Pope Francis advanced the beatification cause of Maria Aristea Ceccarelli, an Italian laywoman who was neglected by her parents, abused by her husband, and suffered prolonged health problems.

Maria Aristea Ceccarelli was born in Ancona, Italy on November 5, 1883. She endured great hardships from her illiterate and harsh mother as well as a bad tempered, alcoholic father who lost his wealth in gambling.

Not being provided for education, she worked odd jobs to attend private tuitions. It was out of her own initiative that she attended Church and received the Sacraments.

She was married off at the age of 18, however her husband turned out to be abusive, and even betrayed and humiliated her. However, she never spoke of her betrayal in public.

At the age of 24, she was forced to have her right eye removed after suffering a perforation of the eyeball. She then developed trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that causes painful shock-like sensations to one side of the face. These pains eventually spread throughout her body.

After around 10 years of marriage, Ceccarelli and her husband moved to Rome for her husband’s job. There, she met three priests of the Camillian religious order who became her spiritual advisers. She took care of the sick, especially tuberculosis, the poor and the suffering.

Ceccarelli never gave up her private hope for her husband’s conversion to the Catholic faith and a life of virtue. Her heroic fidelity to her husband is shown in something she wrote in her spiritual diary: “I always think this, and I would repeat it to all brides: Adorn your soul internally as best you can for Jesus, but externally for your husband. If you draw him to you, you will draw him to God himself.”

In 1948, Ceccarelli’s patience was rewarded with her husband’s return to the faith and reconciliation with her. He died in 1964.

She never had children, but was a spiritual mother to many, and cultivated many vocations to the Camillian order.

After years of declining health, including widespread pain, heart problems, and dropsy, she died on Christmas Eve in 1971 at the age of 92.

Pope Francis also advanced the beatification causes of nine other servants of God last Saturday, including Bl. Artemide Zatti, a nurse and Salesian Coadjutor Brother, who will now be declared a saint.
-CNA/VaticanMedia