Blessed Lucy Brocadelli

Lucy Brocadelli, also known as Lucy of Narni or Lucy of Narnia (13 December 1476 – 15 November 1544), was a Dominican tertiary who was a mystic and a stigmatic. She has been venerated by the Roman Catholic Church since 1710. She is known for being the counselor of the Duke of Ferrara, for founding convents in two different and distant city-states and for her remains being returned to her home city of Narni on 26 May 1935, 391 years after her death. Lucy Brocadelly was born on 13 December 1476 on the feast day of Lucy of Syracuse, the eldest of eleven children of Bartolomeo Brocadelli and Gentilina Cassio, in the town of Narni (then called Narnia) and in the region of Umbria. A pious child, she is said to have received visions from an early age. When she was twelve years old, Lucy made a private vow of chastity, and she determined to become a Dominican nun. Circumstances, however, changed to make doing so impossible as her father died the following year, leaving her in the care of an uncle. This uncle, following the wish of her father while he was still alive, decided that the best course of action he could take would be to get Lucy married as quickly as possible. He made several attempts to do so. One of these included holding a large family party. He had invited the man he had chosen to become Lucy's husband to the party, with the intention of having the couple publicly betrothed. He however had not informed Lucy of his intentions. The suitor made an attempt to put a ring on Lucy's finger, only to be slapped repeatedly by her for his efforts. A later attempt involved Count Pietro di Alessio of Milan, an acquaintance of the family. Lucy was actually quite fond of him but felt that her earlier vow of perpetual virginity made the marriage impossible. The strain Lucy felt as a result of the conflicting feelings made her seriously ill. During this time, the Virgin Mary and Saint Dominic reportedly appeared to her, this time accompanied by Saint Catherine of Siena.