Maria Chiara Nanetti

Saint Maria Chiara Nanetti
Born	Clelia Nanetti 9 January 1872 Occhiobello, Rovigo, Italy
Died	9 July 1900 (age 28) Taiyuan, China
Beatified	24 November 1946 by Pope Pius XII
Canonized	1 October 2000, Rome by Pope John Paul II
Feast	9 July as one of the Martyr Saints of China

Saint Maria Chiara Nanetti or Mary Clare (1872-1900, born Clelia Nanetti) was an Italian nun who died for her faith in China during the Boxer Rebellion and was canonised in 2000. She is one of the group known as the Martyr Saints of China who were canonised by Pope John Paul II 1 October 2000.

She was born Clelia Nanetti 9 January 1872 in Occhiobello, Rovigo, Italy and joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary on 4 January 1892. In 1899 she was one of a group of seven sisters from the order who went to Taiyuan, China, arriving on 4 May 1899, to set up an orphanage at the mission there under bishop Gregorio Grassi. The other six nuns came from Belgium, France and the Netherlands although Maria della Pace was also Italian.

The level of threat to the community rose and on 27 June 1900 the Bishops advised that the nuns should change into local clothes and escape. Marie-Hermine of Jesus as Mother Superior is reported to have protested that the nuns should not be denied the sacrifice of dying for their faith and that they should be allowed to stay.

On 5 July 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Christians at the mission were ordered to renounce their faith or face death; at 4pm on 9 July the priests, nuns, seminarians and Christian lay workers were all killed, in what is known as the Taiyuan massacre. Maria Chiara was beatified by Pope Pius XII on 24 November 1946 and canonised by Pope John Paul II on 1 October 2000 as one of a group of 120 Martyr Saints of China. The Franciscan Martyrs of China are remembered on 9 July each year.