Blessed Columba of Rieti

Columba of Rieti was an Italian religious sister of the Third Order of St. Dominic who was noted as a mystic. She was renowned for her spiritual counsel, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and fantastic miracles were attributed to her. She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1625. Columba was born Angelella Guardagnoli, the daughter of a poor family in the Umbrian city of Rieti. Legend states that when she was born, angels gathered around her house, singing, and that during her baptism, a dove flew down to the font. From then on, no one referred to her as Angelella, but as Columba (dove). As a small girl, Columba learned to spin and sew repairing the clothes of the local Dominican friars. She was educated by Dominican nuns. As a teenager, she prayed to discern her vocation in life and received a vision of Christ on a throne surrounded by saints. She took this as a sign to dedicate herself to God, and so she made a private vow of chastity, and spent her time in prayer. When it was revealed that her parents had arranged a marriage for her, she cut off her hair and sent it to her suitor as a way of letting him know where her real interest lay. Columba became a Dominican tertiary at age 19. She was reputedly given to ecstasies, during one of which her spirit toured the Holy Land. She was much sought after as a spiritual counselor. It is said that citizens from the city of Narni tried to kidnap her so she could be "their" miracle worker, but she escaped. The same townsfolk were later to fight to retain their own townswoman and mystic, Lucy of Narni. Columba fasted regularly. Anorexia mirabilis was well known in Columba's time, when it was not seen as a medical emergency or mental illness, instead revered as a symbol of one's piety. Ultimately, the fasting caused her death in 1501, at the age of 34. Additionally, Columba was known to engage in acts designed to cause her physical pain, such as at the wearing of a hairshirt and sleeping on thorns.