(1888-1922) Anna Francesca Boscardin was the daughter of a poor peasant family with a violent and abusive alcoholic father in Italy. She received very little education, worked as a house servant, and was considered very unintelligent. Around 16 years old, she joined the Sisters of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Heart, and took the name Maria Bertilla, working in the kitchen and doing laundry before training as a nurse. She became a favorite with children in the hospital and cared for wounded Italian soldiers during World War I. Many miracles of healing are reported at her tomb.
Saint Maria Bertilla was an adult child of an alcoholic, and perhaps “the lost child.” She did not adopt a victim mentality, but she accepted the judgments people made about her intelligence and won others over with her gentle character. Humility and surrender were spiritual principles she practiced daily. Are we hung up on what others think of us? Can we let that go and seek to please God alone?
“I am not able to do anything. I am a poor goose. Will you teach me what I must do? I want to become a saint” (Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin).
Reflection by Brad Farmer