(1864-1894) Livia Pietrantoni was born to a poor farming family in Italy. She joined the Sisters of Divine Charity, taking the name Agostina, and was sent to serve as a nurse at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Rome near the Vatican. She contracted tuberculosis from patients, recovered, and continued to work in the tuberculosis ward. At one point, Agostina was beaten by a patient for confiscating a knife, but she insisted on continuing her work. That same patient began to harass her and send death threats, and he eventually stabbed her to death. Agostina forgave her killer moments before she died, and thousands lined the streets of Rome for her funeral.
Pope Saint John Paul II said at her canonization homily on April 19, 1999, “Sr. Agostina realized that the love of Jesus calls for generous service to one’s brothers and sisters, for it is in their faces, especially those of the neediest, that the face of Christ shines.” Where are you in service to those in your recovery fellowship? Do you see the face of Christ in them?
“We will lie down for such a long time after death that it is worthwhile to keep standing while we are alive. Let us work now; one day we will rest” (Saint Agostina Pietrantoni).
Reflection by Brad Farmer