and even sent her death threats. On the evening of 12 November 1894 she was asked to take time off, since the sisters worried for her; she refused. Romanelli attacked and stabbed her to death in the morning on 13 November 1894.  Pietrantoni forgave her killer moments before she died of her wounds. Her final words were: "Mother of mine: help me!" Professor Achille Ballori – who had once warned her about Romanelli – inspected her remains and observed that "Sister Agostina has allowed herself to be slaughtered like a lamb" and noted there were no contractions of either her nerves or heart. The funeral blocked the streets of Rome (thousands lined the streets and knelt before the casket as it passed them).  There is something so hideous about a nurse being murdered by one she is caring for!  But of course it points us to Jesus, who came to earth to bring salvation to humanity and was likewise murdered by those he came to save. 

Intercessions:

Bernard – cancer, and wife Angela

Rosemarie – multiple afflictions

Siena – infant with severe medical issues