Blessed Gaetana Sterni

Gaetana Sterni (26 June 1827 – 26 November 1889) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Sisters of Divine Will. Sterni's life became marred due to the deaths of close relations including her husband and sole child which prompted her to look towards an apostolate to aid others and to ease others' sufferings. The order she founded was dedicated to total consecration to Jesus Christ and to an active apostolate of evangelic zeal. Her beatification cause commenced under Pope John XXIII in 1960 while she became titled as Venerable in 1991. Pope John Paul II presided over her beatification on 4 November 2001 at Saint Peter's Square. Gaetana Sterni was born in Cassola in Vicenza on 26 June 1827 as one of six children to Giovanni Battista Sterni and Giovanna Chiuppani. Her baptism was celebrated on 26 June at the local parish church of San Giovanni Evangelista. At Pentecost on 17 May 1835 she and her sister Rosa received their Confirmation from the Bishop of Padua Modesto Farina and her elder sister Margherita acted as the sponsor. She received her First Communion in 1837. Siblings were: In her adolescence her elder sister Margherita died in late 1835 and her father had contracted dementia in 1836 and soon after died on 28 May 1838. Her brother Francesco left home around this time in order to pursue a career as an actor. Her confessor from 1839 until 1851 was the priest Girolamo Maria Maritani (30 August 1785 – 13 May 1852). It was around this point that she received a marriage offer from Liberale Conte (20 August 1811 – 1843) – a widower with three children – and the two married on 7 November 1842 at the church of San Rocco in Santa Chiara with Maritani presiding. A brother-in-law was Angelo Conte. Liberate had married in 1831 to Maddalena Rizzoli who died aged 28 on 26 September 1841. The step-children included Ippolita (b. 27 September 1831) as well as Luigi (b. 22 December 1833) and Antonia (b. 3 January 1835).