Irene Stefani
Blessed Irene Stefani "Nyaatha" | |
|---|---|
| Nun | |
| Born | 22 August 1891 Anfo, Brescia, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 31 October 1930 (aged 39) Gikondi, Mukurweini, Nyeri, British Kenya |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 23 May 2015, Nyeri, Kenya by Cardinal Polycarp Pengo |
| Feast | 31 October |
| Attributes | Nun's habit |
| Patronage |
|
Blessed Irene Stefani (22 August 1891 - 31 October 1930), born Aurelia Mercede Stefani, was a Roman Catholic Italian nun and a member of the Consolata Missionary Sisters. She assumed the name "Irene" upon entrance into that order and she became a missionary in Kenya.
Stefani was cleared for beatification in 2014 after a miracle found to have been attributed to her intercession was ratified, and she was beatified on 23 May 2015 in Nyeri by Cardinal Polycarp Pengo on behalf of Pope Francis.[1]
Biography
Aurelia Mercede Stefani was born in 1891 in the small village of Anfo. Stefani joined the Consolata Missionary Sisters in 1911 and became a professed member of that order in 1914 prior to the beginning of World War I. Upon entering the order, she took the name of "Irene". That same year, she was sent by Blessed Giuseppe Allamano to go to Kenya, where she arrived in January 1915.
Stefani served as a nurse in Kenya and became well known and well regarded among the people that she served. This earned her the nickname "Nyaatha"(Nyina wa tha), which is a name literally translated as "mother of mercy". In 1930, Stefani contracted a disease from one of the patients she was treating and succumbed later on 31 October 1930.[2]
Beatification
The cause of beatification commenced on 22 July 1985 under Pope John Paul II and Stefani was declared a Servant of God; this acted as the formal beginning of the cause and it saw the accumulation of documents and testimonies in order to support the cause.
On 2 April 2011, Pope Benedict XVI declared her to have lived a life of heroic virtue and declared her to be Venerable.
On 12 June 2014, Pope Francis approved a decree that recognized a miracle attributed to Stefani's intercession which cleared the way for her beatification. It was celebrated by Cardinal Polycarp Pengo on 23 May 2015 in Nyeri.
References
- ^ "Blessed Irene Stefani". Saints SQPN. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "THE POPE ANNOUNCES THE BEATIFICATION OF A CATHOLIC NUN IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NYERI ON SATURDAY 23RD MAY 2015". Dedan Kimathi University of Technology. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.