Savina Petrilli

Savina Petrilli (29 August 1851 - 18 April 1923) was an Italian Catholic professed religious who founded the Sisters of the Poor of Saint Catherine of Siena upon receiving the encouragement of Pope Pius IX.

Petrilli devoted her congregation to alleviating the conditions of needy girls and the poor who came seeking help. The first house outside their native Italy to be opened by the Sisters after their foundation was in Brazil, though Petrilli continued to direct the house in Siena, living there until her death from cancer in 1923.

Her beatification took place on April 24, 1988. She is commemoration in the current edition of the Roman Martyrology on 18 April, Where the entry (in Latin) reads 'Siena in Tuscany, Blessed Savina Petrilli, virgin, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St Catherine of Siena to bring aid to needy girls and to the poor.' The same date is that of her feastday in local liturgical calendars.o

Life Savina Petrilli was born on 29 August 1851 in Siena, the second daughter of Celso Petrilli and his wife Matilde Venturini; her elder sister was Emilia.

At the age of fifteen she joined the local group of the Marian movement, the Daughters of Mary and was to become its president in 1873. Such a process involves the compiling of evidence regarding her life and in particular her significant religious activities. The process was able also to take possession of her writings in order that they could be examined by theologians to ascertain if they adhered to the magisterium of the Catholic Church. A decree was issued by the Holy See on December 21, 1968, declaring them free from religious error.

On October 15, 1981 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, which oversees proceedings with regard to the canonization of saints, formally opened the Roman phase of the process, a move that bestowed on Savina Petrilli the posthumous title of Servant of God. This constitutes the first stage in the process. Rome subsequently granted a decree of ratification to what had been achieved by the diocesan process at Siena, recognizing that it had completed all the tasks assigned to it. With this act, came the closure of the Siena process.

In 198r, the Positio - a large dossier on Savina's religious activity as well as a biographical account - was compiled and submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for its own examination. The positive results led to Pope John Paul II proclaiming Savina Petrilli to be Venerable on November 16, 1985.

According to the laws of the Catholic Church a single miracle was needed for Savina's beatification. Such a miracle was notified to the authorities and was investigated in the diocese of origin and in 1986 was authenticated and the report sent to Rome for extensive evaluation. In 1987 Pope John Paul II approved the findings on the reported miracle, a healing, and declared it to be a credible miracle. On April 24, 1988, in Saint Peter's Square, the Pope celebrated the solemn Mass during which he beatified Savina Petrilli.