Jul 9, 2025

BOOK I

Containing an Account of Her Life in the World, and of the Most Important Events in the First Fifteen Years of Her Religious Career, Together with a Brief Sketch of the Offices Which She Filled in the Convent

1. The Birth of Saint Veronica

Birth and Early Signs of Sanctity

In the district of Mercatello, within the diocese of Urbania in the Duchy of Urbino, a significant event unfolded on December 27, 1660, the feast day of Saint John, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. This day marked the birth of Ursula, later known as Saint Veronica, in a family of honor and wealth. Her parents, Francesco Giuliani and Benedetta Mancini of S. Angelo in Vado, were blessed with seven daughters, with Ursula being the youngest. Even before her birth, Benedetta experienced an unusually serene pregnancy, free from the severe sufferings that marked her previous ones, allowing her to perform her devotions and duties with ease and joy.

Baptism and Divine Indications

On the following day, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Ursula was baptized in the collegiate church of S. Peter and S. Paul, with D. Giovan Antonio Borghese officiating. She received the name Ursula, foreshadowing her future as a virgin saint and guide for others. From infancy, she displayed extraordinary traits, never crying or showing distress, always serene and cheerful. Remarkably, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdaysโ€”days associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ and His Holy Motherโ€”Ursula took only a few drops of milk, showing an early inclination toward fasting, akin to saints like Nicholas of Bari.

Miraculous Infancy

Ursulaโ€™s sanctity was evident in her lack of jealousy when her mother nursed poor children in her presence, instead showing delight. At just five months old, on the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity in 1661, she performed a remarkable act. While in her motherโ€™s arms, she saw a picture of the Holy Trinity, descended to the floor unaided, walked firmly to the image, and made signs of reverence, leaving onlookers in awe. Her mother, recognizing divine intervention, ceased swaddling her, and Ursula walked independently without incident.

Early Speech and Moral Insight

Another miracle occurred at one and a half years old, documented in her canonization process. While carried by a servant named Alexandra to a shop, Ursula witnessed the shopkeeper attempting to shortchange them. Astonishingly, she spoke her first words clearly, saying, โ€œDo justice, for God sees you!โ€ This event, among others, led her parents and sisters to regard her with devotion, treating her as a vessel of divine favor. Even the household servants treated her with reverence, as if she were the mistress of the house.

A Life Foretold

These early signs confirmed the extraordinary destiny awaiting Ursula, who would later be known as Saint Veronica. Her family nurtured her spiritual disposition, fostering the virtues that would define her life of sanctity and devotion. 


2. Early Devotion of Saint Veronica

Beginnings of Divine Connection at Age Three

By the age of three, Ursula, later known as Saint Veronica, displayed a profound devotion that set her apart from typical childhood pursuits. Eschewing toys, she was drawn to a picture of the Blessed Virgin nursing the Infant Jesus, which hung in her familyโ€™s home in Mercatello. She transformed the space before it into a small altar, dedicating herself to its adornment. Ursula invited her sisters to join in this pious work, rejecting ribbons, corals, and other ornaments offered by her family to instead embellish her sacred space. In her innocent heart, she regarded the picture as the living presence of Jesus and Mary, engaging with them as if they were physically present.

Conversations with Jesus and Mary

Ursulaโ€™s interactions with the sacred image were far from childish play. She conversed familiarly with the Blessed Virgin and the Infant Jesus, offering her food on the altar and inviting the Divine Child to partake. When her offerings went untouched, she would hide behind tapestry, watching hopefully, and exclaim in disappointment, โ€œIf You will not eat, then neither will I.โ€ She even stacked chairs to reach the image, seeking to hold the Infant Jesus, occasionally falling and bruising herself. Undeterred, she would reproach Mary for not granting her request, only to find her injuries miraculously healed after her pleas.

Her devotion was met with divine favor. On several occasions, the picture came to life, and Ursula beheld the Virgin placing the Infant Jesus in her arms, allowing her to shower Him with affection. At times, the Infant descended from the picture to share the food she offered, presenting her with a portion in return. These moments of divine condescension deepened her love, as she witnessed Mary and Jesus responding to her offerings with affection and guidance.

Divine Revelations and Guidance

Ursulaโ€™s connection with Mary and Jesus grew through direct communications. One day, while preparing to pray before the picture, the Blessed Virgin spoke to her, saying, โ€œDaughter, this my Son loves thee exceedinglyโ€”prepare thyself, for He will be thy Spouse!โ€ These words ignited a fervent love in Ursulaโ€™s soul, prompting her to offer all she had to Jesus on her altar. In response, the Infant Jesus declared, โ€œI love thee very much! Take care to expend thy affections on no other than Myself alone.โ€ Ursula replied ardently, โ€œDearest Jesus, I love Thee most ardently! Teach me what Thou wouldst have me do.โ€ Jesus then entrusted her guidance to His Mother. On another occasion, while gathering flowers for her altar, Jesus appeared, proclaiming, โ€œI am the Flower of the field,โ€ before vanishing, leaving Ursula to search for Him in vain, only to be consoled by His embrace when she returned to the picture in tears.

Extraordinary Perceptions and Miracles

Ursulaโ€™s spiritual sensitivity was evident in other ways. She could detect a celestial fragrance on her mother or aunt after they received Holy Communion, exclaiming, โ€œHow sweet the perfume! Oh, how sweet!โ€ In church, despite her young age, she beheld the Sacred Host radiating glory and sometimes saw the living form of the Infant Jesus. At four years old, when her mother was gravely ill and received the Holy Viaticum, Ursula saw the Blessed Sacrament aglow with heavenly light and begged to receive it. When told only one particle was available, she boldly suggested breaking it, comparing it to a mirror that reflects the whole image in each fragment. Her words astonished all present, and after her motherโ€™s Communion, Ursula drew near, exclaiming, โ€œOh, how lovely is that which you have received! Oh, how sweetโ€”how very sweet!โ€ refusing to leave her motherโ€™s side.

A Motherโ€™s Legacy and Ursulaโ€™s Consolation

As her mother lay dying, having already lost two daughters, she gathered her five surviving children to offer her final counsel. She entrusted each to one of Jesusโ€™ sacred wounds, assigning Ursula to the wound in His side, a symbol of her lifelong devotion. After her motherโ€™s death, Ursula, overwhelmed with grief, refused to leave her body. The servants, unable to console her, placed an image of the Blessed Virgin and Infant Jesus on her bed, which calmed her and allowed her to sleep. From then on, she kept this image as her companion, often perceiving the Infant Jesus smiling upon her graciously.

Testimonies of Sanctity

These accounts, drawn from the depositions of her sisters, the testimony of her first confessor, Canon Ambroni of Mercatello, and Ursulaโ€™s own writings as a religious, affirm the authenticity of her early sanctity. Her perfect holiness rendered any notion of deception unthinkable, confirming that from her earliest years, Ursula was marked by an extraordinary divine connection that shaped her path to sainthood.


3. Early Virtues of Saint Veronica

Compassion for the Poor

From a tender age, Ursula, later Saint Veronica, displayed extraordinary compassion for the poor. She reserved portions of her mealsโ€”breakfast, dinner, collation, and supperโ€”to give as alms, presenting them with heartfelt affection to passersby. When she had nothing to offer, she pleaded with her parents to provide for the needy. Her selflessness was evident in acts like giving her apron to a scantily clad boy and, on another occasion, offering a pilgrim one of her new slippers. When he noted that one slipper was useless without its pair, she promptly gave him the other, overcoming the typical childish attachment to such items.

Her charity was met with divine approval. In the slipper incident, the second slipper caught on a door arch, but the pilgrim miraculously grew tall enough to reach it. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Ursula, holding the slippers adorned with jewels, explaining that she had received them through the pilgrim, with her Divine Son enhancing their value. Another time, when Ursula gave a poor man coarse black bread, it transformed into snow-white bread in his hands, astonishing him and others.

Desire for Suffering

Ursulaโ€™s zeal for suffering emerged early, inspired by a divine message from the Infant Jesus before her cherished picture: โ€œMy Spouse, the Cross awaits thee.โ€ Misinterpreting this initially, she reverently collected straw or thread formed into crosses to prevent desecration. However, upon hearing the lives of saints read aloud, she grasped the call to embrace suffering. At three, inspired by martyrs, she thrust her hands into live coals, feeling no pain initially and standing in serene abstraction, though later experiencing discomfort. She recalled, โ€œI stood there... well pleased to be as I was; afterwards I felt pain in my fingers, which were shrunk up.โ€

At four, inspired by Saint Rose of Limaโ€™s discipline, Ursula knotted her apron strings and struck herself behind a door, mortified when discovered by her mother. Learning of Saint Rose crushing her finger, Ursula attempted to emulate her but hesitated. However, when her hand was accidentally crushed between a door and wall, she bore the pain calmly, delighting in sharing Saint Roseโ€™s suffering, and resisted treatment to prolong it. Another time, a scissors mishap cut her foot, yet she consoled her distressed mother, forgoing remedies. She also deliberately caused stones to fall on her hands, seeking pain to imitate her holy models.

Zeal and Childhood Imperfections

Ursulaโ€™s fervor sometimes led to actions marked by youthful indiscretion, reflecting her extraordinary virtue tempered by a childโ€™s limited judgment. At five, she insisted that recipients of her alms recite prayers or Christian doctrine. When a boy refused to say his Ave Maria, her zeal led her to push him, causing him to fall down steps, though he was unharmed. Her passion for adorning her altar to Jesus and Mary was so intense that she urged her sisters to join her, once upsetting their lace-making tools when they ignored her.

Noticing a potterโ€™s sinful life, she bored holes in his newly made vessels, hoping to prompt his reform, an act that miraculously led to his conversion. At seven, she lightly wounded her worldly cousin during a playful fencing match to keep him home, and once struck a servant for an offense against God, even requesting her dismissal. These actions, though flawed, stemmed from her deep charity, zeal, and love for God, demonstrating virtues beyond her years.

Reflection and Purification

Despite the purity of her intentions, Ursula later viewed these childhood actions with regret as a religious, recognizing their imperfections with mature understanding. On December 2, 1702, during a spiritual experience recorded by her director, Father Ubaldo Antonio Cappelletti, she saw her early defects symbolized as a heart of steel. Overwhelmed with contrition, she longed to hide from her shortcomings. Through intense repentance, her heart was purified, appearing first as silver, then as pure gold, symbolizing her growing fidelity to grace.


4. Ursula's Move to Piacenza and Spiritual Growth

Relocation to Piacenza

Following the death of Ursulaโ€™s mother when she was between four and five years old, her father, Francesco Giuliani, decided to relocate to Piacenza, where he secured the prestigious role of superintendent of finance. Ursula, affectionately called Ursulina, initially remained in Mercatello with her sisters under their uncleโ€™s care. At seven, she received the sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Onorati in the same church where she was baptized. According to Sister Florida Ceoliโ€™s testimony during Ursulaโ€™s canonization process, her godmother witnessed Ursulaโ€™s guardian angel visibly present at her side during the ceremony.

Early Visions and Devotion to the Passion

Around this time, Ursula experienced significant visions, as recorded in her writings. At seven or eight, during Holy Week, Jesus appeared to her covered in wounds, urging her to devote herself to His Passion. She wept profusely and felt an inexpressible emotion whenever the Passion was mentioned, offering all her actions to honor it. Eager to undertake penances, she practiced self-imposed mortifications without her confessorโ€™s permission, such as using the discipline, walking on bare knees, pricking herself with pins, kissing repulsive objects, or using nettles. She expressed to her Saviorโ€™s image, โ€œLord, if I had but the instruments which others have, I would do as they do, but as I have not got them, I offer Thee at least this my desire.โ€ Jesus responded with loving communications, once saying, โ€œI am thy true pleasure. What dost thou seek? What dost thou desire?โ€ prompting her to forgo planned amusements for His love. The crucifix spoke to her interiorly, declaring, โ€œI will be thy Guide and thy Spouse,โ€ to which she affirmed her resolve to be His alone.

First Communion at Ten

At eight, Ursula joined her father in Piacenza with her sisters, continuing their devout practices. Her extraordinary virtue led to her being deemed ready for her First Communion at ten, on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin in 1670. Her longing for the Eucharist, fueled by prior divine encounters with the Sacrament, culminated in a profound experience. During Communion, she felt a sensible flame within her, which persisted afterward. Naively asking her sisters how long this glow would last and noting their surprise, she recognized it as a special grace and sought frequent Communion, receiving it with great joy and spiritual profit.

Misinterpreted Call to Warfare

Ursulaโ€™s communications with God intensified. One day, a voice from her Saviorโ€™s image declared, โ€œTo war! to war!โ€ Misinterpreting this as a literal call to arms amid Piacenzaโ€™s wartime discussions, she asked a cousin to teach her fencing. The Infant Jesus appeared, correcting her misunderstanding, explaining that the warfare was against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Chastened, Ursula resolved to battle these spiritual enemies, achieving victories through her steadfast commitment, as later accounts would reveal.

Beginnings of Mental Prayer at Twelve

At twelve, Ursula began practicing mental prayer, as detailed in her writings under obedience to her directors. Initially unfamiliar with the method, she sought her confessorโ€™s guidance, but he, perceiving her as fickle, deemed her unready for such a practice. Nonetheless, she persisted, finding devotion while arranging her small altars. Kneeling before them, she entered a state akin to ecstasy, filled with delight and a desire for all creatures to praise God. She invited her sisters and father to join her in singing and devotions, especially at Christmas, when she envisioned the Infant Jesus in radiant splendor, drawing her into a profound union. Though she often reverted to childish ways, on Communion days, she found solace in her oratory, where her mind was recollected in God, marking the start of her meditation practice.

Growing Spiritual Fervor

Ursulaโ€™s mental prayer deepened her aversion to worldly things and strengthened her resolve to become a religious. She described an interior light revealing the fleeting nature of earthly matters, affirming that โ€œnone was good but God alone.โ€ Her desire for suffering, present since infancy, grew stronger. She rose early to meditate for hours, finding it increasingly sweet and fueling her willingness to perform household tasks, though she was rarely allowed to do so. Her fervor during feast days was so intense that she moved about the house as if โ€œderanged,โ€ amusing onlookers. Despite her self-described faultsโ€”passion, irritability, and stubbornnessโ€”she felt divine reproofs urging mortification, which she gradually embraced, cultivating silence and recollection.

Challenges and Perseverance

Ursulaโ€™s spiritual exercises were not without struggles. She faced temptations, mental darkness, and dryness of affections, which she overcame through perseverance. By her fourteenth and fifteenth years, her commitment to prayer and suffering intensified, solidifying her vocation to religious life. Her humility led her to exaggerate her faults, yet her accounts reveal how God gently drew her soul, separating her from worldly distractions and guiding her toward contemplation and sanctity.


5. Ursula's Spiritual Fruits and Vocational Trials

Fruits of Mental Prayer

Ursulaโ€™s practice of mental prayer at age fourteen yielded profound spiritual benefits, as she recorded in her writings. Her desire for suffering intensified, which she saw as the foundation of true virtue. Denied penances by her confessor, she persistently sought permission, eventually receiving approval to use hair-cloth and the discipline three times a week, though she found these insufficient. On Communion days, her joy was uncontainable, accompanied by an interior voice saying, โ€œBehold, here I am with thee,โ€ which she recognized as Jesus. This ignited a transformative fire within her, though she concealed these experiences despite others noticing her fervor.

Her mental prayer fortified her against spiritual dangers. She repelled demonic assaults aimed at her innocence, strengthened by divine protection and her meditative practice. A notable incident occurred at fourteen when a maid urged her to gather herbs in a garden accessed via a narrow lane she disliked. Despite her hesitation, Ursula ventured out after invoking her guardian angel. She encountered two individuals behaving immorally, rebuked them, and faced mockery and threats. Returning through the same lane, she saw the scene repeated, but upon reaching home, no one was visible, and the maid saw nothing from the window. Years later, a vision revealed these were demons attempting to corrupt her through wicked example, a plot thwarted by her prayerful vigilance.

Shift in Family Dynamics

After her motherโ€™s death, Ursulaโ€™s upbringing changed significantly. Her mother had maintained a strict, almost monastic household, fostering devotion and industry. However, in Piacenza, her fatherโ€™s wealth and status as superintendent of finance introduced a lavish lifestyle. Ursula noted with humility, โ€œMy father gave orders that we should be dressed in a style suitable to his rank... You can imagine my astonishment at the sight of so much splendour, for we had been accustomed to live in a plain way.โ€ While she initially found this change pleasant, it posed challenges to her spiritual aspirations.

Opposition to Her Religious Vocation

Ursulaโ€™s father, desiring a worldly future for her, opposed her religious vocation despite her clear inclination toward it. Her beauty attracted marriage proposals from nobility, and he encouraged these by providing fashionable attire, amusements, and the company of charming young men to sway her toward marriage. Ursula wrote, โ€œOur father desired that I should be more richly adorned than the others... He told me that I ought to be married, and that as long as he lived, he wished me never to leave him.โ€ Despite his affection, she resisted, declaring her aversion to worldly pleasures and her longing to become a nun, which caused him to weep and persist in his efforts.

Ursula faced daily pressures from her father and his guests, who extolled worldly joys. She countered, โ€œThe more I heard of such matters, the less I liked them,โ€ expressing compassion for โ€œthe miseries of poor worldlings.โ€ Her firm resolve led her to boldly state, โ€œSuch conversation is odious to me, and I can endure it no longer.โ€ In private, she pleaded with her father, โ€œIf you wish to please me, I ask no other favour but that you place me in a convent,โ€ assuring him it would bring mutual consolation. He enlisted devout persons to dissuade her, but their efforts only strengthened her vocation. Before her Saviorโ€™s picture, she heard assurances of being His Spouse, bolstering her resolve to declare, โ€œWhatever you may do, I shall really be a nun.โ€

Her father then tried a subtler approach, suggesting she remain with him as mistress of his household, teaching her housekeeping duties and appealing to filial duty. Ursula responded with supernatural firmness, โ€œGod is surely my Father in the highest sense. I must obey Him, and you also... I am no longer yoursโ€”I am the property of my Lord alone.โ€ Moved by her conviction, her father relented, saying, โ€œYou are perfectly right... I consent that you should follow our Lord.โ€

Final Temptations

A significant trial came through a young kinsman, possibly at her fatherโ€™s urging, who constantly engaged her in worldly talk and presented suitorsโ€™ proposals. Ursula firmly rejected these, saying, โ€œHave the goodness to be silent... Jesus is my Spouseโ€”the Object of my desiresโ€”He is mine!โ€ When offered a bouquet from supposed suitors, she refused to touch it, ordering it thrown out, later reflecting, โ€œAll these things instructed me in the deceits of Satan.โ€ Her fidelity to her vocation, fortified by prayer, allowed her to overcome these temptations.


6. Ursula's Return to Mercatello and Her Father's Redemption

Return to Mercatello

After three years in Piacenza, where Ursulaโ€™s resolve to pursue a religious vocation remained unshaken despite her fatherโ€™s efforts to sway her toward marriage, Francesco Giuliani decided to send Ursula and her sisters back to Mercatello. They were placed under the care of their uncle, with instructions to indulge Ursulaโ€™s wishes while strictly avoiding any mention of nuns or convents, in hopes of weakening her determination. Ursula, aware of these directives through inspiration or other means, recorded them in her writings. The move coincided with two of her elder sisters entering the Convent of Saint Clare in Mercatello, which intensified Ursulaโ€™s longing to follow suit. She wrote, โ€œThis circumstance inflamed my longings, so that I had no peace.โ€

Illness and Renewed Hope

The suppression of her vocation caused Ursula profound distress, manifesting as a mysterious illness that baffled physicians. Described as more mental than physical, her condition improved only when servants discussed nuns, briefly lifting her spirits before she relapsed. This pattern repeated until her father, informed of the cause, reluctantly permitted applications for her admission to two unspecified religious houses, leaving the choice to her. This decision sparked an immediate recovery, as Ursula rose from her sickbed in perfect health, demonstrating the depth of her spiritual affliction.

Continued Opposition

Despite this concession, opposition persisted. One of her sisters, soon to be clothed at the Convent of Saint Clare, was prompted by their father to urge Ursula toward marriage. Ursula rebuked her sharply, saying, โ€œI warn you to say no more on the matter. If you insist... you will see me no more. And you as a religious should be ashamed to choose such a theme... contrary to the sentiments of S. Clare.โ€ Her resolute response finally convinced her father, who granted her permission to pursue her religious calling.

Fatherโ€™s Contrition and Christian Death

Ursulaโ€™s influence extended beyond securing her own vocation to the spiritual redemption of her father. She was pained by his worldly conduct in Piacenza, particularly his efforts to draw his daughters into a lavish lifestyle. Out of filial respect, she limited herself to gentle hints, but one day, under divine impulse, she spoke boldly when he again urged her to delay her religious life: โ€œIf I become a religious now, you at the moment of death will be spared the thought of having refused me... Consider what is the duty of a faithful Christian, namely, to make a good confession.โ€ Moved by her words, Francescoโ€™s countenance changed, and he soon returned to the sacrament of confession, showing signs of compunction whenever Ursula shared spiritual maxims.

Upon returning to Mercatello, Ursula regretted not speaking more plainly and wrote him a letter addressing his spiritual needs. After entering the convent at Cittร  di Castello, she received a visit from her father, who credited her words for inspiring his Christian renewal, entrusting his soul to her care. Years later, Ursulaโ€™s prayers proved instrumental in his salvation. In a dream, she saw him gravely ill, prompting fervent prayers. The following night, she witnessed his death, later confirmed as occurring at that precise moment. Initially, she saw him in a dark, fearful place, possibly purgatory, where he pleaded, โ€œIt rests with thee to obtain mercy for me!โ€ Through intense penances and prayers, Ursula alleviated his sufferings. On the feast of Saint Clare, his condition improved, and on Christmas night, she saw an angel lead him from purgatory, clothed in white and radiant. The next morning after Communion, he appeared resplendent, confirming his release alongside many others, a grace Ursula attributed to the Blessed Virgin.


7. Ursula's Admission to the Capuchin Nuns

Pursuit of a Stricter Order

Having secured her fatherโ€™s consent to pursue her religious vocation, Ursula was open to entering any convent her family chose, but she strongly preferred one of a stricter order. She had heard glowing praise for the Capuchin nunsโ€™ monastery in Cittร  di Castello and expressed her desire to join it, despite her deep affection for her three sistersโ€”Sister Mary Rose, Sister Anna Maria, and Sister Louisaโ€”already in the Convent of Saint Clare in her birthplace, Mercatello. After writing to her father, he agreed to support her choice. Her uncle accompanied her to Cittร  di Castello to seek admission from the conventโ€™s ecclesiastical superior, Bishop Giuseppe Sebastiani, revered as Venerable in the diocese.

A Miraculous Admission

Upon meeting Bishop Sebastiani, Ursula and her uncle learned there was no vacancy, as a young woman, later named Sister Clare Felix, had recently filled the last spot. Devastated, Ursula left but felt a divine impulse to return. Kneeling before the bishop, she fervently pleaded for admission. Moved by her sincerity, he questioned her, including whether she could read Latin. Though her uncle confirmed she could not, Ursula, inspired by divine confidence, took the bishopโ€™s breviary and read it fluently with perfect understanding, astonishing her uncle, who declared it a miracle. This ability persisted, as she could thereafter read and quote Latin accurately. Convinced by this sign and her evident virtue, the bishop promised to advocate for her with the nuns. His endorsement persuaded the community to accept her, despite exceeding their usual limit.

Joyful Acceptance and Ecstasy

On July 17, 1677, before her seventeenth birthday, the chapter formally voted on Ursulaโ€™s admission alongside Sister Clare Felix. Waiting in the convent church, Ursula prayed fervently to her heavenly Spouse. When news of their acceptance arrived, the father confessor invested them with the sacred cord, per the conventโ€™s custom. Sister Clare Felixโ€™s deposition in Ursulaโ€™s canonization process describes her overwhelming joy: after receiving the cord, Ursula remained in the church to thank God and fell into an ecstasy, unresponsive to attempts to rouse her. A lay sister eventually summoned her to meet the mother abbess at the communion grate, where Ursulaโ€™s jubilation was evident, her heart radiant with divine delight.

Trials from the Devil

The devil, envious of Ursulaโ€™s happiness, sought to disrupt her peace, as permitted by God to test and refine her virtue. He presented the religious life as bleak and despairing, reminded her of rejected marriage proposals, and infused weariness into her prayers. Ursula described these assaults as if โ€œall the powers of hell had been let loose upon her.โ€ Yet, she resisted, retreating to her chamber to pray, saying, โ€œLord, Thou knowest that I am Thy Spouse; grant that I may never be separated from Thee. I resign myself now and for ever into Thy hands.โ€ God encouraged her with an interior voice: โ€œBe comforted, for thou art Mine. It is My Will that thou shouldst suffer and struggle, but fear not.โ€ Strengthened by divine grace, Ursula overcame these temptations, solidifying her commitment to her vocation.


8. Veronica's Clothing and Noviciate Trials

Clothing Ceremony

On October 28, 1677, the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Ursula, now named Veronica, entered the Capuchin monastery in Cittร  di Castello, marking her formal rejection of the world for her heavenly Spouse. Bishop Giuseppe Sebastiani presided over the clothing ceremony, delivering a devout address. Veronica, absorbed in God, radiated cheerfulness, devotion, and heavenly modesty, deeply moving those present. The bishop, commending her to Abbess Sister Mary Gertrude Albizzini, whispered prophetically, โ€œI particularly recommend to you this new daughter, for she will one day become a great saint.โ€ Her baptismal name was changed to Veronica, foreshadowing her lifelong devotion to Christโ€™s Passion. Overwhelmed with joy, she repeatedly exclaimed, โ€œNow I am happy, now I am happy!โ€

Noviciate Under Sister Teresa Ristori

Veronica began her noviciate under Sister Teresa Ristori, a virtuous noblewoman from Florence, who later became abbess. Sister Teresa had three sisters in the convent: Sister Clare Felix, Sister Diomira, and lay sister Giacinta. Veronica embraced religious life with scrupulous perfection, immediately demonstrating zeal. On her first night, despite being dispensed from choir, she leapt from bed at the bellโ€™s first stroke to attend matins, exemplifying her obedience. She was punctual in all exercises, eagerly undertook convent tasks, observed silence strictly, and remained gentle, humble, and unruffled by adversity. Her conduct soon confirmed the bishopโ€™s prediction of her sanctity.

Submission to Spiritual Directors

Veronicaโ€™s most admirable virtue was her complete submission to her spiritual directors, a shift from her secular life where she concealed supernatural gifts and temptations, relying solely on her conscience. In the convent, enlightened by divine clarity, she recognized the dangers of self-guidance. She confided every interior experienceโ€”good or evilโ€”to her directors with meticulous accuracy, scrutinizing visions as cautiously as temptations. This practice thwarted the devilโ€™s attempts at deception, as he could not exploit her openness.

Diabolical Deceptions

The devil, frustrated by Veronicaโ€™s transparency, devised cunning schemes. One day, disguised as the novice-mistress, he entered her cell, causing her immediate discomfort, unlike the refreshment she felt with the true Sister Teresa. He falsely claimed the convent was scandalized by an alleged improper friendship between Veronica and her confessor, urging her to cease confessions and Communion unless absolutely necessary, and to keep silent under obedience. Veronica, pained but resolute, declared she would consult the bishop, trusting her confessorโ€™s guidance. The devil, angered, reiterated his demands and departed. Meeting the real novice-mistress soon after, Veronica shared the incident with her extraordinary confessor, who instructed her to subtly inquire about the accusations. The novice-mistress denied any such rumors, confirming the deception. Both directors reinforced Veronicaโ€™s resolve to disclose all to them, foiling the devilโ€™s plot.

In another attempt, the devil, disguised as Veronica, slandered the novice-mistress to another nun, who reported it. The novice-mistress, grieved, distanced herself from Veronica for days. Sensing the change, Veronica humbly asked for clarification, learning of the false accusations. By verifying she was with the novice-mistress at the alleged time, they uncovered the devilโ€™s ruse, restoring their bond.

Physical and Spiritual Trials

Undeterred, the devil exploited Veronicaโ€™s physical weakness during demanding tasks, suggesting she abandon her efforts or her life. While fetching water for the infirmary, she was pushed down stairs, falling with two pitchers but miraculously preserving them. Laughing at the devilโ€™s tactics, she requested more arduous tasks, finding them spiritually uplifting. Exhausted after carrying thirty pitchers, with bloodied heels, she paused, only to be revived by a vision of Jesus bearing His cross, saying, โ€œBehold the cross which I am carryingโ€”it is far heavier than thine!โ€ This restored her strength, enabling her to continue.


9. Veronica's Solemn Profession and Spiritual Growth

Solemn Profession

On November 1, 1678, the feast of All Saints, Veronica made her solemn profession as a Capuchin nun in Cittร  di Castello, four days after completing her year-long noviciate. Her exceptional virtue during this period left no doubt among the religious community, who unanimously admitted her to profession. Though the canonization records do not detail her fervor during the ceremony, her lifelong preparationโ€”marked by an ardent desire to consecrate herself to her heavenly Spouse, meticulous noviciate practices, and annual commemorations of her clothing and profession with prolonged prayers, penances, and humiliationsโ€”suggests profound devotion. On the profession day, she appeared without the black veil, desiring to be treated as the least in the convent, reflecting her humility.

Divine Graces and Ecstasies

Veronicaโ€™s profession deepened her union with God, as evidenced by her writings. Reflecting on Christโ€™s acceptance of His Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane, she felt united to Godโ€™s Will, receiving enduring spiritual instruction. She wrote, โ€œIt appeared to me that Jesus turned His eyes on me with love, and said, โ€˜Come to Me, come to Me,โ€™โ€ promising divine graces. During Communion on her profession day, she experienced overwhelming graces, feeling โ€œenraptured, and myself absorbed in the sea of divine love.โ€ On another anniversary in 1701, a rapture revealed the risen Christ, which she initially suspected as diabolical but recognized as divine through its fruits: compunction, clarity on her faults, and insight into practicing virtues with humility, detachment, and resignation to Godโ€™s Will.

Her ecstasies were marked by holy outcomesโ€”contrition, horror of sin, love, hope, and a desire for sufferingโ€”ruling out delusion. Witnesses during her canonization, including her convent companions, confirmed her heroic virtues: mortification, humility, obedience, and charity. Her zeal for sinnersโ€™ conversion was profound, offering herself as an intercessor, which provoked demonic attacks.

Diabolic Assaults

The devil, enraged by Veronicaโ€™s sanctity, physically assaulted her during prayers for sinners. While praying before the Blessed Sacrament, pleading for sinners and offering to suffer on their behalf, she was struck and thrown to the ground, hearing chains and hissing serpents. Undaunted, she prolonged her prayer and used the discipline, despising the devilโ€™s โ€œridiculous and foolish devices.โ€ The bruise on her face lasted days. On another occasion, while working in her cell and praying for suffering, she was struck on the shoulder, causing a loud noise that alarmed the sisters. Smiling at the devilโ€™s futility, she offered the pain to God, continuing her work despite lingering discomfort.

Supernatural Visitations

God countered these attacks with divine consolations. While singing a hymn in the kitchen with three sisters, Veronica exclaimed, โ€œMy Jesus! My Jesus!โ€ and fell into an ecstasy, collapsing onto Sister Clare Felix, her face radiant like the sun. Initially mistaken for epilepsy, these episodes were confirmed as divine by her confessor, Father Cavamazza, who instructed the nuns not to disturb her. In her first recorded rapture, Veronica saw Jesus bearing a heavy cross, inviting her to share it. This vision transformed suffering into โ€œprecious jewelsโ€ shaped like a cross, imprinting a visible cross on her heart, later verified after her death. She wrote, โ€œI felt a great pain at my heart, which has never left me since,โ€ fueling her lifelong aspiration for suffering as a share in Christโ€™s Passion.

Continued Obedience

Post-profession, Veronica remained under the novice-mistress for two more years, embracing obedience as if still a novice. She desired to continue this subordination indefinitely, a testament to her humility. Her virtuesโ€”evident in her rigorous observance of the rule, voluntary hardships, and intercession for sinnersโ€”solidified her union with her divine Spouse, making suffering her sole treasure.


10. Veronica's Convent Roles and Duties

Overview of Roles

After completing her noviciate, Veronica served in various roles within the Capuchin monastery in Cittร  di Castello, progressing from the lowest to the highest offices: kitchen, dispensary, linen-room, infirmary, turn, pantry, sacristy, novice-mistress, and ultimately abbess. She approached each role with equanimity, viewing herself as the servant of all, and performed her duties with meticulous diligence despite her delicate constitution.

Heroic Mortification in Duties

Veronicaโ€™s commitment to overcoming personal repugnances was heroic. In the kitchen, repelled by the odor of fish, she conditioned herself by keeping a putrid fish in her room, eventually finding even stale fish pleasant to handle. In the infirmary, she chewed used cotton from her mistressโ€™s ulcerated mouth to conquer her aversion, demonstrating extraordinary mortification. These acts provoked demonic interference, such as the devil spilling kitchen vessels, which Sister Frances, her companion, noted could not have occurred naturally. However, God countered these trials with miracles: provisions like cheese and eggs multiplied under Veronicaโ€™s hands, and a small gift of fish sustained the community for days, prompting her to say, โ€œEat away, eat away, and never mind,โ€ when questioned.

Novice-Mistress: A Role of Profound Impact

At age 34, after 17 years in religious life, Veronica was appointed novice-mistress, a role she held for 22 years, continuing even during her 11-year tenure as abbess until her death. Chosen for her virtue despite her youth, she transformed the noviciate, elevating the conventโ€™s sanctity to renown across Italy and Europe. Treating novices as daughters, she ensured their needs were met, often at her own expense. For instance, she swapped her lighter coverlet with a noviceโ€™s heavier one in summer, later returning the warmer one in winter. When novices fell ill, she served them tenderly, once miraculously taking on Sister Mary Constance Spanaciariโ€™s fever and erysipelas after signing her with a relic of the true Cross, curing the novice instantly.

Veronica prayed to rid the convent of an insect infestation, resulting in all pests congregating in her cell, leaving others free. She rejoiced at this, and soon after, God removed the pests entirely. Her cell was always open, and she fostered joy in communal activities, even joining novices in garden games despite her age and dropsy.

Spiritual Guidance and Discipline

Veronica grounded novices in the fear of God and observance of commandments, teaching Christian doctrine and the religious ruleโ€™s spirit. She tolerated innocent imperfections but instilled mortification and self-abnegation, emphasizing, โ€œWhoever wishes to belong to God must first die to herself.โ€ She tested obedience, as when she ordered Sister Ursula Ceoli to wear extra veils and a cloak in the summer heat, miraculously alleviated by a divine breeze. For graver faults, like a noviceโ€™s impatience with a companion, she imposed penances such as making crosses with the tongue on the ground and public apologies.

Humility was central to her teaching, inspired by a Christmas vision of the Infant Jesus, who declared Himself the Master of humility. Veronica modeled this by publicly humbling herself before novices, confessing exaggerated childhood faults and inviting them to trample her lips, once resulting in a swollen lip, possibly due to divine or demonic action. She combated tepidity, urging novices to dedicate all actions to God. When a novice admitted distraction during prayers, Veronicaโ€™s distress led to a profound lesson on the gravity of sin, moving the novice to tears.

Veronicaโ€™s divine insight allowed her to discern novicesโ€™ thoughts, addressing hidden struggles, as with Sister Mary Magdalen Boscainiโ€™s spiritual affliction and anotherโ€™s unspoken aversion, healing both through gentle correction.

Abbess: A Model of Leadership

In March 1716, at age 56, Veronica reluctantly accepted the role of abbess under obedience, serving until her death. Her leadership ensured strict rule observance and harmony, earning universal esteem, as attested by Father Tassinari, the conventโ€™s confessor for 40 years. Her humility, maternal care, and divine insight addressed nunsโ€™ spiritual needs, as when she aided a tempted nun locked in her cell. She miraculously restored Sister Mary Rose Gotoloniโ€™s health with sweetmeats during a severe illness.

Veronica maintained equality, performing menial tasks like dishwashing despite her status, inspiring nuns to follow suit. She ensured provisions through prudent management, securing water from the Vitelli family and leaden pipes from Cosmo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and expanded the convent with a dormitory, fulfilling a prophecy by Father Ubaldo Antonio Cappelletti.

Divine Judgment and Correction

On November 9, 1707, during a severe illness, Veronica experienced a vision of divine judgment, seeing herself before Christโ€™s tribunal, overwhelmed by her perceived unworthiness. Intercessions by Mary and her patron saints softened Christโ€™s countenance, granting her mercy. The vision revealed her novicesโ€™ faults and her own negligence, prompting her to privately correct each novice, moving them to tears, and collectively confess her shortcomings, urging vigilance in small matters. This experience, recorded by Father Cappelletti, intensified her illness, requiring Extreme Unction.


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