BOOK 3

1. Veronica's Divine Instruction and Pursuit of Perfection

Christ as Her Instructor

Saint Veronica Giuliani’s heroic virtues, rooted in her divine instruction from Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, shaped her path to sanctity from childhood. At age three, as recorded in Father Ubaldo Antonio Cappelletti’s diary, she beheld Christ, who taught her to belong entirely to Him, emphasizing retirement, mortification, silence, obedience, and avoidance of curiosity. At six, the Divine Infant reproached her for childish games, redirecting her focus. By nine, He inspired an ardent desire for holy Communion, guiding her preparation and confession, and kindling fervor during her first Eucharist on February 2, 1670. These early visions, confided to Cappelletti on December 19, 1702, revealed Christ’s role as her Master, shaping her soul for perfection.

Rules for Christian Perfection

On the night following Easter 1697, after renewing her mystic nuptials, Christ appeared, offering a ring with three gems and delivering twelve rules for her conduct, transcribed verbatim from her writings:

Fidelity and Cooperation: Be faithful, diligent, and cooperative with Christ’s work in her, living as a “corpse” unaware of self, entrusting all to Him.

Blind Obedience: Obey her confessor and superiors as a novice, with clear, definite communication.

Pure Intention: Act with an upright intention for God’s glory, seeking His will through His representative.

Rigorous Silence: Speak only on religious matters, when charity or necessity demands.

Humility through Mortification: Advance in humility via mortification and contempt, recognizing her nothingness.

Barefoot Penance: Go barefoot, requesting permission in Christ’s name.

Transparent Reporting: Write a full, sincere account of divine operations for her confessor to reveal Christ’s love.

Prayerful Counsel: Offer no advice without seeking Christ’s direction in prayer.

Balanced Fear and Love: Walk between fear (self-knowledge) and love (union with Christ).

Mediatrix for Sinners: Act as a mediatrix between sinners and Christ, sacrificing for their salvation.

Divine Presence: Maintain constant awareness of Christ’s presence, binding herself to the cross.

Transformation into Christ: Be transformed into Christ, sharing His Passion, merits, and sufferings, declaring, “I am crucified with Christ.”

These rules, given to ensure her spiritual growth and God’s glory, were reinforced through frequent visions, as her voluminous writings attest.

Renewed Instructions

On April 5, 1700, during the removal of her stigmata scars, Christ reiterated her mission to serve others without human respect or self-love, urging zeal for His honor, prompt obedience, contentment in suffering, and charitable vigilance. On December 4, 1707, post-Communion, He prescribed meditating on His Passion from the garden to the cross, moment by moment, and reporting all divine workings to her confessor, reinforcing the authenticity of these graces.

Resistance to Demonic Deceptions

The devil attempted to deceive Veronica by mimicking Christ’s appearance. In 1700, he presented a book of perfection, but she rebuffed him, declaring, “I want no other book but the crucifix, and the Will of God.” Another time, posing as Christ, he urged her to lessen her penances, but she spat in his face, affirming her trust in God’s mercy. In a third attempt, he suggested avoiding further confessions, but she insisted on transparency with her confessor, banishing him with her obedience and humility, which left an offensive odor in her cell.

Unceasing Desire for Perfection

Veronica’s writings reveal no desire for extraordinary privileges, only contrition, self-knowledge, conformity to God’s will, sinners’ conversion, suffering, and divine love. These desires, innate from childhood and intensified with age, were not mere aspirations but active pursuits, as evidenced by her life. Her constant yearning for greater perfection, inspired by Christ’s direct instruction, aligned with Saint Ambrose’s adage: “The first desire of learning springs from the nobility of the master.”

2. Veronica's Heroic Perfection in the Theological Virtues

Faith: Living in God’s Presence

Veronica’s faith was anchored in the constant awareness of God’s presence, encapsulated by the maxim “God sees me,” as attested by Father Vincent Segapeli. Her journal entry of April 3, 1697, notes Christ’s literal presence enabling her to accomplish tasks swiftly, blending active duties with perpetual contemplation. As abbess, she spoke profoundly on divine mysteries despite limited education, leading nuns to believe the Virgin Mary spoke through her, a belief she confirmed, stating the Blessed Virgin was the true abbess. Her zeal for faith’s propagation was evident in her request to Father Giovan Maria Crivelli for a sermon inviting idolaters, Turks, heretics, and schismatics to the truth, dancing with joy at its delivery, as if evangelizing herself. To emulate Saint Laurence’s martyrdom, she endured self-imposed penances—lying on a thorn hurdle, confining herself under a basket, scourging herself 666 times with thorns, and holding a stone on her tongue—praying for global conversion. During a novice discussion on martyrdom, her heart palpitated violently, emitting three loud cracks, possibly marking the imprint of the letter F (Faith) on her heart, as witnessed by her novice-mistress.

Hope: Confidence Amid Trials

Veronica’s hope, rooted in fear of her own weakness, fueled her trust in God’s mercy, as expressed in her January 18, 1725, letter to Bishop Alexander Codebo: “May the most holy Virgin obtain for me the salvation of my soul; I always fear and tremble.” She frequently sang Psalm 135, emphasizing God’s enduring mercy, and desired death not for escape but to suffer more for her promised reward, as Sister Florida Ceoli testified. Facing demonic temptations of despair, with Satan claiming, “Thou art ours,” she retorted, “If I am yours, why do you tempt me?” Her writings detail her response: “I am nothing… The Will of God is my stay… I trust myself to His power… I fold myself in the arms of His immense love.” This trust empowered her to combat hell’s forces, her hope strengthening through contemplation of divine attributes. As abbess, her hope attracted divine providence, clearing convent debts and enhancing its resources, as Sister Florida noted.

Charity: Burning Love for God

Veronica’s love for God manifested outwardly, as she ran through convent galleries and gardens, inviting all creation to bless God, calling Him “Father,” “Friend,” and “Spouse of Souls.” Her Pentecost Vigil discourse on divine love moved the community to tears, likened to Saint Peter’s post-Pentecost preaching. Sister Florida witnessed Veronica’s face assume angelic beauty during an ecstatic hour-and-a-half grasp, resisting release. Father Antonio Cappelletti’s command to douse her in raptures with cold water resulted in it boiling, indicating her fiery charity. Her contrition for minor imperfections, prefaced by “I have offended God,” caused physical distress, as Father Raniero Guelfi observed. She envied inanimate objects like trees and stones for their obedience to God, embracing them in love. On Easter 1698, Christ showed her His heart, asking thrice, “Whose is this heart?” to which she replied, “It is Thine,” before He placed her heart above His, igniting her with love. Angels, the Virgin Mary, and Christ Himself visibly administered the Eucharist multiple times (1702–1704), with Cappelletti noting a mental command fulfilled on November 21, 1702, confirming her profound charity.

3. Veronica's Zeal and Charity Towards Her Neighbor

Charity in Temporal Needs

Saint Veronica Giuliani’s love for her neighbor, inseparable from her love for God, manifested as charity for temporal needs and zeal for spiritual welfare. From childhood, divine grace inclined her to relieve others’ suffering. As a religious, particularly when managing the convent’s turn and later as abbess, she maximized aid to the poor seeking alms. Unable to visit prisons or hospitals due to cloister vows, she supported them through fervent prayers and desires, as confided to Sister Mary Magdalen Boscaini during a period of spiritual dryness.

As abbess, Veronica’s charity shone in her care for sick nuns. She increased the number of infirmarians by two, personally nursed the ill, and visited them day and night, sacrificing her own convenience. Her heroism was evident in daily dressing the cancerous breast wound of Sister Antony, an external sister, despite the task’s repugnance. For dying nuns, like Sister Margaret Marconi della Penna di Billi, afflicted with consumption, Veronica remained at their bedside, forgoing meals unless others brought her food. Even a nun with a disagreeable temper, who initially rebuffed Veronica’s care, eventually sought only her presence in her final days, repenting her earlier impatience. Veronica laid out deceased sisters, placed them on biers, kept vigil, and buried them, tirelessly praying for their souls.

Zeal for Spiritual Welfare

Christ appointed Veronica as a mediatrix for sinners, intensifying her zeal through visions of hell’s torments. In December 1690, during an ecstatic episode in the rain-soaked convent garden, she exclaimed, “My God… I would fain have this boon, that Thou shouldst be no more offended.” She saw Christ scourged, crowned, and cross-laden, revealing hell’s horrors—souls in bestial forms, including religious, condemned for ingratitude. These visions, detailed in her writings, showed her the infinite value of Christ’s Passion, underutilized by souls, fueling her prayers and penances. She described hell’s pains as indescribable, surpassing sermons or books, causing her near-death from fear without divine support.

Father Giovan Maria Crivelli, her extraordinary confessor, testified to her incessant prayers and penances for sinners, forming spiritual alliances with pious souls during his missions. He attributed many conversions to her intercession, feeling her spiritual presence while preaching. Rumors suggested she endured hell’s torments (except the pain of loss) to aid conversions, and witnesses, including Sister Mary Magdalen Boscaini, saw her shed tears of blood for sinners’ offenses, with her black veil stained as evidence, later documented by Father Raniero Guelfi.

As abbess, Veronica organized processions and devotions, urging each nun to pray for one sinner’s conversion, offering herself as a victim to bear their punishments. Sister Florida Ceoli witnessed her shed blood tears in ecstasy, predicting a sinner’s conversion, which proved true with a holy life and death. Other successes included a dissipated man, commended by his sister, who reformed; a dying nun, assisted spiritually by Veronica’s prayers, who died contrite; a worldly lady with cancer, saved through Veronica’s intercession; and a scandalous woman in Castello, who publicly repented after Veronica’s prayers, dying penitent. Veronica emphasized sinners’ cooperation, noting to a priest that unready “pitchers” hindered conversions, and Christ Himself told her, “They must come themselves and seek Me.”

Zeal for the Church

Veronica’s zeal extended to the Church militant and suffering. In 1707, the Virgin Mary urged her to pray for the Church’s needs, and on December 12, Christ requested three days of suffering (December 16, 21, 23) for the Church and convent, as recorded by Father Antonio Cappelletti. These involved Passion-like torments—head pierced with nails, eyes thorn-filled, throat swollen, body crushed—compounded by demonic abuse and spiritual desolation. In 1717, amid Turkish threats to Christendom, her intensified penances and prayers, despite demonic assaults, preceded a Christian victory in August, predicted by Christ in March. For the suffering Church, Father Tassinari noted her nightly prayers and severe penances to liberate purgatorial souls, enduring sensations of freezing, burning, and being gnawed by serpents. She wrote on January 1, 1717, of pains so intense they mimicked eternal banishment, yet she offered them to empty purgatory.

Fruits of Her Intercession

Veronica’s efforts yielded divine rewards. Father Tassinari and her writings confirm she liberated countless souls, often revealed in ecstasies. Notable cases include Sister Constance Dini (died October 1703), Sister Catherine, who appeared as a globe of light and taught the value of suffering; Count Monte Marto; Father Guelfi’s father and sister; Signer Giulio Spanaciari; Mgr. Eustachi; Monsignor Magi; Father Cappelletti; and Pope Clement XI, all verified by witnesses like Sisters Mary Victoria Fucci and Mary Magdalen Boscaini. These liberations, marked by apparitions, underscored her heroic charity, symbolized by the letter C and two flames on her heart.

4. Veronica's Patience and Imperturbable Gentleness

Trials from Fellow Nuns

Despite the sanctity of the Capuchin community Veronica joined, some nuns deviated from virtue, causing her significant trials. As a novice, she faced persecution from a companion who slandered her to the abbess and novice-mistress, treating her rudely and contemptuously. Veronica responded with evangelical charity, kissing her persecutor’s feet, assisting her, and thanking her, only asking for discretion in public to avoid scandal. This nun, identified in the monastery but unnamed here, was later freed from purgatory through Veronica’s prayers, as recorded in the canonization processes.

As novice-mistress, Veronica managed two intractable novices. One, enraged by her gentle admonitions, was dismissed but, through Veronica’s prayers to the Virgin Mary, joined another order, repented, and praised Veronica’s sanctity during an illness. The other struck Veronica, wounding her lip, causing scandal and excommunication. Veronica shed tears of blood, praying for her repentance, which was initially granted, though the novice later insulted her again as abbess. When this nun, as cook, neglected to feed a laborer, Veronica’s mild reprimand provoked a violent push, nearly knocking her down. Refusing immediate punishment, Veronica calmly stated, “We must have patience. I am only displeased on account of the sin against God.” At the next chapter, her charitable correction led to the nun’s contrition and reform.

Sister Mary Joanna Maggio witnessed another nun, a sacristan, angrily rebuff Veronica’s prudent correction when an unstable altar risked damaging relics. Veronica responded with modesty, saying, “Her duty was to obey, and nothing else,” and corrected her charitably later. The same nun carelessly damaged a Nativity crib figure and a candle, responding proudly to Veronica’s gentle admonition. Veronica endured insults from this nun and two others, correcting them with kindness and praying for their reform, which they eventually acknowledged, seeking her aid in their final illnesses.

Trials from Superiors

Veronica’s patience was rigorously tested by superiors to verify her virtues, particularly after receiving the stigmata on April 5, 1697. Bishop Alexander Eustachj, reporting to the Roman Inquisition, subjected her to severe trials to rule out illusion or hypocrisy. He deposed her as novice-mistress, stripped her of voting rights, called her a sorceress and excommunicate publicly, and threatened to burn her. Confined to an infirmary room, she was forbidden to write except to her sisters in Mercatello (with letters inspected), barred from the parlor, restricted to the choir threshold on feast days, and isolated from other nuns, who were ordered to treat her as a deceiver. She was denied Communion and limited in confession, with her stigmata medically treated and sealed with the episcopal seal, causing painful swellings. Sister Mary Joanna Maggio testified that Veronica, “abandoned by all,” retained humility and calmness, delighting in contumely for Christ’s sake. Bishop Eustachj’s August 29, 1697, letter to the Holy Office confirmed her strict obedience and serenity, noting her satisfaction in being tested. By September 26, he reported her unwavering virtue, though he curbed nuns’ public admiration to avoid gossip, leading the Holy Office to affirm her sanctity with precautions.

In 1695, Bishop Eustachj, doubting her divinely ordered five-year fast, suspected secret eating due to demonic illusions and ordered her confinement with meat-based meals, which she rejected with repugnance. The abbess publicly expelled her from the choir to the infirmary, where she remained cheerful for fifty days, as nuns testified.

In 1714, Jesuit Father Giovan Maria Crivelli, appointed by Bishop Eustachj, tested Veronica further, despite prior validations. At fifty-four, with thirty-seven years in religion, she was called a sorceress and hypocrite at the grate, forced to sit on the choir floor during a sermon, and publicly humiliated. She thanked Crivelli for the shame. He threatened scourging and burning, to which she humbly replied, “If your reverence knows that I am in the hands of the devil, be pleased to deliver me.” Crivelli made Sister Frances her superior, ordering harsh treatment, which Veronica obeyed with equanimity for two months. He then confined her to a dark, insect-filled infirmary closet, ordering her to clean it with her tongue, including the ceiling, which she did calmly, swallowing spiders and cobwebs, calling it “the bright cell” for its spiritual insights. Satan’s nightly assaults failed to break her resolve. Crivelli, in the canonization process, admitted her baptismal innocence, finding scant matter for absolution, and relied on her prayers, later advocating for her abbess election in 1716 to Pope Clement XI.

5. Veronica's Wonderful Humility

Foundation of Her Sanctity

Father Giovanni Maria Crivelli, a seasoned missionary and examiner of Veronica’s spirit from 1714 to 1718, declared obedience and humility as the cornerstones of Saint Veronica Giuliani’s exalted sanctity. His detailed deposition from July 14 to August 16, 1728, before Bishop Alexander Codebo and others, covering 250 points, carries significant weight due to his rigorous four-year testing of her virtues, as authorized by Bishop Eustachj. Crivelli’s credibility is further affirmed by Veronica’s supernatural recognition of him in 1714, revealed by the Virgin Mary during confession, where she described his appearance and mission without natural means, predicting spiritual benefits and securing the release of his family members’ souls from purgatory. Her foresight extended to her death on July 9, 1727, marked by mysterious bell rings at Monte Castelli, signaling her danger and passing, as Crivelli later understood.

Humility in Thought

Veronica’s humility was rooted in a profound sense of her own nothingness, a constant theme in her reflections. Father Ubaldo Antonio Cappelletti noted her intense grief over perceived ingratitude and sin, desiring to hide in hell’s depths to avoid contaminating others. She viewed herself as the greatest sinner, as Father Tassinari and Crivelli observed, expressing this in confessions and conversations with such conviction that she seemed a grievous offender to those unaware of her sanctity. She sought public shame, confessing childhood faults to novices with exaggerated contrition, moving them to tears, and repeatedly declared, “In hell there is room for all; my place is there if I do not change my life.” Sister Giacinta testified to her fervent pleas for prayers for her conversion, fearing she polluted others by her presence.

Humility in Deed

Veronica’s low self-estimation translated into actions devoid of resentment, even under contempt. As novice-mistress, she had novices tread on her lips, and as abbess, she performed menial tasks, serving lay sisters. When faced with the prospect of becoming abbess in 1714, revealed through visions of Saint Francis Xavier bearing a cross, she implored Father Crivelli to spare her, citing her unworthiness. Despite her protests, her humility only confirmed her fitness, leading to her election in 1716 after Crivelli secured papal approval. As abbess, she governed with divine illumination, improving the convent’s infrastructure and discipline, yet never issued commands, using humble requests except when correcting faults, as Bishop Eustachj praised her ability to “govern a world” while deferring to others’ advice.

Concealing Divine Gifts

Veronica concealed her extraordinary penances—performed at night—and divine graces, revealing them only under obedience. She used soleless sandals to hide her barefoot penance and carried a charcoal pan with cold ashes during a Christmas novena to mask her mortification. Her writings, compelled by obedience, used tentative phrases like “It appears to me” and emphasized her iniquity, dismissing visions as dreams or demonic illusions, as noted in 1695, 1697, 1698, and 1703. She treated visions with contempt, fearing deception, and preferred those revealing her imperfections. Unable to hide the stigmata, she insisted God grants such graces to sinners for conversion, lamenting her lack of reform, and prayed for their removal, achieved externally three years later and fully at her death.

6. Veronica's Miraculous Obedience

Foundation of Obedience

Saint Veronica Giuliani’s obedience, described by Pope Saint Gregory as the root of all virtues, was the cornerstone of her sanctity, born of profound humility. Her submission of intellect and will to God and His representatives—superiors and confessors—reached miraculous heights, as evidenced by her actions and supernatural events documented in her canonization process. Her maxim, as noted by Father Raniero Guelfi, was: “If God in person were commanding me, should I not run to obey Him? The obligation is the same, whether God makes known His Will directly, or through my superiors.” This conviction drove her to obey even the harshest commands with serene acquiescence.

Obedience to God’s Will

Veronica’s writings from 1696 reveal her total surrender to God’s Will: “My Lord, I desire to please Thee… If Thou seest… anything of my own choice… take it away… let Thy Will be done.” She sealed this commitment with a blood-signed contract, demonstrating her perfect conformity to divine Will, a facet of charity already discussed. Her obedience extended beyond God’s direct commands to include the Church’s precepts and her Capuchin rule, but her most striking obedience was to human superiors as God’s ministers, overcoming human pride with miraculous fidelity.

Obedience to Superiors

Veronica’s obedience was tested rigorously, particularly during trials orchestrated by her confessors and superiors. Father Tassinari, her confessor for decades, testified she sought to infuse every act with obedience, never moving without its merit. In a 1727 ecstasy, when the Virgin Mary invited her to eternal glory, Veronica declined, citing lack of permission, and upon Father Guelfi’s refusal, she promptly submitted. During Father Crivelli’s two-month trial in 1714, she obeyed the lay sister Frances, who treated her harshly, scolding her as a “stupid” child, assigning menial tasks like sweeping the kitchen and poultry yard, and imposing penances like wearing a white veil. Veronica complied without complaint, her equanimity unshaken.

Her greatest struggle was writing about her divine graces, which clashed with her humility. In 1693, she wrote with “great repugnance,” feeling it “like death” by 1716, yet produced voluminous manuscripts under obedience, often at night, sacrificing sleep and prayer amidst frequent illnesses. Despite demonic interference spoiling or burning some writings, her obedience prevailed, filling a large box with her accounts.

Miraculous Manifestations

Veronica’s obedience yielded tangible miracles, verified in her canonization process. She understood and obeyed purely mental commands from confessors, a supernatural feat. Despite fevers and ailments, she went to confession as ordered and returned healed, witnessed by the community. In one instance, after demons broke her leg by throwing her from the ceiling, Father Ubaldo Antonio Cappelletti tested her faith, commanding her to pray for healing. She did, and walked upstairs unaided, calling her leg “the limb of obedience and of faith.” Similarly, when Satan scorched her hand, Father Crivelli commanded its healing in God’s name, and it was instantly restored, astonishing Bishop Eustachj and Sister Florida Ceoli.

As abbess, Veronica blessed putrid oil mixed with good oil at Father Guelfi’s command, restoring its quality for refectory use. When worms devastated the convent garden, she blessed it at Father Tassinari’s order, causing the pests to surface for chickens to consume, clearing the garden. These miracles align with Saint Ignatius Loyola’s teachings on perfect obedience, as seen in his letter to Portuguese Jesuits.

Divine Approval

Heaven affirmed Veronica’s obedience in a Christmas Day vision, where the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child and attended by saints, appeared. Following her confessors’ orders to treat visions with contempt to avoid demonic illusion, Veronica dismissed it as such. The Virgin, smiling, said, “Daughter, I am no evil spirit… continue to act as thou hast done, for thou hast been often bidden to do so by obedience.” She led Veronica to adore the Trinity, confirming her as daughter, spouse, and disciple, with saints offering thanksgiving. The movement of “instruments” in her heart, a frequent prodigy, was approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites.

7. Veronica's Tender Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Guardian Angel, and Saints

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

Saint Veronica Giuliani’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary was profound and unique, marked by intimate interactions from childhood, a rarity among saints. At three years old, Veronica experienced familiar intercourse with Mary, a privilege reserved for chosen souls, reflecting her burning love for the Queen of Heaven. Jesus Himself commissioned Mary to guide Veronica, saying, “My most beloved Mother, I wish this our beloved to be always guided by thee,” enhancing her affection through divine lessons in virtue.

Veronica’s devotion was expressed through her intense participation in Mary’s Dolours, meditating and speaking on them with such compassion that Father Tassinari was moved to tears, seeing her as a living portrait of the Sorrowful Mother. The seven swords symbolically pierced her heart, prompting her to install a statue of the Mother of Dolours in the choir and establish a monthly procession on the third Sunday, still observed. As abbess, she surrendered the convent’s keys, rules, and seal to the Blessed Sacrament and placed them before this statue, imploring Mary to act as abbess. Each evening, she renewed this offering, acknowledging Mary as her superior.

Mary reciprocated with maternal care, appearing to assure Veronica not to fear her abbess role, promising to fulfill it herself. Witnesses, including nuns in the canonization process, testified that during Veronica’s abbess-ship, Mary’s presence was tangible through the order, peace, and abundant alms that coincided with her feasts, earning her the title of “divine abbess” and “procuratrix.” A 1723 letter to Bishop Alexander Codebo reflects this, entrusting thirty-three pauls to Mary’s providence for convent needs.

Veronica’s letters to Father Tassinari (1713 and 1721) reveal her heartfelt reliance on Mary. In 1713, she wrote of seeking Mary’s mercy amidst fears of ingratitude, feeling rejected yet resigned to God’s Will. In 1721, she expressed contentment in troubles, crediting Mary’s hidden assistance and transformative graces. Mary aided Veronica practically, as when she miraculously completed washing tasks, prompting Veronica to exclaim, “Most holy Virgin, thou going to do everything thyself and leave nothing for me?” When Bishop Codebo ordered a detailed account of her stigmata, Mary appeared to clarify forgotten details, ensuring obedience. Sister Florida Ceoli witnessed a vision where Mary and Veronica’s guardian angel reproved her for a brief account of her soul’s state, erasing her writing, which was found blank, compelling her to rewrite it fully.

Mary’s maternal affection included placing the Infant Jesus in Veronica’s arms during Christmas feasts, administering Communion from the altar, and symbolically exchanging hearts with Veronica and Jesus, calling hers “Heart of my heart!” These acts, verified by Father Tassinari, symbolized Veronica’s conformity to Jesus and Mary’s wills, a hallmark of her devotion.

Devotion to Guardian Angel and Saints

Veronica’s devotion extended to her guardian angel and patron saints, evidenced by frequent novenas and pious acts. Her angel often presented her to the Trinity, interceded before God and Mary, and assisted in visions, such as the book-erasing incident. She beheld saints like Joseph, John the Baptist, Paul, Francis of Assisi, Clare, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Jesus, Rose of Lima, Dominic, Francis Xavier, Pellegrino Laziosi, and Aloysius Gonzaga, indicating her meritorious devotion. These visions, detailed in her writings, reflect the Church’s sanctioned honor of saints, countering modern ridicule and aligning with the tradition of venerating those crowned with eternal glory.

8. Veronica's Gifts of Prophecy and Miracles During Life

Gift of Prophecy

Saint Veronica Giuliani’s prophetic gift was so pronounced that her words were considered prophecies within her Capuchin convent, consistently fulfilled, as testified in her canonization process. Notable instances include:

Her Own Death: Veronica accurately predicted her death, as detailed in prior accounts, fulfilled on July 9, 1727.

Convent Admissions: Sister Mary Magdalen Boscaini, facing opposition from Bishop Alexander Codebo and her family due to her frail health, was assured by Veronica of eventual acceptance, which occurred. Similarly, Sister Florida Ceoli, initially deemed unsuitable, was admitted after Veronica’s prediction of unanimous chapter votes. Conversely, Veronica foresaw that Margaret Ranucci and Signora Clarice de’ Marchesi del Monte were unfit for the Capuchin convent; both left, joining other orders in Perugia.

Episcopal Successions: After Bishop Alexander Eustachj’s death, Veronica, under Father Giovan Maria Crivelli’s direction, prayed and saw a mitre with the initials “A.C.” and additional letters (M.V.D. for Maris Virginis Devotus and P.E.O. for Pastor Ecclesiae Optimus), predicting Alessandro Codebo’s appointment, confirmed despite initial reports of another candidate. She also foresaw Mgr. Gasparini succeeding Codebo six years after her death and Mgr. Gherardi’s appointment to Cortona.

Personal Predictions: Veronica predicted Father Raniero Guelfi’s Oratorian vocation despite his father’s opposition, his father’s imminent death, and his presence at her own death, all fulfilled. She assured Father Vincent Segapeli and Father Tassinari of recovery from near-fatal illnesses, defying medical prognoses. She foretold Father Crivelli’s brief stay in Rome and return to Citta di Castello, the birth of Emperor Charles VI’s short-lived son, and the plague’s persistence in Marseilles despite contrary reports.

Father Lomellini’s Death: In 1714, Veronica, praying for Father Giacomo Lomellini’s recovery at Crivelli’s behest, saw the Virgin Mary with a cross adorned with five jewels, symbolizing Lomellini’s virtues, stating he would not die until the cross bore more gems. In 1715, she saw the cross fully jeweled, held by Father Segneri the younger, signaling Lomellini’s imminent death in Sarzana, which occurred before Crivelli’s letter reached him.

Her ability to read hearts, a prophetic extension, was evident when she addressed Bishop Codebo’s post-mortem plans for her body, knew Father Crivelli’s intention to appoint her abbess, and discerned his inner thoughts, prompting his reverential awe.

Miraculous Cures

Veronica’s miracles, particularly cures, were well-documented in the canonization process, showcasing her divine favor:

Convent Cures: A nun with a festering limb wound, too modest for surgical intervention, was healed overnight after Veronica bathed it with rose-water. Another with severe headaches was cured instantly by Veronica’s touch. Sister Catherine Cappelletti, suffering from an eye inflammation caused by an embedded egg-shell fragment, faced a risky surgery. Veronica’s embrace and blessing induced a restful sleep, and by morning, the fragment was gone, the eye healed, astonishing surgeon Gentili. Sister Catherine’s chronic headaches were permanently cured by Veronica’s blessing during her final illness. Sister Mary Fucci’s painful, bleeding hand warts, cut in desperation, were healed overnight by wrapping them in Veronica’s “patience” scapular, leaving no trace of wounds or blood.

External Miracle: A nephew of lay sisters Frances and Giacinta, afflicted with an incurable cataract, was healed by bathing his eye with water Veronica had used to wash her hands, which afterward emitted a divine fragrance.

Life as a Perpetual Miracle

Veronica’s life itself was a chain of miracles, as her extreme penances, fasts, sleeplessness, laborious tasks, demonic assaults, stigmata, and participation in Christ’s Passion—scourging, crowning with thorns, and crucifixion—defied natural endurance. Her frequent ecstasies and constant infirmities, yet living to sixty-seven and spending fifty years in religion, were deemed miraculous by her companions and medical attendants. Her obedience-induced healings, like her broken leg and scorched hand, further underscored this.

Canonization Process of Saint Veronica Giuliani

Initiation and Evidence Collection

Following Saint Veronica Giuliani’s death on July 9, 1727, the bishop of Citta di Castello initiated the process to document her holy life. The formal inquiry began on December 6, 1727, and was completed by his successor on January 13, 1735, gathering extensive evidence of her virtues and miracles through testimonies, including those from Father Giovan Maria Crivelli, Sister Florida Ceoli, and Sister Mary Magdalen Boscaini, as detailed in prior accounts.

Roman Proceedings

The cause was introduced in Rome under Pope Benedict XIV on July 7, 1745, after preliminary examinations. Pope Pius VI approved Veronica’s heroic virtues on April 24, 1796, recognizing her extraordinary practice of faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, humility, obedience, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin and saints.

Beatification

Two miracles attributed to Veronica’s intercession were approved by Pope Pius VII on June 7, 1802 (Whit-Monday). These likely included the conversion of a despairing sinner and a spiritual favor granted to the biography’s author on March 17, 1801, as previously noted. On September 12, 1802, Pius VII issued the decree of her beatification, formally declaring her Blessed.

Canonization

Further miracles in 1815 and 1818, verified by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, strengthened her cause. On May 26, 1831, the feast of Saint Philip Neri, Pope Gregory XVI determined that her canonization could proceed safely. Veronica was solemnly canonized on Trinity Sunday, May 26, 1839, in the Vatican Basilica by Pope Gregory XVI, alongside Saints Alphonso Liguori, Francis di Girolamo, John Joseph of the Cross, and Pacificus of San Severino, affirming her sanctity and miraculous intercession before the universal Church.

Conclusion

The canonization process, spanning 1727 to 1839, meticulously documented Veronica’s heroic virtues and miracles, progressing through rigorous ecclesiastical scrutiny. From initial evidence collection to papal approvals, her life of poverty, mortification, purity, patience, humility, obedience, devotion, and prophetic gifts culminated in her recognition as a saint, inspiring devotion and confidence in her intercession.

BOOK 1 - BOOK 2

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