Every July 13, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Clélia Barbieri, an Italian nun who died early, considered the youngest founder in the history of the Church.
At just over 20 years old, she started what would become the congregation of the Minimum Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, belonging to the spiritual family of the Order of the Servites.
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Clélia Barbieri was born in San Giovanni, Persiceto (Italy) on February 13, 1847. Her parents, good Catholics, introduced her to faith and piety. Since she was little, she knew the difficulties of a life with few economic resources. Her father came from a poor family and, although her mother had greater wealth, the Barbieri household never had anything left over. Therefore, when Clélia’s father died – she was only eight years old – the family began to suffer financial difficulties.
Seeking the will of the Lord
Clélia made her First Communion on June 17, 1858. Despite her young years, she already showed an unusual maturity in faith. She discovered herself called to do everything for the love of Christ and inclined to please Him in all things.
Through reading The practice of loving Jesus Christ of Saint Alphonsus Mary of Liguori, the young girl discovered an immense spiritual horizon, which prompted her to practice love for God and her brothers, as well as the commitment to lead a life of purity and ascetic discipline. Following Jesus Christ was a path of love and freedom for Clélia.
Clélia precisely reflected both dimensions of Christian life, which she crowned with her affable and warm character. Everyone had affection and appreciation for her, wherever she was: at school, in catechism, at home. Thus, with the rapid passage of the years, as an adult, she was encouraged to put life together into practice to better serve God.
“Minimal sisters”
On May 1, 1868, with three other companions, she moved to a very humble house, near the parish church, establishing what would be the first community of the Minimum Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows – the name that the congregation acquired. .
The incipient community went through all the difficulties that usually appear in the life of a new foundation; However, God led and educated them. Clélia and her sisters always had the support and spiritual guidance of Father Gaetano Guidi, local parish priest, who became the saint’s spiritual director. Father Guidi constantly encouraged Clélia and helped her to know and trust in her abilities.
Meanwhile, the young women dedicated themselves to educational work, especially with youth, prioritizing the teaching of catechism. At the same time they dedicated themselves to assisting the poor and abandoned, as well as caring for the sick.
Clélia was devoted to Saint Francis of Paula (1416-1507), hermit founder of the Order of Minims, and made her foundation have him as a source of permanent inspiration. It is said that the sisters used to entrust themselves to him when resources were scarce. On one occasion the sisters had only a little oil for their food, so Clélia entrusted herself to the saint and stood at the door waiting for someone to feed them. Immediately a man appeared and gave them a container full of oil.
The people of the town had such respect and gratitude for Clélia that they began to call her ‘mother’, when she was just about to turn 22 years old. Only a couple of years later she fell ill with tuberculosis and died on July 13, 1870, at the age of 23.
“I am going to paradise and all the sisters of our family who die will have eternal life” (Santa Clélia Barbieri, during her agony).
Echoes of a life given to others
On the day of her canonization, April 9, 1989, Pope Saint John Paul II highlighted how “the height of holiness reached (by Clélia) in a short period of time is impressive. Clélia is the youngest foundress in history of the Church. His life demonstrates that the holiness of souls is the work of divine grace, not of human strategy or culture.
“Is there not a message from the Almighty for our time in this? With the solemn canonization of the young nun from Bolognese, God places before us a humble, fragile creature, deprived of material wealth and culture, but rich in the wisdom that the simple reach in prayer, in the very sources of the revealed Word,” the pilgrim Pope then expressed.
Cardinal Giorgio Gusmini, who was archbishop of Bologna in times after the saint’s death, became her main biographer and is today the most recognized source for knowing her.
Currently, the Minimum Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows serve in Italy, India and Tanzania, with approximately 35 houses and around 1,300 religious.
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