Bartolomea Capitanio

Saint Bartolomea Capitanio was born on January 13, 1807, in Bergamo, Italy, the eldest child of Modesto Capitanio and Caterina Casnossi. Raised in a home marked by deep faith but also by her father’s alcoholism and harshness, she learned early to seek strength in God. Sent to study with the Poor Clares in Lovere in 1818, she blossomed in learning and holiness, and though she longed to enter religious life, her parents did not permit it. Instead, under the guidance of her spiritual director, Father Angelo Bosio, she embraced a vocation of service through teaching, earning a diploma and dedicating herself to the education of girls and the care of the poor. In Lovere she formed a close friendship with Vincenza Gerosa, and together they founded the Sisters of Charity of Lovere, combining instruction of children with nursing the sick. Bartolomea’s life was brief but luminous; she died of tuberculosis in Lovere on July 26, 1833. She is venerated as patron of Lovere, the Sisters of Charity she co-founded, and teachers. Her feast day is July 26.