Elvira Petrozzi

Elvira Petrozzi (born Rita Agnese Petrozzi; 21 January 1937 – 3 August 2023) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun. A member of the Sisters of Divine Charity, she was known as "the sister of drug addicts" and the founder of the , which specialised in helping drug addicts.

Biography Born in Sora on 21 January 1937 to an alcoholic father, Petrozzi and her family fled to Alessandria during World War II. She claimed to have "never thought of learning to read or study". In 1956, at the age of 19, she joined the Sisters of Divine Charity in addition to working as a caregiver at a children’s daycare. She first intended to create a community for marginalized young people, but turned to helping young drug addicts, eventually devoting herself to the latter.